With nominations for the HR Ecosystem Awards open, Chief of Staff Asia is thrilled to unveil the first two (2) judges in this year’s presentation of the best consultancies, solutions, and service providers for HR in Southeast Asia. Fronting the panel are two exemplary leaders in the HR space: Gayatheri Silvakumar and Louise Pender.
As Chief Talent Officer for APAC at creative advertising firm McCann Worldgroup, Silvakumar shines in her ability to enhance HR processes and drive up efficiency through utilising cutting-edge technologies. This allows her to exceed performance targets of organisational transformation even amid demanding circumstances. Her experience spans mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, trade union negotiations, and strategising for D&I. In the past, she has also judged for various awards including the American Business Award 2023, Stevie Awards, and Business River’s 2023 Human Resource & Leadership Management Award.
An HR expert with a focus on employee welfare rooted in her legal background, Pender is excelling as both Chief People Officer and General Counsel at Southeast Asia’s leading retail e-commerce brand ZALORA. Managing HR teams across seven (7) markets while directing Legal and Sustainability workforces is no easy task, but she continues to thrive in this dual role. She is a certified barrister and solicitor in both the Supreme Court of Victoria and the High Court of New Zealand. Her commitment to an inclusive work environment and comprehensive expertise on all things “human” also give Pender a unique lens in assessing future-oriented work strategies, seamless work spaces, and wellness programs, which make her a perfect match to the entire panel of judges.
The HR Ecosystem Awards is a chance for the hard work and innovation of HR service providers, technology developers, and consultancies to be recognised and promoted across the Southeast Asian market and HR community. Unique to this awards program is the nonexistence of any entry fee and a completely independent panel of judges. All entries will be evaluated anonymously according to predefined criteria, in the end yielding finalists and winners across over 20 categories.
Make sure to stay tuned for updates on the rest of our judging panel. Nominations for the HREA close on October 29, 2023.