Congratulations to our 2026 Finalists!

Winners will be announced during Transform 2026 at Wynn Las Vegas.

The Transform 10: Finalists

The Transform 10 recognizes the ten most inspirational executive leaders who are leading transformation across their areas of influence and moving the world of work forward. These are the people-centric, global changemakers challenging the status quo through business, venture, or entrepreneur leadership.

Amira Barger
Professor, Communications, Marketing & Change Management
California State University

Hebba Youssef
Chief People Officer
Workweek

Khalil Smith
VP, Inclusion, Diversity, and Engagement
Akamai Technologies

Alexi Suvacioglu
CEO
Because

Patrica Frost
Chief People and Places Officer
Seagate Technology

Melzetta Moody
Chief People Officer
Article Group

Tracy Ting
CHRO
Encore Capital Group

Fiona Shinkfield
VP, People Strategy, Systems & Compliance
Docusign

Melanie Naranjo
Chief People Officer
Ethena

Claude Silver
Chief Heart Officer
VaynerX

Ana White
Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer
Lumen Technologies

Jenny Podewils
Co-CEO & Co-Founder
Leapsome

Alessandra Lezama
CEO and Founder
TOOTRiS

Candice Chafey
Chief People Officer
Zeta Global

Helen Young Hayes
Founder & CEO
ActivateWork

Jenny Dearborn
Chief People & Enterprise Excellence Officer
Greenfield Global

Jacqui Canney
Chief People and AI Enablement Officer
ServiceNow

Christine Heckart
CEO/Founder
XAPA

Barbry McGann
Managing Director and SVP, Workday Ventures
Workday

Houri Tamizifar
CEO
Cynuria

Category Award Finalists

Celebrating the most innovative programs and inspiring initiatives that positively impact workplaces, team cultures, and communities for the better.

Transformative Technology

Recognizes the companies with the most transformative tech-enabled solutions and products impacting the way we work and live.

Transformative Impact

Recognizes the company that exhibits passion for serving others, and making a positive impact in the lives of their employees and local communities.

Transformative Resource

Recognizes the most inspiring and valued educational resource for the Transform community. A resource may be a blog, podcast, online community, email series, etc.

Transformative Workplace AI Initiative

Honors organizations that have used AI to improve efficiency, decision-making, employee experience, and business outcomes while ensuring fairness, transparency, and a human-centered approach.

Transformative Executive Duo

Celebrates the power of partnership to drive transformation. This pair exemplifies how strategic alignment between business and people operations drives positive outcomes for the business and its people.

How were the nominations judged?

Each nomination, whether for a company or an individual, was evaluated and scored by a panel of expert independent industry judges.

When will the winners be announced?

Winners will be announced in a community awards celebration at Transform 2026 on Tuesday, March 24th.

How are winners recognized?

We celebrate the winners onsite at Transform 2026 throughout the event, social media and more!

What are the Transform Awards?

Hear from past award winners and judges why the Transform Awards are so important, and the impact that recognition and celebration has on our community.