From remote work to AI disruption, ten award sponsors share why celebrating HR talent has never mattered more
At the Australian HR Awards 2026, held on Friday, 4 September at The Fullerton Hotel Sydney, ten sponsor organisations spoke about why recognising human resources (HR) professionals matters more than ever, as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes recruitment, leadership and the everyday work of HR teams across the country.
Gnaneeka Kodagoda, of Vocantas, said the awards exist to honour a workforce that rarely gets the spotlight. “It’s so important to recognise folks that are essentially the heartbeat of an organisation,” she said, “that keeps everyone happy, that keeps the organisation functional.” For Kodagoda, sponsoring the night is a way of giving back to “the HR community.”
Sally-Anne Blanshard, of Right Management, echoed that sentiment. “These are the people behind the people in an organisation,” she said, “and to have them step out tonight, having some fun and being recognised and rewarded – and most importantly, having that HR conversation walk to the forefront – it’s really great.”
Glenn Campbell, of Western Sydney University The College, said HR professionals are too often only noticed when something goes wrong. “HR is so often unrecognised, or when things go wrong, they’re blamed,” he said. “I think recognition elevates them to the point where they actually need to be.”
Several sponsors linked the case for recognition to a profession under pressure from rapid technological change. Hugh Cook, of Vialto, said flexible ways of working remain central to business strategy. “Remote work strategy is critical to business strategy,” he said, “and we need to encourage the industry to get behind remote working and find ways to make that work for people.”
Tom Hyde, of recruitment platform Greenhouse, pointed to AI’s growing role in hiring. Greenhouse’s applicant tracking system (ATS) technology underpins its recruitment award category, and Hyde said this year’s nominees stood out.
“Being a leading ATS, best recruitment campaign is absolutely what we live and breathe every day,” he said. “We’ve been really impressed with all of the nominees – how creative they were, how innovative, and ultimately the results that they drove.”
He added that the industry’s resilience “in an environment that’s been impacted a lot by AI and a lot of disruption” was worth celebrating.
Stephanie Peskett, of leadership consultancy BTS, said AI is forcing a re-examination of what good leadership looks like. “This is a time where human intelligence and agentic intelligence is colliding,” she said, “and for us, it’s a really interesting time to look at leadership and help people understand what is the best of human leadership when intelligence is everywhere.”
Peskett said BTS’s focus is on “adaptive leadership, conscious leadership and systemic leadership” as organisations navigate that shift.
Timecloud’s Oliver and Luke Butler said the night was as much about connection as competition, with one of the pair noting that HR “often operates behind the scenes” and that events such as this give HR managers a chance “to network, to share best practices, and to really get value for who they are and what they bring to the industry.”
Lindsay Underwood, of SG Fleet, tied recognition directly to employee benefits – the category the company sponsors.
“We really want to invest in companies investing in their people,” she said, noting the criteria cover leadership, engagement, communication and benefits.’
Having recently won a best employer award itself, SG Fleet “understands firsthand” the motivation such recognition gives staff, she said.
James McIlvena, of LHH, said his company’s rising star category points to where the profession is headed. “Rising stars and young talent in HR – that’s the future of our industry,” he said.
“The ability to recognise those who have gone above and beyond and excelled in their field gives us great hope for the future of HR tomorrow.”
Emily Wilson, of FutureYou, closed the theme by describing a profession that needs more support, not less. “It’s never been a more challenging time to [support the people function],” she said, “and we need to elevate it and support it to show the value that it creates.”
Taken together, the sponsors’ comments point to an industry recalibrating around flexibility, technology and talent development all at once – with recognition, they argued, an increasingly important part of retaining and motivating the people who manage that change.
