FUTURE OF HR AWARDS
This prestigious event honors the most
exceptional, inspiring, and effective leaders in
human capital management, HR innovation,
and HR tech in Southern Africa. By recognizing your outstanding achievements, we aim to set a benchmark for local and international peers to aspire to, and drive the industry forward. We’re dedicated to celebrating the trailblazers who are revolutionizing the HR landscape, and our awards provide a platform for their success stories to inspire others.
How to drive growth and build a great team in 2026 and beyond!
About the awards
This year, we’re excited to introduce new awards categories and entry criteria, carefully crafted in collaboration with our esteemed Advisory Panel of HR industry experts. These categories reflect the latest trends and innovations in the field, ensuring that our awards remain relevant and impactful. The anticipation is building, with enquiries pouring in months in advance from South Africa, neighboring countries, and even Asia! The interest is palpable, and we’re thrilled to see the enthusiasm from HR professionals eager to participate.
Don’t miss your chance to be part of this premier event and join the ranks of the most revered HR leaders in the region. Our awards ceremony promises to be an unforgettable experience, with opportunities to network, learn from industry thought leaders, and be inspired by the achievements of your peers. Take the first step towards recognizing your hard work and dedication





Our Judges
Explore innovative HR strategies, embrace digital transformation, and empower your workforce to thrive in the future of work.
Francois Sieberhagen
Elizma Els
Ayesha Bassadien
Reabetswe Motshegare
Shirley Zinn
Prof. Kwazi Majola
Carol Makgato
Dr. Mahalaxmi Bedi
Hawa Lakhana
Tumelo Seaketso
Rehana Rutti
Roger Boniface
Trinity Ncala
Solomon Makgobatlou
Kushela Naidoo
Dr Sean Kruger
Join the celebration of excellence in HR leadership at the 9th annual Future of HR Awards, honouring the best of the best in the industry.
2024 ORGANISATION AWARDS
The organisation awards look to celebrate the successes of top companies exemplifying innovation, impact, vision and action in South Africa.
Employer of Choice: Small to Medium Organisations
This award recognises the best small-to-mediumsized organisation with an Annual revenue of R5 – R35 Million per Annum.
The core of any great organisation is an HR department whose innovative values create a productive and enjoyable place of work. As an employer of choice, your reputation precedes you and jobseekers view you as a desirable place to work. That is the first goal of any effective recruitment strategy – to be a first choice employer for top talent.
Key points that your entry should include:
- How does your organisation ensure ongoing professional development and career growth for your employees?
- How does your HR team stay current with industry trends and best practices, and how is this knowledge applied within the organisation?
- What unique practices does the organisation implement to create a desirable workplace for its employees?
Employer of Choice: Large Organisations
This award recognises the best big companies to work for with a Revenue of R35 million and above.
At the core of any great organisation is an HR department whose innovative values create a productive and enjoyable place of work. As an employer of choice, your reputation precedes you and jobseekers view you as a desirable place to work. That is the first goal of any effective recruitment strategy – to be a first choice employer for top talent.
Key points that your entry should include:
- How does your organisation promote work-life balance, and what policies or benefits do you offer to support this?
- How does your organisation measure employee satisfaction and engagement, and what steps do you take to address feedback?
- What strategies do you use to identify and develop future leaders within your organisation?
Employer of Choice: Public Sector Organisations
This award recognises the best Public Sector organisation to work for.
Key to any efficient Public Sector entity is an HR department whose innovative values create a productive, happy environment – because this plays a major policy role in establishing standards of excellence in response to society’s service delivery needs. Annual revenue must be above R35 Million per Annum.
Key points that your entry should include:
- How does your organisation promote work-life balance, and what policies or benefits do you offer to support this?
- How does your organisation measure employee satisfaction and engagement, and what steps do you take to address feedback?
- What strategies do you use to identify and develop future leaders within your organisation?
Best: Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Strategy
This award highlights the employee engagement strategy that has achieved the most impact on employee morale and performance across an organisation taking into consideration the inclusion of history, types and variety of programmes and activities used for employee engagement. Organisations in the category must demonstrat
Key points that your entry should include:
- What specific diversity and inclusion initiatives has your organization implemented within the last year, and what were their objectives?
- How do you measure the impact of your diversity and inclusion strategies on employee morale and performance?
- Can you provide evidence of how your diversity and inclusion strategies have aligned with career development opportunities for employees?
Best: Learning and Development Strategy
This award recognises and celebrates the HR team that has delivered the most outstanding
organisational benefits by directly linking the training needs of their people to the business needs of their organisation. Applicants should indicate the amount spent on investment in the development of their people across an entire organisation, in particular via coaching and mentoring. They should outline the business case, strategy and how it was communicated to the workforce. They should also show evidence of the program success and workforce benefit. Annual revenue must be above R35 Million per Annum.
