Spring 2019 HRmatters 11 HR EXCELLENCE AWARDS by Napa Valley chicken – prepared with sun-dried tomato pesto cream, fire-roasted peppers, melted aged cheddar and mozzarella cheeses and served with oven-roasted twin chateau potatoes, fresh asparagus and a seasonal vegetable medley – and finished with tiramisu and coffee. After dinner, the HR Executive of the Year Award – sponsored by Roquette Canada Limited – was presented to Janice Harper, CPHR, Executive Vice President of Human Resources with New Flyer Group, for her leadership and implementation of strategic responses to address economic, social, technological, political or demographic trends that could impact the organization and human resources practices. Upon accepting her award, Harper acknowledged the other award nominee and all the great professionals and workers in the room who are working toward making their workplaces better. Harper was then welcomed back to the stage to present the Fellow CPHR. “The Fellow CPHR recognizes leadership, outstanding achievements and exceptional contributions to the human resources profession on a local, provincial and national scale. The Fellow is an individual who has strategically positioned the human resources profession with ideas, policies, practices and advocacy work and exemplifies the values of the CPHR Code of Conduct.” With great honour and an acknowledgement of the other Fellow CPHRs in the room, Harper presented the Fellow CPHR to Roma Thorlakson. “It is an honour and a privilege to be in a leadership role that represents the CPHR designation and its path to self-regulation in Manitoba,” said Thorlakson. “This goes beyond serving the members – it’s serving the best interests of the public – and I want to thank Laura Haines-Morrissette, Ron Gauthier and the members: with your invested interest and support, we were able to put together our submission and bring it forward to government. Thank you.” The second part of the evening recognized the Business Excellence Awards; each award category divided in to a Small/Medium Business category (with less than 250 employees) and a Large Business category (with more than 250 employees). The Employee Development, Relations & Total Rewards Award – sponsored by People First HR Services – was presented to F.H. Black & Company Chartered Professional Accountants Inc. for their initiative or program that fostered a collaborative work environment, supported employees to continually improve and/or created an effective total rewards structure. The Health, Wellness and Safe Workplace Award – sponsored by Safety Services Manitoba – was presented to Mosaic Newcomer Family Resource Network for helping employees stay healthy, well and safe; protecting them and their organization, using all measures at their disposal. The Organizational Strategy and Engagement Award – sponsored by ACHIEVE Centre for Leadership Workplace Performance – was presented to GHY International (in the Small/Medium Business category) and the University of Winnipeg (in the Large Business category). Both organizations have programs and initiatives that enhance organizational productivity, morale and culture. And in turn, they support business success and increase the value of human resources. Harper concluded the ceremony of events with a personal message to all nominees. “Congratulations to all of the nominees and award recipients – your journey has only just begun. We know this is the beginning of all the wonderful things still to come for each and every one of you, and we look forward to celebrating the future successes and achievements of HR with you.”