HRD Awards Asia 2021 Commemorative Guide by Key Media

ASIA

2021

COMMEMORATIVE GUIDE OFFICIAL MEDIA

ORGANISER

THE PRODUCERS BEHIND LEADING HR EVENTS

IAN TRAL AUS

2021

#HRAwardsAsia

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2021

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2021 A WORD FROM KEY MEDIA THANK YOU to everyone who took part in the second annual HRD Awards Asia. After another difficult year that tested the resilience of many industries, these awards offer a true snapshot of the best and brightest in HR and those who stepped up and put their people first at a time when it mattered most. This year, 15 prestigious categories celebrated and recognised excellence in the HR profession, focusing on the achievements of the best HR professionals, teams and employers. It was wonderful to see such strong industry support for these awards, and we would like to thank everyone who submitted a nomination, and acknowledge our esteemed panel of judges for lending their time and expertise to the endeavour. The HRD Awards Asia 2021 is brought to you by Key Media, organiser of the Learning & Development Summit Asia, the HR Leaders Summit Singapore, the Australian HR Awards and the Canadian HR Awards, and publisher of the leading global HR news source, HRD. We are proud to continue our tradition of celebrating HR excellence in Asia and would like to congratulate all of this year’s winners. We look forward to bringing the HR profession another successful awards event in 2022. Yours sincerely, Emily Douglas Managing editor – HR, Key Media

TABLE OF CONTENTS INDIVIDUAL AWARDS HR Director of the Year

HR Manager of the Year

HR Rising Star of the Year

COMPANY AND TEAM AWARDS Employer of Choice (> 1,000 Employees)

Employer of Choice (1–99 Employees)

Employer of Choice (100–999 Employees)

HR Team of the Year (> 1,000 Employees)

Hr Team of the Year (≤ 1,000 Employees)

Best Leadership Development Program

Best Reward & Recognition Program

Best Health & Wellbeing Program

Best Learning & Development Program 14

Key Media is an award-winning global media company with eight offices around the world. Our growing portfolio of market-leading products connects business communities and product providers together through print and online publications and events across six key verticals.

Best Use of Technology

Best Workplace Diversity & Inclusion Program

Best Workplace Flexibility Program

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ASIA

2021

HR EXCELLENCE IN THE SPOTLIGHT The HRD Awards Asia 2021 pays tribute to the resilence and dedication of the HR professionals who led their organisations through another turbulent year

THE HRD AWARDS ASIA 2021 returned with much fanfare this year following the overwhelming success of its inaugural event in 2020. Like last year, HRD received a surge of submissions from HR teams across the region and countless inspiring stories of resilience. While many saw 2020 as an extraordinary year for HR, not enough is said about the continued efforts of the people teams who kept their organisations motivated through a tumultuous 2021. This year’s group of judges, made up of experienced industry leaders and global HR heads, had a tough time choosing between the impressive submissions to crown winners across 15 categories and recognise well-deserving teams for their excellence.

Building resilient HR teams Developing resilience was key to combating the unique set of challenges that came our way in the past 12 months. This was even

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more critical for HR teams expected to continue holding the fort in the ongoing people-centred crisis. Workplace resilience levels were already low in 2020, according to a study by ADP, so HR heads had to double down on their efforts in 2021 to ensure their organisations pushed through another long year. According to ADP, resilience levels varied widely by country. India (32%) and Singapore (19%), for instance, noted higher levels of resilience when compared with the global list. Other Asian nations surveyed ranked much lower – Japan at 12% and China at 11%, with South Korea and Taiwan both reporting just 8% resilience in their workforces. Being in harder-hit industries like hospitality and tourism was even tougher on HR teams. But this didn’t stop companies like Seda Hotels in the Philippines from achieving sweeping wins at this year’s HR Awards Asia. Seda Hotels won in the Employer of

METHODOLOGY PROCESS • HRD Asia issued an open call for nominations to the title’s regionwide readership of more than 20,000 HR professionals • Prospective nominees sent in submissions online – hundreds of nominations were received • After a lengthy vetting process, the shortlisted candidates were invited to send additional information so that our judges had all the information they needed • Winners and Excellence Awardees in the 15 categories were announced on 12 October 2021. Each award had its own judges

