The finalists for the HUMAN Awards Americas 2026 have been announced, recognising individuals, teams and organisations championing compassionate leadership, inclusive workplaces and a more human approach to business.
Organised by TLC Lions, the awards celebrate leaders and organisations helping to create workplaces where people feel valued, supported and empowered to thrive. This year’s shortlist features representatives from leading global organisations, including Caterpillar, Mastercard, AstraZeneca, Avanade, S&P Global, Visa, Tiffany & Co., Cencora, PwC, Fragomen, Blackbaud, Genworth, Vanguard and Burson.
The awards recognise achievements across leadership, HR, workplace culture, employee networks, storytelling and artificial intelligence, highlighting the importance of putting people at the heart of business. Winners will be announced on Thursday 29 October 2026 at Gotham Hall in New York, with the recipient of this year’s Leadership Legacy Award also revealed during the ceremony.
HUMAN AWARDS AMERICAS 2026 SHORTLIST
The finalists across the nine shortlisted categories are:
HUMAN C-SUITE LEADER OF THE YEAR
Recognising senior executives embedding human-centred leadership across their organisations.
- Christy Pambianchi – CHRO, Caterpillar
- Jennifer Jones – COO, Genworth | CareScout
- Margaret Driscoll – Chief People & Culture Officer, Blackbaud
- Phil Friedman – CEO & Chairman, CGS Inc.
- Tara Favors – EVP & CHRO, Mutual of America
HUMAN LEADER OF THE YEAR
Celebrating senior leaders who demonstrate empathy, compassion and a commitment to positive organisational change.
- Alyssa Thomas – SVP, Client Advisor, Lockton Companies
- Audrea J. Golding – Partner, Fragomen
- Cat Dragan – Director, HR Business Partner, The Landmark, Tiffany & Co.
- Catherine Austin – Senior Director, Chief of Staff – Americas, Avanade
- Cedric Dew – VP, Transitional Housing & Executive Director of Jamaica, YMCA
- Cindra Maharaj – Partner & Head of US Banking, Baringa
- Dan Bennett – Head of Technology, Enterprise Data Organization, S&P Global
- Ken Hardy – SVP of Operations, Cencora
- Lexi Orphanos – Inclusive Culture & Social Impact Manager – Americas, Michael Page
- Pamela Y. Cooper – Director of Digital Adoption and Customer Experience, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
- Rayfield Johnson – US Markets Data & AI Client Solutions Lead, Avanade
- Tripti Sethi – Global Data & AI Lead, Avanade
FUTURE HUMAN LEADER OF THE YEAR
Highlighting emerging leaders helping to create more supportive, inclusive and compassionate workplaces.
- Jennifer Katona-Dunlavey – Director of Treasury, Genworth | CareScout
- Johanna Goslin – Senior Manager, Communications, Cencora
- Kyle Sommer – Senior Associate, Fragomen
- Olivia Stopka – Engineer II, Software Development, S&P Global
- Paola Diaz Martinez – HR Specialist, Tiffany & Co.
- Patricia Valloni – Americas Responsible Business & Brazil Inclusion Lead, Avanade
HUMAN-AI TRANSFORMATION OF THE YEAR
Recognising organisations and teams using artificial intelligence to enable meaningful, human-centred transformation.
- Avanade Global Sales Innovation Team – Avanade Inc.
- Enterprise Learning & Capabilities Development – AstraZeneca
- Mastercard – Mastercard
COMMUNITY & CULTURE AWARD
Recognising teams and employee networks championing belonging, inclusion and positive workplace cultures.
- Avanade Women’s Employee Network – Avanade
- BOND: Black Organization for Networking & Development – Cencora
- EPN: Emerging Professionals Network – Cencora
- Genworth and CareScout CARES Employee Resource Group – Genworth and CareScout
- Smith+Nephew’s Women’s Network – Smith+Nephew, Inc.
HR LEADER OF THE YEAR
Celebrating HR and people leaders driving meaningful improvements in workplace culture and employee experience.
- Ana White – Chief People and AI Enablement Officer, Lumen Technologies
- Crista Merendino – Head of People Experience & Functional People Lead, S&P Global
- Dr Stephanie A. Royal – EVP, Chief People & Culture Officer, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
- Kathleen Castillo – Head of HR, Americas, Moroccanoil
- Kelly Mahon Tullier – Vice Chair, Chief People & Corporate Affairs Officer, Visa
- Wendy Milici – Senior Director, Talent Development, People Analytics & HR Corporate, Fragomen
HUMAN STORYTELLER OF THE YEAR
Recognising individuals who have demonstrated courage in sharing personal experiences and inspiring greater empathy, openness and understanding in the workplace.
- Alex Dawson – Associate Manager, Avanade
- Cameron Drinkwater – Chief Product & Operations Officer, S&P Dow Jones Indices
- Eleni Katsoulis – Senior Counsel, Global Commercial Legal, AbbVie
- Emma White – Founder & President, The Life Is Worth It Organization
- Jamala Arland – President & CEO, Genworth Insurance Companies
HUMAN TEAM OF THE YEAR
Recognising teams demonstrating collaboration, compassion and a commitment to putting people first.
- Avanade’s Americas Business HR Team – Avanade
- PwC US Alumni Team – PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
- The Oliver Wyman Forum – Oliver Wyman
- US Human Resources Team – Subsea7
HUMAN COMPANY OF THE YEAR
Celebrating organisations demonstrating an exceptional commitment to creating workplaces where employees feel valued, included and supported.
- Burson
- Genworth | CareScout
- Mayer Brown
- S&P Global
- Vanguard
LEADERSHIP LEGACY AWARD
The Leadership Legacy Award recognises an individual whose leadership has made a lasting impact on their organisation, industry or community, helping to inspire future generations of human-centred leaders. The 2026 recipient will be announced during the awards ceremony. The HUMAN Awards Americas 2026 winners will be revealed on Thursday 29 October at Gotham Hall, New York.
For more information, about the awards and finalists click here.
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