HR.com, the largest network of HR professionals, announced the 2026 Top CHROs, Top Women CHRO Leaders, and Top Women Founders in HR Awards during its CHRO Virtual Event on February 25. The honorees are recognized for their exceptional leadership, strategic vision, and outstanding contributions that inspire teams and drive results in dynamic workplaces.
The Top CHROs of the Year list includes executives such as Amy Cappellanti-Wolf of Dayforce, Angella Alexander of ATS Corporation, Ariane Hermansen of Servier, Carina Cortez of Cornerstone OnDemand, and Christen Scofield of Panorama Insurance Associates. Other notable honorees are Christina Payne of Precise Systems, Inc., Dr. Kylie Ensrud of Humanized HR, Dr. Waajida Small of Trinity Church NYC, Jeff Simpson of the Association of Alberta Municipalities, Jemar Ward of Public Health Solutions, and Jody Lirette of HELP USA. The list also features Kashan Akram of Cnergyico Pk Limited, Katkoor Srinivas Rao of SAS India, Ms. Dolloress Johnson of Arlington ISD, Nancy Masoud of Orange Public School District, Olena Fedorchenko of Codify, Raquel Hoffstot of Circular Services Inc, Ren Jethi of Akhurst Machinery Ltd., and Smruti Kasulwar of the Salaam Bombay Foundation.
The Top Women CHRO Leaders category honors Angella Alexander, Billie Wright of The Recycling Partnership, Carla Gatza of Action Property Management, Christen Scofield, Donna Smith of The Jewish Board, Dr. Kylie Ensrud, Felicia Rickett-Samuels of Bronxworks, Gigi Garcia of Commonpoint, and Jennifer Butler of Pavement Preservation Group. Other leaders include Kartheka R of Madras, Kellie Teal Guess of Rackspace Technologies, Kristin Scott of Health Alliance, Marisol Cortez of Berry Corporation, Nahla Abualula of SADAFCO, Nancy Masoud, Oriana Vogel of ZS, Ren Jethi, Rupali Srivastav of CareEdge, Tracey Schiro of Ochsner Health, and Waajida Small.
The Top Women Founders in HR list features Aminata Coulibaly of Aminata Digital Shop, Amy Spurling of Compt, Ange MacCabe of Intuity Performance, Candice Faktor of Disco, Christine Nichlos of People Science/Hiregate, Ciela de La Torre of Makwa Global, LLC, Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer of Bentzen Performance Partners, Darlene Nue of The Money Collective, Deb Muller of HR Acuity, Dr. Cornelia Shipley Bearyman of 3C Consulting, and French Self of AmeriSource HR Consulting Group, LLC. Also recognized are Jean Roque of Trüpp, JoDee Curtis of Purple Ink LLC, Kara Yarnot of Meritage Talent Solutions, Katherin Nukk-Freeman of SHIFT HR Compliance Training, Kimberly Miles of The Payroll Company, Maury Hanigan of SparcStart, Melissa Pearce of The Money Collective, Rachel Schneider of Canary, Ren Jethi, Ruth Thomas of Payscale, Sarah Hamilton-Gill of Globus HR Consulting Ltd., Sarah Wilkins of Reverb, Shana Ryan of Conceptual HR Solutions, Sneh Lata of RChilli Inc., Sue Marks of Cielo Talent, and Tiffany Sequeira of Prestige Development Group.
“Exceptional HR leaders shape the future of their organizations through vision, strategy, and execution,” said HR.com CEO Debbie McGrath. “These executives and founders in HR are driving innovation, inspiring teams, and delivering measurable results. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees for their outstanding contributions!”
HR.com, the largest network of HR professionals, is committed to helping HR professionals advance and build meaningful careers. Over 2 million HR professionals rely on HR.com for career development, networking, and compliance. Offerings include 300+ leading-edge HR Research Institute industry studies, innovative professional education with 500+ annual webcasts and virtual courses, HR exam prep for SHRM/HRCI certification, in-person HR conferences, HR tools, and legal compliance updates. For more information, visit HR.com or view all awards at HR.com Awards.