CATEGORIES

Choice and Best Health & Wellbeing Program categories. These well-deserved awards were due to the HR team’s laser-focused commitment to their purpose at the organisation. “Resiliency really is part and parcel of the job of HR, especially in the hotel industry,” says Wilma Estaura, group director of HR at Ayaland Hotels and Resorts Corporation, the parent organisation of Seda Hotels. “You have to be selfless with your time. You have to be there all the time and think of ways to give back to the people and how to be resilient. If your mission really is for the people first, I think you won’t go wrong.” DANA Indonesia, a winner in the HR Team of the Year category, shares the same focus. “During troubling times such as the COVID-19 period, HR is expected to serve as the organisation’s change catalyst,” says Lisa Mufrisno, head of people culture, strategy and employer branding at the financial services company. “Raising awareness about the [business] mission to the HR team and how critical it is for the role to be executed well is essential in instilling motivation and a sense of purpose within the team during this difficult time.”

• The HRD Awards Asia featured 15 individual and company categories, recognising employers, teams and leaders from small to large businesses across the region

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2021

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Engaging employees in a hybrid world For DANA Indonesia, building team resilience was critical to sustaining engagement levels across the organisation – a tricky task in today’s ever-changing world of work. The upside of 2021 was the positive stats around the impact of hybrid workplace arrangements. A study by Qualtrics found that hybrid working led to the most benefits in areas like wellbeing and engagement. Respondents reported a 10% rise in their ability to be customer focused in a hybrid environment. This was compared to working either in the office or remotely full-time. Regardless, challenges abounded when it came to managing engagement in the past year. Mufrisno still considered the task a tough balancing act in 2021. “The biggest challenge was ensuring that DANA was able to maintain peak productivity while still having that human connection,” she says. “This, without taking away people’s autonomy or flexibility around working arrangements.” The HR team at another multi-award-winning organisation, edotco Group, overcame engagement challenges by focusing on a top-down strategy. The group also won in the HR Team of the Year and Best Reward & Recognition Program categories, with additional Excellence Awards in two other areas. Its success at this

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year’s HR Awards Asia was likely driven by having engaging leadership as a core pillar. This had a widespread effect across the multicountry organisation. “Another thing we did was to constantly drive high performance and enable a ‘championship mindset’,” says Ramon Chelvarajasingam, chief people officer at edotco Group. The team frequently reviewed their progress to ensure everyone was engaged in achieving the same end goal: world-class business success. “COVID has just been a slight distraction,” he adds. “Maybe you’re struggling a little bit, but pick yourself up and refocus on the ‘world championship’.”

Retaining wellbeing as a top priority Engagement aside, 2021 has shown that the struggle continues to be real for many individuals. A study by Wunderman Thompson found that almost one in four employees has suffered bouts of anxiety and depression during the prolonged pandemic. Others said they had been struggling with an increased sense of isolation (13%) and the inevitable loss of privacy or personal space (9%) since they started working from home. “While 2020 and 2021 offered its own set of challenges in HR, the number one is of course mental health issues and employee

wellbeing,” says Estaura. Employees at Seda Hotels continued to experience high levels of uncertainty in areas like job and financial security. “They’re always asking us if the hotels would close or if there’d be more job opportunities [or hotel] duties scheduled,” Estaura says. This was why leaders kept employee wellbeing top of mind and focused on taking care of their people, even if it meant contacting them frequently to ensure staff were safe and feeling OK wherever they were located. This focus on wellbeing was shared by HR leaders across all industries in 2021, as many understood the debilitating impact of extended remote working arrangements. “People need to keep the balance between working life and personal life,” says Mufrisno at DANA. “When working from home, the boundaries between working and non-working hours are blurred. Failure to honour such boundaries can cause burnout and mental health issues.”

A culture of compassion In such an uncertain working environment, it was vital to encourage empathy and compassion across an organisation. Authenticity was also essential for employees to believe their leaders and colleagues were being genuine. “They know if you are sincere, they can feel it,” says Estaura. “They know if you are really taking good care of them. As a head of

HR, you should always be authentic.” She believes that if leaders and teammates shared a genuine compassion for each other, companies would have a higher chance of retaining employees. A World Economic Forum study has found that employees have an increasing desire for emotional intelligence and intuition in their leaders. If a business is keen on unlocking commitment and creativity in its team members, research shows that leaders should focus on demonstrating their ability to be ‘truly human’, showing compassion, humility and openness at work.

