Learn more about this year's sponsors and judges
The Australian HR Awards 2026 is fast approaching. As the HR community counts down to what promises to be a landmark night in September, it's worth shining a light on the organisations and individuals helping to make it all possible.
A strong lineup of sponsors is backing this year's event across several tiers. Silver Award Partners include FutureYou, Greenhouse, LHH, SG Fleet, Timecloud, Vialto, and Western Sydney University The College.
RCVRI joins as Associate Sponsor, while BridgeClimb Sydney, MADIER, and The Jackson come in as Experience Sponsors.
Meanwhile, judging the nominees is a panel of senior HR professionals and executives drawn from across Australian industry, representing organisations spanning healthcare, finance, property, technology, local government, and more. The 2026 judges are:
- Thomas Bailey, Head of Learning and Development, OFX
- Jason Bowers, Head of People & Culture Business Partners, ForHealth Group
- Tricia Cahill, Associate Director People and Culture Services, Flinders University
- Jo Cairns, Chief People Officer, Team Global Express
- Rachael Cook, CEO, Inclusee
- Rebecca Coombes, Chief People Officer, The Disability Trust
- Derek Del Simone, Chief Talent Officer, Abano Healthcare
- Michelle Fichmann, Director of Organisational Development & Learning, Ramsay Health Care
- Jessica Freer, Executive Manager Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Westpac
- Vesna Garnett, Chief People Officer, SunRice Group
- Shruti Ganeriwala, Chief HR Officer ANZ and APAC, Unilever Australia
- Cecile Garderes, VP HR Asia Pacific, Carnival Cruises
- Kate Hickmann, Chief People Officer, Infoxchange
- Louise Hope, Chief People Officer, Clarendon
- Ben James, Head of People Transformation, Nine
- Selvi Kannan, Senior Academic ICT & Lead Industry & Community Partnerships, University of Tasmania
- Kaylene Little, Chief People & Community Officer, Tassal Group
- Tamara Joy, Head of People and Culture, Village Roadshow
- Claire Merriman, Head of Talent Acquisition Global, Lendlease
- Benjamin Morris, Manager Human Resources Culture & Capability, Mirvac
- Rebecca Moulynox, General Manager ANZ HR & Director ASEAN/ANZ, Great Place to Work
- Tayler Nguyen, Head of Human Resources ANZ & SEA, Landis+Gyr
- Sarah Novelli, Executive Director of People & Culture, BGIS Australia
- Amit Pahuja, Head of People, Perpetual Private
- Todd Reynolds, Executive General Manager People, Property and Safety, Energy Queensland
- Simone Robards, Director People and Performance, Canterbury Bankstown Council
- Ramiro Roman, Chief People Officer, Yakka Labour
- Alison Scott, Chief People Officer, Systra ANZ
- Jessica Shaw, Chief People Officer, LGT Wealth Management
- Pritho Saxena, Director HR - Australia, China & South East Asia, Amazon Australia
- Kerry Shields, Head of People and Culture Digital, Technology and Analytics, Built
- Alexandra Stathatos, Head of Human Resources Asia Pacific, Landis+Gyr
- Jo Terasawa, Head of Inclusion and Equity Program APAC, Google
- Natalie Tesolin, General Manager People, Culture & Safety, EVT Hotels & Resorts
- Phil Wells, Head of People Development & Learning - APAC, L'Oreal Singapore
- Ben Whitfield, Global Talent Acquisition Leader, Marsh McLennan Australia
- Kiraly Wills, Associate Director HR Lead Manufacturing & Operations APAC, CSL Australia
The Australian HR Awards 2026 will be held on 4 September at The Fullerton Hotel Sydney.
The night will celebrate the HR leaders and teams who have demonstrated excellence and made a lasting impact on the industry, recognising the work that often happens behind closed doors but shapes workplaces across the country.
