This esteemed event celebrates the pinnacle of excellence in human capital management, HR innovation, and HR technology across Southern Africa. By acknowledging your remarkable achievements, we aim to establish a benchmark that inspires both local and international peers, propelling the industry forward. Our commitment lies in honouring the trailblazers who are transforming the HR landscape, with our awards serving as a platform to share their success stories and inspire future innovations.
This year, we are thrilled to unveil new award categories and entry criteria, meticulously developed in partnership with our esteemed Advisory Panel of HR industry experts. These categories capture the latest trends and innovations in the field, ensuring our awards remain both relevant and impactful. The excitement is mounting, with inquiries flooding in months ahead from South Africa, neighbouring countries, and across Africa. The palpable interest and enthusiasm from HR professionals eager to participate are truly inspiring.
Seize the opportunity to participate in this prestigious event and stand among the most esteemed HR leaders in the region. Our awards ceremony offers an unforgettable experience, featuring invaluable networking opportunities, insights from industry thought leaders, and inspiration from your peers' remarkable achievements. Begin your journey to acknowledging your hard work and dedication today.
Entries close in
Individual
The individual awards aim to showcase the Top individuals in South Africa. From CEOs to
Young Achievers climbing the corporate ladder, we celebrate leaders who are making a clear
impact in the world of Human Resources.
The Future of HR: Leader of the Year
This hotly-contested award is open to the most accomplished, innovative and respected leader of an organisational HR team (4 or more people). He or she will demonstrate a track record of excellence in overseeing all employee engagement, and consistently inspiring his or her team to deliver their best, in sustaining a high-performance HR function that attracts top talent - and retains it. Annual revenue must be R35 Million per Annum.
Key points that your entry should include:
- What specific achievements or milestones highlight the nominee’s impact on business performance and employee engagement?
- How is the nominee perceived by peers, competitors, and employees within the organisation?
- In what ways has the nominee been a
champion of change management within the
organisation?
The Future of HR: HR Rising Star of the Year (35 years or younger)
This award recognises a dynamic, energetic young HR practitioner who has achieved phenomenal results within less than five years of commercial experience. The winning individual in this category will demonstrate a talent for disrupting tradition and taking the HR component forward in new and exciting directions to great effect. Annual revenue must be R35 Million per Annum.
Key points that your entry should include:
- What innovative HR initiatives have the nominee introduced that have significantly impacted the organisation?
- What strategies has the nominee employed to stay current with industry trends and best practices in HR?
- How has the nominee demonstrated a
commitment to personal and professional
growth in their HR career?
The Future of HR: CEO of the Year
What defines the iconic winner of this headline category? Fundamentally, a demonstrable record of accomplishment in prioritising the wellbeing and happiness of the people that make his or her company great. He or she will be widely respected and liked within the organisation, and will have an admirable reputation among peers and competitors. The winner will be a change management and employee engagement champion; a leader who enriches and inspires all those around them, while being instrumental in driving business performance. Annual revenue must be R35 Million per Annum.
Key points that your entry should include:
- What specific achievements or milestones highlight the nominee’s impact on business performance and employee engagement?
- How is the nominee perceived by peers, competitors, and employees within the organisation?
- In what ways has the nominee been a
champion of change management within the
organisation?
Organisational
The organisation awards looks at companies that exemplify innovation, impact, vision, and proactive strategies in the realm of human resources within South Africa. These awards celebrate companies that are not only setting benchmarks in HR practices but are also shaping the future of work through transformative initiatives and forward-thinking leadership.
The Future of HR: Employer of Choice - Small to Medium Organisations
This award recognises the best small-to-medium sized organisation with an Annual revenue of R5 – R35 Million per Annum.
The core of any great organisation is an HR department whose innovative values create a productive and enjoyable place of work. As an employer of choice, your reputation precedes you and jobseekers view you as a desirable place to work. That is the first goal of any effective recruitment strategy – to be a first choice employer for top talent.
Key points that your entry should include:
- How does your organisation ensure ongoing professional development and career growth for your employees?
- How does your HR team stay current with industry trends and best practices, and how is this knowledge applied within the organisation?
- What unique practices does the organisation
implement to create a desirable workplace for
its employees?
The Future of HR: Employer of Choice - Large Organisations
This award recognises the best big companies to work for with a Revenue of R35 million and above.
At the core of any great organisation is an HR department whose innovative values create a productive and enjoyable place of work. As an employer of choice, your reputation precedes you and jobseekers view you as a desirable place to work. That is the first goal of any effective recruitment strategy, to be a first choice employer for top talent.