2022 and beyond All in all, when HRD asked HR leaders what they were most looking forward to in the new year, the answers were unanimous: the digitalisation of HR. The pandemic gave HR teams the chance to accelerate their digitalisation journeys, so leaders are hoping to see continued momentum. “In 2022, what we’re looking at is the digitalisation [of processes] around us,” says Estaura. This includes in areas like employee engagement as well as training and development. Mufrisno, on the other hand, would like to see DANA utilise more technology in the HR decision-making process, and hopes it will keep churning out people-centric solutions. “HR should automate and utilise more AI in decision-making,” she says. “Automation in employee listening tools can ensure HR practices remain relevant in the fast-changing world.”

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ASIA

2021 HR DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

HR MANAGER OF THE YEAR

HR RISING STAR OF THE YEAR

This award recognises an HR leader who has demonstrated excellence at the executive level over the past 12 months. Eligible nominees were senior-level leaders who reported to the CEO and managed an HR team. Nominees were judged on their leadership, communication, strategy, drive and results.

This award recognises an individual who has demonstrated excellence at the management level over the past 12 months. Eligible nominees were mid-level leaders who looked after up to 1,000 employees. Nominees were judged on their leadership, communication, strategy, drive and results.

This award recognises an individual who has demonstrated excellence in their first five years of work in an HR role. Nominees were judged on their leadership, communication, strategy, drive and results.

WINNER

Anjali Rao Intel India

Soong Ying Top Glove Corporation Bhd

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

Danish Shaikh Quadrific Media

Jagadish Dadi Surat Marriott

Jin Shaun Yee edotco Group

Jaganathan Rajasivam Intel Corporation

Jennifer Choot Jardine Matheson

Julian Keh Teng Ju Top Glove Corporation Bhd

Manoj Kumar Chaudhary Edelweiss Asset Management

Tim Wu Chailease Finance

Kate Yeong Wooi Chyng Top Glove Corporation Bhd

Ramani Amar McCann Worldgroup Ronita Majumdar Basu JLL India

Jessica Tang Siew Fun Top Glove Corporation Bhd

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Ng Kai Yee Top Glove Corporation Bhd

EMPLOYER OF CHOICE

(> 1,000 EMPLOYEES)

(1–99 EMPLOYEES)

This award recognises an HR team within an organisation in Asia with more than 1,000 employees that has demonstrated excellence over the past 12 months. Nominees were judged on their overall team performance, including leadership, communication, strategy, drive and results.

This award recognises the best organisation to work for in Asia with fewer than 100 employees. Nominees were judged on their leadership, engagement, communication and employee benefits.

WINNER

ZALORA

Rotam Agrochemical Company

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

EXCELLENCE AWARDEE

Asticom Technology Inc.

Unity Technologies Singapore

edotco Group Marina Bay Sands Moglix Standard Chartered Bank (Vietnam)

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ASIA

2021 EMPLOYER OF CHOICE (100–999 EMPLOYEES)

This award recognises the best organisation to work for in Asia with between 100 and 999 employees. Nominees were judged on their leadership, engagement, communication and employee benefits.

2021

FEATURED WINNER

WINNER

HRD AWARDS ASIA ELLENCE AWARD EXC

Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific

Seda Hotels Philippines EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

City Developments Credit Suisse APAC Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific

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Discovery’s mission is to understand and share the world around us through the stories we tell. We are a talent-driven business, aiming to attract, develop and motivate top talent in every corner of our company so that we can ignite curiosity in audiences in every corner of the globe. We’re at our best when bringing the world a little closer together. Discovery is proud to play an important role as the most-trusted portfolio of family-friendly brands around the globe, creating awareness, fostering understanding and embracing differences. The most innovative ideas and solutions come from the widest range of thoughts and perspectives. It is the diverse minds, experiences, cultures and unique points of view brought by our employees, partners and creators that are reflected in our revered storytelling. At Discovery, we approach our DE&I journey holistically through Mosaic, an organisation-wide activation that centres around diversity, equity and inclusion. Website: corporate.discovery.com Phone: +65 6510 7500

HR TEAM OF THE YEAR

(> 1,000 EMPLOYEES)

(≤ 1,000 EMPLOYEES)

This award recognises the best HR team in an organisation with over 1,000 employees in Asia. Nominees were judged on overall team performance, including leadership, communication, strategy, drive and results.

This award recognises the best HR team in an organisation with up to 1,000 employees in Asia. Nominees were judged on overall team performance, including leadership, communication, strategy, drive and results.

