Awards Gala
2012 Top 10 Breakaway Leader Awards
The Top 10 Breakaway Leaders Award celebrates world-class HR leaders who continue to deliver value by engaging and developing the global workforce of tomorrow. Those honored are the top leaders in their field who are changing the face of HR and inspiring a legacy of excellence. Through ingenuity and dedication, these CHROs are setting their organizations up to become the next great innovator in talent development.
An elite panel of judges made up of CHROs and retired CHROs; noted academics; and HR thought leaders reviewed all of the applications and nominations to determined the winners who were recognized in the company of their peers on September 25, 2012 during the Awards Gala Dinner at the 2012 Global HR Leadership Summit in Denver.
Tom Mathews, EVP, Human Resources, Time Warner Cable Inc., Awards Chair;
Paul Humphries, President, High Reliability Solutions & EVP, WW Human Resources, Flextronics International, Ltd.;
Sylvia Taylor, EVP, Human Resources, The Weather Channel;
Liz Gottung, SVP & CHRO, Kimberly-Clark Corporation;
Josh Blair, EVP, Human Resources, TELUS;
Dave Pylipow, EVP, Human Resources & Communications, SUPERVALU INC.;
Roger Jansen, Ph.D., SVP & CHRO, Spectrum Health;
Marissa Andrada, svp of US & Americas Partner Resources, Starbucks Coffee Company; Ann Weiser, CHRO, Activision Blizzard, Inc. Co-Chair
Not pictured: Sylvia Chrominska, Group Head, Global Human Resources & Communications, Scotiabank; Kimberly Hauer, VP & CHRO, Caterpillar Inc.; and William Milton Jr., Chief Human Capital Officer, US Department of Agriculture
See what executives from each of our winner's organizations had to say about their winning CHRO.
Marissa Andrada, svp of US & Americas Partner Resources, Starbucks Coffee Company
"Marissa Andrada is a well-respected, strategic, passionate leader who always has the best interest of our partners (employees) in mind. In the two years she has been with Starbucks, she has made a tremendous impact on how we connect our partners with our customers to help us deliver against our business goals. Her business acumen combined with her compassionate approach enable us as leaders to truly nurture, inspire and lead our partners daily."
– Cliff Burrows, President of Starbucks Coffee Americas & US
Josh Blair, EVP, Human Resources, TELUS
"Josh Blair is one of the most gifted and effective leaders I have ever had the privilege of working with. His vision, innovation and commitment to excellence have contributed to outstanding accomplishments within the teams he has led and have advanced materially TELUS' leadership on a global basis. For almost twenty years, TELUS team members have benefited from Josh's talent and passion for giving selflessly. Moreover, his business expertise and strength in the strategic execution of groundbreaking programmes in the professional development of TELUS' Human Resources, have taken TELUS employee engagement productivity and wellness to unprecedented levels relative to our global peers. Importantly, as the youngest member of TELUS's executive team, Josh represents an iconic role model for business leaders around the globe; simply put, he is a wise soul in a young body. Over the years Josh has become my trusted advisor and close friend, and his advice has been instrumental in my ability to answer the myriad of challenges that constantly confront TELUS in our dynamic industry. It is with great pride and satisfaction that on behalf of our 40,000 TELUS team members, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Josh on this tremendously well-deserved honour. Bravo!"
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Darren Entwistle, Presdent & CEO, TELUS
Sylvia Chrominska, Group Head, Global Human Resources & Communications, Scotiabank
"Sylvia Chrominska's leadership and influence have been instrumental in transforming Scotiabank into a leading multinational financial institution and a recognized employer of choice. As a key member of our executive team, Sylvia has demonstrated the links between employee engagement, customer satisfaction and business success, and challenged me and her colleagues to consider new ways of thinking about our employees. Her courageous and passionate advocacy of critical issues such as diversity and inclusion, the advancement of women, leadership and philanthropy has contributed significantly to Scotiabank's competitive advantage.
Beyond work, Sylvia has made enormous contributions to the community, particularly in support of women and girls, and is a generous mentor and role model. We are proud that she is a Scotiabanker, and delighted that you have chosen to honour her with this well-deserved award."