Key points that your entry should include:
- How does your organisation promote work-life balance, and what policies or benefits do you offer to support this?
- How does your organisation measure employee satisfaction and engagement, and what steps do you take to address feedback?
- What strategies do you use to identify
and develop future leaders within your
organisation?
The Future of HR: Employer of Choice - Public Sector Organisations
This award recognises the best Public Sector organisation to work for.
Key to any efficient Public Sector entity is an HR department whose innovative values create a productive, happy environment – because this plays a major policy role in establishing standards of excellence in response to society’s service delivery needs. Annual revenue must be above R35 Million per Annum.
Key points that your entry should include:
- How does your organisation promote work-life balance, and what policies or benefits do you offer to support this?
- How does your organisation measure employee satisfaction and engagement, and what steps do you take to address feedback?
- What strategies do you use to identify
and develop future leaders within your
organisation?
The Future of HR: Best Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Strategy
This award highlights the employee engagement strategy that has achieved the most impact on employee morale and performance across an organisation taking into consideration the inclusion of history, types and variety of programmes and activities used for employee engagement. Organisations in the category must demonstrate innovative strategies implemented within the last year and the impact of employee engagement on retention rates, and be able to show the alignment of engagement strategies with career development strategies. Other criteria include the balance between employee morale and engagement and return on investment. Annual revenue must be above R35 Million per Annum.
Key points that your entry should include:
- What specific diversity and inclusion initiatives has your organisation implemented within the last year, and what were their objectives?
- How do you measure the impact of your diversity and inclusion strategies on employee morale and performance?
- Can you provide evidence of how your diversity
and inclusion strategies have aligned with career
development opportunities for employees?
The Future of HR: Best Learning and Development
This award recognises and celebrates the HR team that has delivered the most outstanding organisational benefits by directly linking the training needs of their people to the business needs of their organisation. Applicants should indicate the amount spent on investment in the development of their people across an entire organisation, in particular via coaching and mentoring. They should outline the business case, strategy and how it was communicated to the workforce. They should also show evidence of the program success and workforce benefit. Annual revenue must be above R35 Million per Annum.
Key points that your entry should include:
- Can you outline the investment made in the development of your employees over the past year, including coaching and mentoring programs?
- What evidence do you have of the success and impact of your learning and development programs on the workforce?
- How have you aligned your learning and
development programs with the business
needs of your organisation?
The Future of HR: Best Health and Wellbeing Strategy
This award recognises excellence in the area of corporate health and wellbeing by showing commitment to employee health and wellbeing. Applicants should discuss awareness policies and programs implemented as well as future programs planned to enhance and improve health and wellness for employees.
The number of employees should be indicated as well as the schemes implemented and percentage involved against the total size of company. It is necessary to show the effectiveness of the programs, the management support and participation, the recorded impact on employee productivity and retention as well as the annual staff turnover rate. Annual revenue must be R35 Million per Annum.
Key points that your entry should include:
- What health and wellbeing policies and programs have you implemented in the past year, and what were their primary objectives?
- How do you measure the participation and effectiveness of your health and wellbeing programs?
- Can you share evidence of the recorded impact
of your health and wellbeing programs on the
organisation?
The Future of HR: HR Industry Innovation Using Technology
This award honours excellence in businesses where activities best demonstrate a proven ability to develop creative and insightful practices which improve the performance of the organisation by using technology and create a significant impact on the work environment.
It identifies excellence in the area of human capital technology used by an in-house HR team. Annual revenue must be above R35 Million per Annum.
Key points that your entry should include:
- What specific HR technologies has your team implemented in the past year, and how have these technologies improved HR processes?
- Can you demonstrate the impact of HR technology on staff retention and talent acquisition?
- What role has your HR team played in
driving technological innovation within the
organisation?
The Future of HR: Best HR Team of the Year
This award goes to an HR team that is using the latest HR-specific technology to greatest effect making it a highly responsive and effective HR department.
The result: a higher staff retention rate and effective talent acquisition; improved engagement with staff; efficient HR processes and high staff satisfaction levels. Annual revenue must be above R35 Million per Annum.
Key points that your entry should include:
- Can you provide evidence of how your HR team’s efforts have directly impacted business performance?
- What metrics or data does your HR team use to measure and demonstrate success in retention, engagement, and satisfaction?
- How does your HR team collaborate with other
departments to support organisational goals
and enhance overall performance?