Key points that your entry should include:
- Can you outline the investment made in the development of your employees over the past year, including coaching and mentoring programs?
- What evidence do you have of the success
and impact of your learning and development programs on the workforce? - How have you aligned your learning and
development programs with the business
needs of your organization?
This award recognises excellence in the area
of corporate health and wellbeing by showing
commitment to employee health and wellbeing.
Applicants should discuss awareness policies and programs implemented as well as future programs planned to enhance and improve health and wellness for employees.
The number of employees should be indicated as wellas the schemes implemented and percentage involved against the total size of company. It is necessary to show the effectiveness of the programs, the management support and participation, the recorded impact on employee productivity and retention as well
as the annual staff turnover rate. Annual revenue must be R5 - R35 Million per Annum
Key points that your entry should include:
- What health and wellbeing policies and
programs have you implemented in the past year, and what were their primary objectives? - How do you measure the participation and effectiveness of your health and wellbeing programs?
- Can you share evidence of the recorded impact of your health and wellbeing programs on the organisation?
This award honours excellence in businesses where activities best demonstrate a proven ability to develop creative and insightful practices which improve the performance of the organisation by using technology and create a significant impact on the work environment.
It identifies excellence in the area of human capital technology used by an in-house HR team. Annual revenue must be above R35 Million per Annum.
Key points that your entry should include:
- What specific HR technologies has your team implemented in the past year, and how have these technologies improved HR processes?
- Can you demonstrate the impact of HR
technology on staff retention and talent
acquisition? - What role has your HR team played in
driving technological innovation within the organization?
This award goes to an HR team that is using the latest HR-specific technology to greatest effect - making it a highly responsive and effective HR department.
The result: a higher staff retention rate and effective talent acquisition; improved engagement with staff; efficient HR processes and high staff satisfaction levels. Annual revenue must be above R35 Million per
Annum.
Key points that your entry should include:
- Can you provide evidence of how your HR
team’s efforts have directly impacted business performance? - What metrics or data does your HR team
use to measure and demonstrate success in retention, engagement, and satisfaction? - How does your HR team collaborate with other departments to support organizational goals and enhance overall performance?
2024 INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
The individual awards aim to showcase the Top individuals in South Africa. From CEOs to Young Achievers climbing the corporate ladder, we celebrate leaders who are making a clear impact in the world of Empowerment.
The Future of HR: CEO of the Year
What defines the iconic winner of this headline category? Fundamentally, a demonstrable record of accomplishment in prioritising the wellbeing and happiness of the people that make his or her company great. He or she will be widely respected and liked within the organisation, and will have an admirable reputation among peers and competitors. The winner will be a change management and employee engagement champion; a leader who enriches and inspires all those around them, while being instrumental in driving business performance.
Key points that your entry should include:
- What specific achievements or milestones highlight the nominee’s impact on business performance and employee engagement?
- How is the nominee perceived by peers, competitors, and employees within the organization?
- In what ways has the nominee been a champion of change management within the organization?
The Future of HR: Leader of the Year
This hotly-contested award is open to the most accomplished, innovative and respected leader of an organisational HR team (4 or more people). He or she will demonstrate a track record of excellence in overseeing all employee engagement, and consistently inspiring his or her team to deliver their best, in sustaining a high-performance HR function that attracts top talent - and retains it.
Key points that your entry should include:
- What specific achievements or milestones highlight the nominee’s impact on business performance and employee engagement?
- How is the nominee perceived by peers, competitors, and employees within the organization?
- In what ways has the nominee been a champion of change management within the organization?
The Future of HR: HR Rising Star of the Year (35 years or younger)
This award recognises a dynamic, energetic young HR practitioner who has achieved phenomenal results within less than five years of commercial experience. The winning individual in this category will demonstrate a talent for disrupting tradition and taking the HR component forward in new and exciting directions - to great effect.
Key points that your entry should include:
- What innovative HR initiatives have the nominee introduced that have significantly impacted the organisation?
- What strategies has the nominee employed to stay current with industry trends and best practices in HR?