–
Rick Waugh, President & CEO, Scotiabank
Liz Gottung, SVP & CHRO, Kimberly-Clark Corporation
"Liz Gottung has always been a passionate champion of K-C's people! Unleashing the Power of Our People is the mission that drives her and her team every day to help both our K-C team members and our businesses deliver results. Liz has a passion to win and is focused on making sure that our people have the right capabilities, leadership skills, and environment consistent with a high performance organization. Liz has benchmarked great companies around the world and implemented a core HR program that is enabling K-C to improve our business performance. Even better, Liz is a wonderful human being and I am proud to have her on my leadership team. Congratulations, Liz!"
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Tom Falk, CEO, Kimberly-Clark Corporation
Kimberly Hauer, VP & CHRO, Caterpillar Inc.
"Kim is the consummate HR professional combining a passion for people with a clear understanding of "when the business wins, she wins". We promoted Kim to our VP of Human Services as we were deploying an updated strategy with a strong focus on leadership development. While we had a good foundation to build from, Kim and her team have taken leadership development to new heights and boldly incorporated our suppliers, dealers and customers into our leadership development program. She has a unique ability to take a complex subject and break it down in a way that her employees understand and embrace. Through my years at Caterpillar, I have always focused on picking the right people for key jobs. Kim is perhaps the best call I ever made."
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Ed Rapp, Group President, CFO, Caterpillar Inc.
Paul Humphries, President, High Reliability Solutions & EVP, WW Human Resources, Flextronics International, Ltd.
"With over 200,000 employees in 30 countries around the globe, Paul successfully serves as the driving force behind one of the most complex and sophisticated Human Resources systems in the world. He possesses extraordinary knowledge across multiple functional disciplines. Through that experience and expertise, he is able to guide the HR organization in ways that are unique and innovative, garnering unprecedented results. Seven years ago when Paul took the helm, systems were weak, poorly developed and fragmented. Paul, with his team, developed and implemented a full complement of comprehensive processes and management systems, supported by the most advanced SaaS based enterprise systems in the world. It is in his deep understanding of the needs of the business that allow him to shape culture and lead levels of organizational efficiencies that are world class. Paul is an outstanding asset to our organization and a role model for executives in the HR profession."
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Mike McNamara, CEO, Flextronics
Roger Jansen, Ph.D., SVP & CHRO, Spectrum Health
"Roger has brought a new professional approach to the hiring, recognition and development of our nearly 20,000 employees. His insights into what truly motivate people has changed our organizational focus into more of a strategic rather than reactive workplace. Roger has adapted well into the senior leadership team and is highly sought after for his advice and comment. I find him to be a valuable member of the leadership team at Spectrum Health."
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Richard C. Breon, President & CEO, Spectrum Health
William Milton Jr., Chief Human Capital Officer, US Department of Agriculture
"Billy has served as USDA's Chief Human Capital Officer since January 2010. In less than 3-years, he has rebuilt both the structure and the reputation of USDA's Human Resources Management Program. He has succeeded in creating a results oriented human resources program that is changing the course and history of USDA; one that embodies the values of diversity, inclusion, work-life balance and accountability. He is recognized by his peers within and outside of USDA for his passion, leadership, vision and creativity. And yes, even for his competitive nature that brings humor and camaraderie to building success. He is inspiring to work with and I'm proud to have him as a member of my leadership team."
–
Robin Heard, Department Assistant Secretary for Administration, United States Department of Agriculture
Dave Pylipow, EVP, Human Resources & Communications, SUPERVALU INC.
"Dave Pylipow is a passionate leader who helps foster an atmosphere of creativity and innovation within SUPERVALU. In the fast-paced retail industry, serving the customer better than anyone else is paramount to success. Dave ensures that Human Resources is a strategic partner within the organization that is focused on driving sales by having the right people in the right place at the right time, ready to deliver the right results. He firmly believes that HR should be positioned as champions of talent, champions of leadership and stewards of our culture, and his everyday actions reflect these beliefs. I am honored to have Dave as a member of SUPERVALU's leadership team."
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Wayne Sales, Chairman, President & CEO, SUPERVALU INC.
Sylvia Taylor, EVP, Human Resources, The Weather Channel
"Sylvia Taylor laid the groundwork for our culture change and strategic HR initiatives. She worked with us to help define the parameters of our culture imperative and cultivate an organization that is more decisive, action oriented, risk tolerant, inclusive and accountable, to help us improve our capacity and velocity. In our ever-changing industry and organization, Sylvia worked to lay the foundation for our HR strategy as we position our company to achieve our future business priorities and to make The Weather Channel Companies a great place to work."
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Chris Walters, COO, The Weather Channel