For any awards, carrying out fair, consistent, and accurate judging is key to ensuring the true winners are recognized. To deliver this, we have assembled a diverse and unbiased judging panel of experts. The judges are assigned categories which reflect their expertise and are asked to recuse themselves from voting in any category in which there is a conflict of interest
All Judges are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement for the purpose of preventing the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. This includes the sharing of the information contained within the submission forms with any third parties and communicating with shortlisted nominees in any way.
Sydney Elaine Butler is the founder of Accessible Creates, where they also remotely speak and consult about Accessibility, Neurodiversity primarily with other areas of Diversity and Inclusion for companies in various industries so that companies know how to be more accessible and inclusive in the workplace and to their employees.
Timothy Lang is President & CEO of YES – Canada’s leading youth employment service provider, who annually counsel, trains, empower and inspire tens of thousands of youth to become contributing members of society through employment placement. YES has a close to 90% success rate and focuses on our most vulnerable youth, helping create safer, stronger communities and change lives.
Timothy Lang is an accomplished leader in the private and not-for-profit sector with a record of inspiring organizations to achieve record results and growth. Previously Tim held senior management and executive positions with Xerox, Bell, Energy Savings Income Fund, and St. Francis Xavier University. As Vice President at Energy Savings Income fund, Tim drove its growth and expansion across Canada and into the U.S. and increased the customer base by hundreds of thousands and up 300%, leading to a $2 billion market cap. As VP External at StFX University, he helped raise $120 million for the Brian Mulroney Institute for Government and the Frank McKenna Leadership Centre and developed innovative branding and communications to enhance the reputation of the university. Tim has a B.A. from StFX University and a Master’s degree from the University of Manitoba. Tim was born in Saskatoon, is bilingual, and has lived and worked across Canada, the U.S., and Great Britain. He sits on several not-for-profit Boards and received the Queen’s Jubilee Medal for outstanding contributions to the community in 2012.
Ashlee Langlois is the CEO / Registrar for CPHR Saskatchewan. Over the last 20 years, she has worked in many areas of Human Resources, including Organizational Development, Recruitment, and Employee Experience. Prior to joining CPHR Saskatchewan, she was the Executive Manager of Human Resources at a federal crown corporation and was a consultant for a global HR consulting firm.
Giving back to her community and profession is important to Ashlee. She is currently the President of the Board of Trustees for the MacKenzie Art Gallery and a member of the Board of Directors for the Regina Food Bank. She has been on the Board of Directors for Regina Work Preparation Centre, YWCA Regina, and Eden Care Communities Foundation. She has also served as a member of CPHR Saskatchewan’s Mentorship and Professional Development Committees.
Ashlee holds a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology), a Bachelor of Business Administration (HR) from the University of Regina and a Masters in Applied Industrial Organizational Psychology from Colorado State University. She holds her designation as a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) and the Associate Certified Coach (ACC) designation from the International Coaching Federation (ICF).
Ayo Owodunni is a management consultant and facilitator who brings over 10 years of experience in coaching, training and strategic direction to the table. Originally from Lagos, Nigeria, Ayo aims to help enterprise-level clients achieve big-picture goals while focusing on diversity, inclusion and cultural understanding in the workplace. His approach combines subject matter expertise, personal stories and just the right amount of humor all intended to break barriers and facilitate better communication between people at all levels of an organization.
Ayo’s passion and natural talent for connecting with audiences shine through in everything he does. His impressive client list spans a variety of industries and includes renowned companies such as Spotify, Canada Life, Microsoft, Thomson Reuters, CIBC, TMX Group and Hydro One to name a few. He is the author of the book, “Values, Culture, Period” – Redefining the Value of Values to Drive Business Results and “Inclusive Leadership”: The Immigrant View – Helping immigrants thrive and soar in your organization. He is also the co-creator of The Ring: 4 Steps to transforming your organization through the power of your values & culture.
Upon immigrating to Canada in 2016, Ayo overcame many challenges before finding his stride-challenges he today helps others avoid. He learned something new every step along his path to success and would later incorporate these pearls into his innovative training programs. Ayo holds an MBA in entrepreneurship and a Life Coach certification. He serves on several organization boards, including immigrantnetworks.com, expedier.co, and Emergency Response Africa. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Management Consultants.
Surranna Sandy is a civic executive and convener with more than two decades of experience leading institutional growth, cross-sector collaboration, and systems-level transformation across Canada.