- How has the nominee demonstrated a commitment to personal and professional growth in their HR career
Winners 2024
- EMPLOYER OF CHOICE: LARGE ORGANISATIONS
- EMPLOYER OF CHOICE: SMALL - MEDIUM ORGANISATIONS
- BEST LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
- BEST HEALTH AND WELLBEING STRATEGY
- EMPLOYER OF CHOICE: PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANISATIONS
- BEST HR TEAM OF THE YEAR
Mint Group
Munich RE
HBZ Bank
Africa Biomass Company
Metso
Mondi – Winner
Y-Brand – Winner
ST Africa Trading Enterprises
Torque Solutions
Mandate Molefi
Sekunjalo Engineering
Ziyana Consulting
Rectron
Macsteel Service Centres SA (Pty) Ltd
Mondi
Merchants – Winner
in2food
dtic
Sulzer
Torque Solutions
Africanbank – Winner
Nutun
2U, Inc
SALGA – WinnerÂ
University of Mpumalanga
CSOSÂ
Inseta
FP&M SETA
Mint Group -Winner
HBZ Bank
Nebula
in2food
- BEST HR INDUSTRY INNOVATION USING TECHNOLOGY
- CEO OF THE YEAR
- HR LEADER OF THE YEAR
- BEST WORKPLACE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION STRATEGY
- HR RISING STAR (35 YEARS OR YOUNGER)
DLK GROUP
Digital Frontiers
Mint Group – Winner
Absa Bank
Torque Solutions – Sally Acton
ST Africa Trading Enterprises – Tebogo J Mahlaela
Y-Brand – Kabelo Ncholo
Ziyana Consulting – Nomazibulo Tshanga – Winner
Inseta – Gugu Mkhize
FP&M SETA – Dr Felleng Yende
Glacier by Sanlam – Refilwe MaboeaÂ
Macsteel Service Centres SA (Pty) Ltd – Francisca Greyling
Emit Reversing Time – Nadia Shaik
SALGA – Pindiwe Gida
HBZ Bank – Shehnaaz Kagee
Metso – Natasja Du Preez
Mondi – Serena Kesari – Winner
University of Mpumalanga – Dr Loshni GovenderÂ
Mandate Molefi – Nene Molefi
Mint Group – Lauren Clark
Smollan
MondiÂ
Munich RE – Winner
Inayo Mining (Pty) Ltd
Inseta
Africa Biomass Company – Mieke Janse van Rensburg – Winner
Inayo Mining (Pty) Ltd – Treah Nene
CSOS – Chadelle Ritson
Winners 2023
- EMPLOYER OF CHOICE: LARGE ORGANISATIONS
- EMPLOYER OF CHOICE: SMALL - MEDIUM ORGANISATIONS
- BEST LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
- BEST HEALTH AND WELLBEING STRATEGY
- BEST HR TEAM OF THE YEAR
Schneider Electric
TLC Worldwide
Vector Logistics
In2Food – Winner
HBZ Bank
DLK GROUP
Nutun
Torque Solutions – Winner
Digital Frontiers
Schneider Electric – Winner
In2Food
IPSOS
Liquid Intelligent Technologies
2U, Inc. – Winner
Nutun
Torque Solutions
Virgin Active
Nebula
HBZ Bank
BIOVAC – Winner
DLK GROUP
Digital Frontiers
Mint Group – Winner
Absa Bank
TLC Worldwide – Preneshen Munian
Torque Solutions – Sally Acton
Lexis Nexis – Videsha Proothveerajh – Winner
Nutun – Dineo Sekwele – Winner
Vector Logistics – Annelie Govendor
DLK GROUP – Hannes Verwey
HBZ Bank – Shehnaaz Kajee
JSE – Refilwe Maboea
BIOVAC – Candice Alexander
IPSOS – Abena Amankwah
Winners 2019 & 2020
Nedbank
DHL Express
BMW SA
Ronald Abvajee – Healthy Living Consulting
Gilbarco AFS
Brigitte da Gama – McDonald’s South Africa
- BEST HEALTH AND WELLNESS STRATEGY
- HR Rising Star
- EMPLOYER OF CHOICE :SMALL TO MEDIUM
- EMPLOYER OF CHOICE: PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANISATIONS
Healthy Living Consulting
Ilanda Els – Herbal Life Nutrition
DLK Group
EThekwini Municipality
Winners 2019
- EMPLOYER OF CHOICE: LARGE ORGANISATION
- BEST GRADUATE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
- HR TEAM OF THE YEAR (+1000 EMPLOYEES)
Sponsored by

Unilever South Africa
Entelect Software
Nando’s
Healthy Living Consulting
Unilever South Africa
Angie Ontong – The Department of Trade & Industry
Oracle South Africa
Linda Cronje – Mediclinic Medforum
Aerobotics
- EMPLOYER OF CHOICE:PUBLIC SECTOR AWARD
- CEO OF THE YEAR
- HR CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR
- HR RISING STAR OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by

National Housing Finance Corporation
Nico van der Westhuizen – Imperial Logistics
Swift Human Resources
Cindy Wiggins – ACG Fruit