WINNER

edotco Group

DANA Indonesia

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

Credit Suisse – Experienced and Campus Recruitment APAC

ECOS (I) Mobility & Hospitality Pvt Ltd

Moglix – Human Capital Team

PT Sun Life Financial Indonesia

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ASIA

2021 BEST LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

BEST REWARD & RECOGNITION PROGRAM

BEST HEALTH & WELLBEING PROGRAM

This award recognises excellence and innovation in leadership development programs and initiatives. Nominees were judged on consultation, strategy, implementation and results.

This award recognises excellence and innovation in employee reward and recognition programs and initiatives. Nominees were judged on consultation, strategy, implementation and results.

This award recognises excellence and innovation in workplace health and wellbeing programs and initiatives. Nominees were judged on consultation, strategy, implementation and results.

WINNER

Top Glove Corporation Bhd

edotco Group

Seda Hotels Philippines

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

City Developments

CorroHealth

Great Giant Foods

Sinar Mas Mining

PT Sun Life Financial Indonesia

LUXASIA

Syngenta Asia Pacific Verizon Communications

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2021

HRD AWARDS ASIA

FEATURED WINNER

ELLENCE AWARD EXC

Syngenta Asia Pacific Syngenta is one of the world leaders in agricultural innovation and has a legacy spanning more than 250 years globally and over 90 years in Asia. At Syngenta Asia Pacific (APAC), our 6,000 people across 15 countries strive every day to transform agriculture through tailor-made solutions for the benefit of farmers, society and our planet – making us the world’s most local agricultural technology and innovation partner. We are a great place to work, with people-first values. We value the health and wellbeing of our employees and support them to reach their full potential. From the start of the pandemic, we wanted to help employees make their work-from-home routine as effortless as possible. Apart from sharing guidelines on setting up an optimal working environment at home, we also rolled out programs that encouraged them to be mindful of their physical, mental and financial wellness. Our holistic programs for our employees and their families in APAC vary among different countries according to local needs. They include:  t he Employee Assistance Program that helps employees through difficult times by providing expert practical assistance and support – this free-of-charge, confidential external service is available to employees and family members  wellness claims for ergonomic furniture to set up home offices  seminars conducted by mental health professionals so our employees learn how to protect their mental wellbeing  exercise programs and mobile apps like Step Challenge to promote good physical health and team bonding Email: apac.communications-1@syngenta.com Website: www.syngenta.sg Phone: +65 6333 6411

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ASIA

2021 BEST LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

This award recognises excellence and innovation in training and development programs and initiatives. Nominees were judged on consultation, strategy, implementation and results.

FEATURED WINNER

WINNER

Great Giant Foods

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

Avon Cosmetics, Inc. Janssen Pharmaceuticals (J&J) CorroHealth Sinar Mas Mining Top Glove Corporation Bhd

Great Giant Foods Great Giant Foods (GGF) is the brand entity of Gunung Sewu Group and a leading vertically integrated food player that cultivates, manufactures and delivers fresh and processed fruits, juice, meat and dairy. Recently named as winner of Deloitte Indonesia’s award for Best Managed Companies 2021 (under the brand of Great Giant Pineapple), Great Giant Foods exports its products to over 60 countries. With over 33,000-hectare sites in Lampung, Sumatera, GGF holds the title of World’s Largest Integrated Pineapple Producers, Processors, & Providers (Great Giant Pineapple); leader in fresh fruit marketing and distribution across Indonesia under the Sunpride brand (Sewu Segar Nusantara); pioneer of the leading ultra-premium, cold-pressed juice under the Rejuve Brand in Indonesia (Sewu Segar Primatama), and the very first low land dairy farm in Indonesia (Great Giant Livestock). Employing over 25,000 people across 24 Business Units, GGF put people at the forefront by building a comprehensive learning and development framework, from development programs for employees in operations to those in the office; from all-digitalised modules to project assignmentology. Built upon an integrated learning management system, some of the programs GGF has implemented are its Leadership Acceleration Program to develop high-potential individuals and rotational learning; and its specialised path to development as a sales manager and plantation estate manager through its Sales Academy and Plantation Academy. GGF also focuses extra attention on its top talent by providing a tailored executive development program. These programs are a reflection of GGF’s EVP of “Grow, Great, Fun”, which highlights its commitment that the people of GGF can Grow along with the Company, and be Great together, in a very Fun way. Email: hr.ggf@gg-foods.com Website: www.greatgiantfoods.com Phone: Lampung: (0725) 7573001; Jakarta: (021) 5208338

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BEST USE OF TECHNOLOGY

BEST WORKPLACE DIVERSITY & INCLUSION PROGRAM

BEST WORKPLACE FLEXIBILITY PROGRAM

This award recognises excellence and innovation in the use of human capital technology by an in-house HR team. Nominees were judged on consultation, strategy, implementation and results.

