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Winners at Canadian HR Awards gala event highlight need for recognition of HR teams
The Canadian HR Awards returned to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre once again last week, drawing hundreds of HR professionals from across Canada for an evening of recognition and celebration.
The event highlighted achievements and innovation in human resources, with an impressive 24 winners crossing the stage to accept their awards.
We spoke with some of the HR winners to get their take on the gala event – and the importance of recognizing HR:
Kirk Merritt, director of HR and Administration at Hyundai Canada, said the Canadian HR Award represents the effort and the passion that his team brings to supporting employees and the organization: “The organization has had a lot of success, and this team is the backbone of that.”
His advice for HR professionals was succinct: “Hire amazing people to your team and they'll make amazing things happen.”
Lori Schick, Executive Vice President of Human Resources at Aurora Cannabis, spoke about the significance of the award in recognizing her “amazing team” who work so hard.
“We don’t, in HR, get a lot of recognition. We do what we do because it’s the right thing to do and it’s a hard thing to do. So, a moment like this is really special.”
Schick said her team is smart and courageous.
“They push the leaders to think differently, to challenge them… They’re not afraid to use their voices – they’re great business leaders as well,” she said, encouraging others in HR to do the same.
The award for HR Leader of the Year is a “testimony to HR leadership and what the company stands for: people are the heart of the organization,” said recipient Diana Valler, CHRO at TravelBrands.
She attributed her success to listening and communication.
“When I started my career in this organization, I started doing one-on-one with every single person in the organization to see exactly how they feel. I asked them three simple questions: ‘What’s working, what’s not working, and how do you think we can work?’ and that’s why the culture got transformed.”
Joanna Mara, Director of Wellness at the CAA Club Group of Companies, said it’s important to be recognized for the work they do in the wellness space.
“It’s so critical to make sure that the health and wellness of our employees is top of mind. And so it’s incredible to be recognized,” she said.
Mara highlighted two areas of focus at the company: chronic disease management and mental health support.
“It’s really looking at getting to the deep root of the issue, so looking at what is going to impact our employee long term… and how can we help them get better?”
Healthy people are the heart of every organization, said Tara Warren, Director of Growth at MedCan, speaking at the event.
“We wanted to celebrate leaders and teams that set the standard for recognizing healthy programming into 2025 and beyond. And we wanted to address those organizations that focus on not only reactive challenges but proactively designing a healthy workplace.”
Trang Diep, Senior HR Generalist at MTU Maintenance Canada, reflected on the importance of being recognized as a Rising Star: “Growing up, I always wanted to be ... that middle person, to be the voice of the employees, to bring it up to management so that we can make any changes to increase the values of the culture.”
She cited the importance of internships, having gained valuable HR experience at her company over eight years.
Heather Haslam, Vice President of Marketing for ADP Canada, cited the importance of sponsoring this award.
“This is an award that captures the moment of when somebody’s early on in their career but already killing it – that’s challenging the status quo, that’s not listening to that voice inside their head; they don’t have imposter syndrome, they’re forcing what ... the evolution and the future of HR can be.”
In winning her award, Sujata Connors, CEO of Menno Place, reflected on her three years at the company. The HR director was retiring so Connors needed to act quickly to fill the top HR role.
“I wanted a team that [would] really support people, the people that work there, and put that first. So, we shifted the title, so now the title is People and Culture. And I hired an executive director … specifically to develop a strategy,” she said.
“It’s really about taking everything that we can do to support and create incentives for people to be there and just love working there.
And then they can do better at serving the residents that we serve.”
Nicole Desloges, former SVP, People at Lifelabs, where she worked for seven years, said she felt “so fortunate” to be given this award because many other people are not given the same kind of recognition.
“I share this award with them and all of the colleagues that have worked with me in the past. Whether they were cheerleaders or naysayers, I think that we learned from all those interactions,” she said.
“Everybody has had an impact on my journey, and I hope to be able to continue helping others in their journey.”
When employees feel great about what they’re doing and feel cared for at work, it allows them to show care outside of work, said Ed Galasso, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at OC Tanner Canada, at the awards.
“So, it’s important to us to ... continue to invest in the Canadian HR community so that they can continue to do the great work they do and touch as many lives as they do.”
The winners and Excellence Awardees featured in these pages represent a remarkable spectrum of talent, ideas, and leadership. Their work highlights the many ways HR professionals are driving positive change — from championing employee well-being and equity to redefining the future of work and supporting organizational success in an ever-changing landscape.
Equally inspiring was the strong sense of community in the room. Colleagues and peers came together to celebrate excellence, share in each other’s success, and reflect on the vital role HR plays in shaping inclusive, resilient, and people-first organizations across Canada.
We extend our congratulations to every honoree, and our heartfelt thanks to the judges, sponsors, and partners who helped make this year’s awards possible. As you read through this guide, I hope you discover not only stories of achievement, but also a glimpse into the bright and transformative future of the HR profession.
View the full photo gallery here.