For over 13 years, she served as Chief Executive Officer of Skills for Change, where she led a full organizational turnaround and scaled the organization into a respected national institution for workforce development and education. During her tenure, revenues increased by more than 130 percent, the organization achieved 12 consecutive annual surpluses, expanded to a multi-site and multi-provincial footprint, and grew to a team of more than 150 staff. She strengthened governance, modernized operations, built enterprise risk systems, and positioned the organization as a trusted partner to governments, employers, postsecondary institutions, and major philanthropic partners.
Surranna is known for her ability to convene business, government, academic, and community leaders around complex economic and social challenges. She has secured multi-million-dollar public and private partnerships, led significant capital investments, and advanced initiatives in employment, youth skills development, AI upskilling, and climate action. Her leadership integrates disciplined fiscal stewardship with long-term strategic perspective and data-informed decision-making.
She holds a master’s degree in Global Development Practice from Harvard University, where she also completed graduate studies in Environmental Policy and Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management. She completed the Public Leadership Credential at Harvard Kennedy School. She also holds a Master of Business Administration in Human Resources Management, a Master of Arts in Leadership and Management, an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Leadership and Management, and a Graduate Diploma in Public Administration from Western University.
Surranna serves on several boards and advisory bodies across the education, arts, and workforce sectors and is recognized for her contributions to building strong institutions and inclusive communities.
Tanya Sinclair serves as the Vice President, People & Culture for Save The Children in Tkaronto/Toronto Canada where she oversees the People & Culture strategy including the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism strategy for all employees. Tanya is a community-focused people & culture leader who has worked in healthcare, public libraries, not-for-profit, and in academia providing strategy, policy, and advocacy with a focus on well-being, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Tanya holds the Certified Human Resources Executive (CHRE) designation along with the Distinguished HR Professional (DHRP) lifetime award of distinction and is a 2020 Harry Jerome Leadership Awardee. She has served on several boards and diversity advisory committees. Tanya is the founder of a not-for-profit network called Black Human Resources Professionals of Canada www.blackhrpc.org. As a former college HR professor, holds a Master of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Royal Roads University in B.C. and has a post-secondary certificate in Workplace Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging including courses on Indigenous Inclusion. When Tanya isn’t at work, she can be found volunteering or playing volleyball. Tanya’s leadership philosophy is lead, learn, laugh
Thanuja Thananayagam is an antiracism scholar and senior human resources leader with over 20 years of experience shaping equitable, people-centred organizations. Her expertise spans talent strategy, organizational development, and equity, diversity, and inclusion, with a strong focus on embedding inclusion into systems, leadership, and workplace culture.
Thanuja holds an MBA, an MEd, and a PhD in Social Justice Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. Her research examines the systemic barriers faced by immigrant women of colour in the Canadian labour market, contributing to critical conversations on intersectionality, policy, and organizational change.
She brings both academic rigour and practical insight to her work, and is recognized for advancing initiatives that drive meaningful, sustainable impact in workplaces. Thanuja also serves on the advisory council for ElevateHer, supporting efforts to advance gender equity and inclusive leadership.
Timothy is passionate about the intersection of organizational culture and coaching. With vast experience in marketing, sales and HR at large organizations such as Procter & Gamble, Intel and Index Group, he has coached C-level leaders and taught at Bogazici University Lifelong Learning Center, Global Knowledge Canada, and Simon Fraser University. He holds five coaching certificates, is trained in multiple coaching styles and is a PhD. candidate on building a culture of coaching for 21st century organizations. Timothy has four nationally published books in Turkish, including one on coaching, and he has worked with clients such as MEC, Telus, Aviso Wealth, Doctors of BC, and Suncor.
As President and CEO of the National Payroll Institute (the Institute), Peter Tzanetakis champions the principle that timely and accurate payroll is fundamental to the health of every business in Canada and the right of every working Canadian.
Working in partnership with members, stakeholders, subject matter experts and policymakers, he leverages research, specialized expertise, and strategic vision to consistently demonstrate the value payroll delivers to employers, employees, governments and the economy.
Under his leadership, the organization rebranded from the Canadian Payroll Association to the National Payroll Institute in 2022, and he established Payroll Standards Canada in 2023 to oversee professional requirements and maintain ethical standards for payroll designations. The Institute and Peter have also become a leading advocates for the financial wellness of Canadians, with Institute research demonstrating that financial stress costs Canada $53.9 billion annually in lost productivity.
Peter brings over 30 years of experience in public policy and business development across government, private and not-for-profit sectors to his role. Prior to joining the National Payroll Institute in 2018, he served as Vice-President of Government and Corporate Relations at The Financial Advisors Association of Canada (Advocis); Director, Economics and Statistics with PricewaterhouseCoopers; Senior Manager, Tax Policy Services at EY; and Senior Economist and Director of Policy at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