This award recognises excellence and innovation in diversity and inclusion programs and initiatives. Nominees were judged on consultation, strategy, implementation and results.

This award recognises excellence and innovation in workplace flexibility programs and initiatives. Nominees were judged on consultation, strategy, implementation and results.

WINNER

Janssen Pharmaceuticals (J&J)

ZALORA

EXCELLENCE AWARDEES

edotco Group

City Developments

PT Sun Life Financial Indonesia

Great Giant Foods

DANA Indonesia

Times Professional Learning – a division of Bennett Coleman & Company Limited

Faith Music Centre Times Professional Learning – a division of Bennett Coleman & Company Limited Volt International

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ASIA

2021

A LOOK BACK: THE 2020 WINNERS HR DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR Dundy Deng, Wharf Hotels Management

HR MANAGER OF THE YEAR Tina Mahtani, Quincus

HR RISING STAR OF THE YEAR Vanessa Chu, Wharf Hotels Management

HR TEAM OF THE YEAR (≤ 1,000 EMPLOYEES) Beam Suntory, Asia Pacific HR Team

HR TEAM OF THE YEAR (>1,000 EMPLOYEES) Intel – Greater Asia Region HR

EMPLOYER OF CHOICE (1–99 EMPLOYEES) PSB Technology Services, Inc

EMPLOYER OF CHOICE (100–999 EMPLOYEES) Vodafone

EMPLOYER OF CHOICE (>1,000 EMPLOYEES) Lenovo Asia Pacific

BEST GRADUATE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM Marsh Asia Human Resources Team

BEST HEALTH & WELLBEING PROGRAM ARA Asset Management

BEST LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM PT Badak NGL (Badak LNG)

BEST LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM Aviva

BEST RECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN Hewlett Packard Enterprise

BEST REWARD & RECOGNITION PROGRAM Lenovo – AP Rewards Program

BEST USE OF TECHNOLOGY Standard Chartered

BEST WORKPLACE DIVERSITY & INCLUSION PROGRAM Beam Suntory Asia

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BEST WORKPLACE FLEXIBILITY PROGRAM Hewlett Packard Enterprise

2021 JUDGING PANEL Thank you to our esteemed judges for lending us their time and expertise to help recognise and celebrate excellence in the HR profession

ANDREW HOW Kincentric

PHILIPPA PENFOLD People Collider

STEPHEN FALKINER Troy Corporation

ANJUM MOMINA GHAFFAR American Express Malaysia

BALA SUBRAMANIAM Singtel

BRIAN FISCHER Intel

FAITH NGEOW Herbalife Nutrition Asia Pacific

GEORGE XAVIER FLSmidth

HELEN SNOWBALL Jones Lang La Salle

JENNI LIM Semperit Group

LOW KHIM WAH IFF

SUBASH CHANDER GANAPATHY BMW Group Malaysia

TAMARA ZEINA HASSAN Mars Incorporated

VINOD RAI Kellogg Company

RICHMOND KOK Capella Hotel Group

AMANDA GERVAY Mastercard

JAYESH MENON Moet Hennessy Asia Pacific

KHIM TAN Alliance Bank Malaysia

KINGLEY LIM L’Oreal

MATTHEW KIMBALL Shell

CHAN WING GIT Luxasia

DAPHNE ONG Boston Scientific Asia Pacific

IRVANDI FERIZAL Maybank

MAY-ANNE THAM SAP Asia Ltd

TOMMY LOY Keurig Dr Pepper

ALICIA YIP Proton

BRANDON LEW T-Systems

KANNAN CHETTIAR Avvanz

LOGANATHAN BALAKRISHNAN Habib Jewel

LYNN TAN Telenor

NAOMI PINKERTON BHG Singapore

STAVIA DEXTERINA Nokia Indonesia

STEVEN YONG HSBC

TAM TRANG NGUYEN Unilever International

WENDY TAI Barry Callebaut Asia Pacific

HUAIWEN CHEN Estée Lauder Travel Retailing

KUMAR ABHISHEK S&P Global

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OFFICIAL MEDIA

ORGANISER

THE PRODUCERS BEHIND LEADING HR EVENTS

IAN TRAL AUS

2021

#HRAwardsAsia

www.keymediaawards.com/hrawardsasia

2021