WINNERS IN 18 award categories, reflecting the entire spectrum of the HR profession, were recognised at the Australian HR Awards 2005 gala ceremony held at Melbourne’s Crown Casino on Friday 21 October
WINNERS IN 18 award categories, reflecting the entire spectrum of the HR profession, were recognised at the Australian HR Awards 2005 gala ceremony held at Melbourne’s Crown Casino on Friday 21 October.
With an unprecedented level of interest from companies and HR professionals around the country, winners included Microsoft (The Davidson Trahaire Corpsych Award for Employer of Choice (more than 500 employees)), Nokia Australia (The Coles Myer Corporate Services Award for Employer of Choice (fewer than 500 employees)) and Macquarie Bank (The Recruitmax Award for Best HR Strategic Plan).
Sponsored by Aon and organised by Human Resources magazine, the awards were attended by around 500 guests. For the past five years, the awards have seen HR departments, managers, teams and CEOs have their successes in people management rewarded at the prestigious event.
This year’s Australian HR Awards also recognised the formidable challenge the ageing of the workforce poses to industry, with the inauguration of The SageCo Award for Best Mature Age Workforce Strategy, which was taken out by Main Roads WA. Also new, and reflecting this year’s theme –‘Celebrating the Transformation of HR’– was The ipac Award for Best Talent Management, which was won by Promina.
“This was definitely the best Australian HR Awards event so far,” said Avril Henry, executive director of AH Revelations. “It just gets better and better. Each year, you’ve taken something out of the previous year and made it a better event.”
Henry, who also served as head judge for The HR Partners Award for the Next HR Generation and was a finalist in the hotly contested mycareer.com.au Award for Lifetime Achievement in HR, said the calibre of the companies that entered was especially impressive.
“Anybody who’s a finalist can know they’ve been up against the best in the profession,” she said. “The awards have such strong criteria around both the shortlisting process and the process for selecting the winners.”
This year’s two-tier selection and judging process was developed by leading academics and HR professionals. Entrants needed to meet specific essential judging criteria along with as many desirable judging criteria as possible.
A well-respected authority in the relevant field oversaw the selection of each award winner. The 18 head judges included leading academics and experts drawn from private industry, professional associations and government.
Mauro Pisegna, director of human resources for TNT Logistics and winner of The Hudson Award for Best HR Director, said he was humbled to take out the award.
“I was rapt to find out that there were so many large and prestigious companies and individuals represented at the awards. To be there with people from organisations such as Microsoft, Deloitte, British American Tobacco and Promina, I feel very privileged to win the award,” he said.
“The evening itself was great. To have an event where the HR profession, peers, top companies and academics who are au fait with the industry can come together and be recognised for their achievements is really good.”
