The winners of the TLC Lions HUMAN Awards Americas 2026 have been announced. These awards recognise outstanding individuals, teams and organisations championing people-first leadership, inclusive workplace cultures and a more human approach to business.
More than 250 guests representing over 82 companies attended the awards ceremony at Gotham Hall in New York on Thursday 29 October, celebrating the leaders and organisations helping to create workplaces where people feel valued, supported and empowered to thrive. Among this year’s winners were S&P Global, which secured Human Company of the Year; Visa’s Kelly Mahon Tullier, named HR Leader of the Year; and Blackbaud’s Margaret Driscoll, who received the Human C-Suite Leader of the Year Award.
Avanade also enjoyed a successful evening, securing three awards. Global Data & AI Lead Tripti Sethi was recognised as Human Leader of the Year. Additionally, the company’s Global Sales Innovation Team won the Human-AI Transformation award and its Women’s Employee Network received the Community & Culture Award.
Other winners included Cencora’s Johanna Goslin, The Oliver Wyman Forum and Emma White, founder of The Life Is Worth It. Daisy Reeves of BCLP scooped the Leadership Legacy Award. And Louise Golding of CBRE was honoured with the Special Recognition Award.
Organised by TLC Lions, the annual awards celebrate the people and organisations demonstrating that empathy, compassion, inclusion and responsible leadership are essential to building stronger workplace cultures and a more human world of work.
HUMAN AWARDS AMERICAS 2026 AWARDS WINNERS
This year’s full list of winners, by category, include:
HUMAN C-SUITE LEADER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Margaret Driscoll – Blackbaud
Chief People & Culture Officer at Blackbaud, Margaret Driscoll received the award recognising senior executives who embed human-centred leadership across their organisations.
HUMAN LEADER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Tripti Sethi – Avanade
Avanade’s Global Data & AI Lead, Tripti Sethi, was recognised for her commitment to people-first leadership and driving meaningful, positive change.
FUTURE HUMAN LEADER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Johanna Goslin – Cencora
Senior Manager, Communications at Cencora, Johanna Goslin received the award recognising emerging leaders helping to build more compassionate, supportive and inclusive workplaces.
HR LEADER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Kelly Mahon Tullier – Visa
Visa’s Vice Chair and Chief People & Corporate Affairs Officer, Kelly Mahon Tullier, was recognised for her contribution to human-centred HR leadership and workplace culture.
HUMAN-AI TRANSFORMATION OF THE YEAR
Winner: Avanade Global Sales Innovation Team – Avanade
The team received the award recognising organisations and teams using artificial intelligence to enable meaningful, human-centred transformation.
HUMAN STORYTELLER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Emma White – The Life Is Worth It Organization
Founder and President of The Life Is Worth It, Emma White was recognised for the power of personal storytelling to inspire empathy, break down barriers and encourage greater openness and understanding.
HUMAN TEAM OF THE YEAR
Winner: The Oliver Wyman Forum – Oliver Wyman
The Oliver Wyman Forum secured the award recognising teams demonstrating collaboration, empathy, compassion and a commitment to putting people first.
COMMUNITY & CULTURE AWARD
Winner: Avanade Women’s Employee Network – Avanade
The network was recognised for championing inclusion, belonging and a workplace culture where employees feel supported.
HUMAN COMPANY OF THE YEAR
Winner: S&P Global
S&P Global received the award for its exceptional commitment to building people-first workplace cultures where employees feel valued, included and supported.
LEADERSHIP LEGACY AWARD
Winner: Daisy Reeves – BCLP
Global Inclusion & Client Engagement Partner at BCLP, Daisy Reeves received the Leadership Legacy Award, which recognises leaders whose work has made a lasting impact on their organisations, industries or communities and helped inspire future generations.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD
Winner: Louise Golding – CBRE
Louise Golding, Senior Vice President, People at CBRE, received the Special Recognition Award for her contribution to human-centred leadership.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Human Team of the Year – US Human Resources Team, Subsea7
The US Human Resources Team at Subsea7 was highly commended for its contribution to creating a more human and supportive workplace.
CELEBRATING HUMAN LEADERSHIP
“This year’s Human Awards brought together over 250 guests and more than 82 companies to recognise and celebrate the human leaders and organisations making a real difference across the Americas. The energy is always electric,” shared Gian Power, CEO of TLC Lions on his LinkedIn post after the event.
He added: “It was not your typical awards evening. A night of stories, entertainment, great food and, above all, humanity! Thank you to everyone. A huge congratulations to all of this year’s winners and finalists. So many incredible people and companies doing work that deserves to be recognised!”
Power also thanked the event’s sponsors, including S&P Global, Avanade, Ellig Group, Genworth | CareScout, Vialto and Baringa.
Now in its third year in the Americas, TLC Lions HUMAN Awards continue to highlight the importance of leadership that goes beyond business performance to recognise the people, relationships and workplace cultures that underpin organisational success.
For more information about the awards and winners, visit the official TLC Lions website.
Check out the full list of HUMAN Awards Americas 2026 finalists here.
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