ADP Canada
Designing better ways to work through cutting-edge products, premium services and exceptional experiences that enable people to reach their full potential. HR, Talent, Time Management, Benefits and Payroll. Informed by data and designed for people. For more information about ADP Canada visit www.adp.ca or follow us on Instagram @ADP_Canada
Dentsu
Dentsu is an integrated growth and transformation partner to the world’s leading organizations. Founded in 1901 in Tokyo, Japan, and now present in over 145 countries and regions, it has a proven track record of nurturing and developing innovations, combining the talents of its global network of leadership brands to develop impactful and integrated growth solutions for clients. Dentsu delivers end-to-end experience transformation (EX) by integrating its services across Media, CXM and Creative, while its business transformation (BX) mindset pushes the boundaries of transformation and sustainable growth for brands, people and society.
Dentsu, innovating to impact.
Medcan
As a global leader in proactive health, we partner with employers to deliver personalized, evidence-based care that supports employee health, productivity, and retention. Our comprehensive suite of services includes the flagship Annual Health Assessment, flexible care memberships (available in-person and virtually), and specialized programs such as genetic screening, gender-specific care, and weight management. By helping employees take control of their health, Medcan enables organizations to foster a culture of wellness, resilience, and high performance—today and into the future.
O.C. Tanner
O.C. Tanner is the global leader in software and services that improve workplace culture through meaningful employee recognition experiences. Our 1,500 programmers, researchers, designers, client professionals, and craftspeople create technology and awards that fuel productive work environments and positive business results.
Payworks
Payworks is a leading expert in the field of total workforce management solutions, providing cloud-based Payroll, Human Resources, Employee Time and Absence Management to businesses across Canada. Payworks is a Platinum Club member of Canada’s Best Managed Companies, having held the Best Managed distinction every year since 2012, and were designated one of Canada’s Top Small & Medium Employers for 2021 and 2023.
Each day, we deliver upon Payworks’ purpose: doing right by people. Developed with our employees, this serves as our guiding principle both inside and outside the office, whether through our customer relationships or community support initiatives. Our purpose permeates our culture in every interaction and manifests as holistic respect for the well-being of our team, environment and community.
Our social responsibility philosophy is to pay it forward – to participate in meaningful ways in the communities where our employees work, live, and raise their families – through local sponsorship, employment, investment, and employee-initiated giving and volunteering. Payworks added a Pay it Forward Day to its list of employee benefits in 2015, encouraging staff to take one day per calendar year to donate their time and skills to a not-for-profit charitable organization of their choosing.
Queen's University IRC
For over 87 years, Queen’s University IRC has been a leader in professional development training for busy HR and LR professionals. Our award-winning programs in labour relations, human resources, and organization development are delivered by industry experts, available both in-person and virtually, and grounded in adult learning principles.
Elevate your career with coveted IRC certificates in Labour Relations, Human Resources, and Organization Development, and access exclusive Thought Leadership resources to stay ahead of industry trends.
University of Waterloo
The future of work is changing. The University of Waterloo’s commitment to the value of work-integrated learning makes it a global leader in co-operative and experiential education. Waterloo’s future-ready students and alumni are recognized for their unmatched entrepreneurial drive, game-changing research, field-specific knowledge and ability to develop innovative solutions to tackle today and tomorrow’s biggest challenges.
Waterloo helps more than 8,000 global employers identify and recruit talent for the skills they need for their business to thrive. Future-proof your organization and claim your space at the forefront of innovation by hiring Waterloo talent.
Stage 1 – Nominations
The call for nominations was open to all HR professionals, teams, companies, and organizations – including HR service providers – from across Canada.
Nominations were open from March 24 to May 30, 2025, 11:59 pm ET.
To submit a nomination, participants went to the Nominate page of the website. Submissions were free of charge.
Stage 2 – Research
The Canadian HR Awards team conducted research and drew on knowledge and information gained through HRD Canada and Canadian HR Reporter to verify and support the nominations received.
Excellence awardees were determined from both pools of information.
Stage 3 – Excellence Awardees
Once all nominations were considered and research was complete, excellence awardees were selected in each category (except the Lifetime Achievement category) and notified via e-mail or phone.
Excellence awardees had the option to update their nominations, which provided an opportunity to address the category criteria in more detail. However, this was not required. All submissions remained confidential unless otherwise marked and were not shared with any third parties other than the judges.
Excellence awardees were officially announced in July 2025 on the website and promoted in HRD Canada and Canadian HR Reporter magazine and online channels. Promo packages to leverage their achievement across marketing and promotions were made available for purchase.
Stage 4 – Judging
All submissions from the excellence awardees were forwarded to the independent judging panel comprising industry leaders and senior representatives. The panel assessed and voted for the winners in each category according to the relevant category criteria.
Voting commenced in August 2025, and their judgment was impartial, balanced, incisive, and fair.
Any judge with a conflict of interest in a category recused themselves from judging that category.
Stage 5 – Winners
Using a simple points system to aggregate judges’ votes, the excellence awardee with the top score in each category was named the winner.
Winners were announced at the awards show on September 18, 2025, and on the website. They were also promoted in HRD Canada and Canadian HR Reporter. Promo packages to leverage their achievements across marketing and promotions were made available for purchase.
