Awards Gala

At this year's Global HR Leadership Summit we celebrated the leadership, dedication and influence of 10 individuals in our own community who have risen above the rest and were recognized as 2011 Breakaway Leaders. 

This year's awards focused on the theme of Engage. Innovate. Transform. For the first time ever, the HR winners were determined by the combined votes of an elite judging panel and the HR peer community.

Ryan Elder, Senior Program Director, Global HR Leadership Summit; Jim Sheehan, EVP, General Counsel & CAO, Tellabs, Inc.; Eric Drummond, SVP & Chief People Officer, Novelis Inc.; Caroline Stockdale, SVP & CHRO, Medtronic, Inc.; Bob Ravener, EVP & Chief People Officer, Dollar General Corporation; Bill Behrendt, Ph.D., VP, Human Resources, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas ; Ryland Harrelson, EVP & Chief Human Resource Officer, TSYS; Robert Reindl, Corp. VP, Human Resources, Edwards Lifesciences; Bob Dethlefs, CEO & Founder, Evanta
Not pictured: Steven Baert, VP, Human Resources, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; Donna Bryden, VP, Human Resources & Community Relations, Agriculture Financial Services Corporation; EVP & Chief Human Resource Officer, TSYS; Mary Humiston, Group VP, Global Human Resources, Applied Materials, Inc.; Tom Mathews, EVP Human Resources, Time Warner Cable Inc.

In their own words, here are just a few small snippets of why these are our Top 10 Winners:

Steven Baert, VP, Human Resources, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
"When under pressure, leading your team through the change, taking ownership for the decisions, relying on the expertise of your team that they can implement this, and making yourself available to coach them and encourage/protect them during the difficult times is leadership."

Bill Behrendt, Ph.D., VP, Human Resources, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
"Breakaway leadership means having the foresight and courage to 'push' the organization forward in the direction it needs to go, even if there are some risks involved."

Donna Bryden, VP, Human Resources & Community Relations, Agriculture Financial Services Corporation
"You must embrace innovation and creativity with an eye to the future and a design to move your organization ahead. By putting my trust in my team, working side by side with them, reviving my passion for excellence and learning and stepping aside as require so as not to compromise the team, they began to open up and to share their brilliant ideas and solutions."

Eric Drummond, SVP & Chief People Officer, Novelis Inc.
"Breakaway leadership means making an exponential jump from basic to world class and making the leap quickly in order to transform the company. Having courage to invest immediately and possessing an appetite for risk taking is necessary to be this kind of leader."

Ryland Harrelson, EVP & Chief Human Resource Officer, TSYS
"My personal goal has always been to help position our company to receive the puck not to have to chase after it. Innovation requires one to do more on less. My strategy is to identify the big issues, assess the current state, establish the future state and drive bold change toward our new direction."

Mary Humiston, Group VP, Global Human Resources, Applied Materials, Inc.
"I am a big fan of getting 360 feedback, understanding it well, and taking action for continuous improvement that in the end benefit everyone."

Tom Mathews, EVP Human Resources, Time Warner Cable Inc.
"A breakaway HR leader has to demonstrate courage by standing up for something, even when the position is not popular, is hard, and comes with some risk. But, you have to take it anyway because you believe it is right, fair and in line with the organization's values."

Bob Ravener, EVP & Chief People Officer, Dollar General Corporation
"I believe the future is now. The HR leader of today – and the future – must be business savvy with a long-term perspective. People are the greatest assets in any organization and CHROs will need to constantly remind and influence the senior leaders to invest time in people to solve emerging business challenges."

Robert Reindl, Corp. VP, Human Resources, Edwards Lifesciences
"As our organization grows, we must rigorously pursue innovation. It is the foundation of our strategy. Our challenge is to grow through innovation but not have bureaucracy come with our growth."

Caroline Stockdale, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Medtronic, Inc.
"Each day I ask myself what I could have done differently or better as a leader. A great lesson that I learned a few years ago as a leader was to 'get over' being right and learned the value of focusing on achieving the right outcome." 

Congratulations to All of Our Winners!