The world’s longest-running and largest Human Capital Management awards program recognizes organizations setting the global standard for Workforce Excellence.

BOCA RATON, Fla., August 13, 2026 — Brandon Hall Group, the Workforce Excellence Intelligence company, today announced the winners of its 2026 HCM Excellence Awards®, recognizing organizations that have demonstrated exceptional innovation, measurable business impact, and excellence across Human Capital Management.

Founded in 1993, the HCM Excellence Awards are the longest-running and largest awards program dedicated to Human Capital Management. For more than three decades, the awards have recognized organizations whose people strategies deliver measurable business results and have become widely regarded throughout the industry as the “Academy Awards of Human Capital Management.”

The complete list of 2026 HCM Excellence Award winners is available at: https://excellenceawards.brandonhall.com/winners-2/

“The HCM Excellence Awards have become the most recognized benchmark for excellence in human capital management because organizations know they are earned, not given. Every winning program has demonstrated measurable impact, innovation, and execution through one of the industry’s most rigorous evaluation processes. We are proud to recognize the organizations setting the standard for the future of work,” said Brandon Hall Group CEO Mike Cooke.

Entries were evaluated by a panel of veteran, independent senior industry experts, Brandon Hall Group analysts, and executives using a proven and published evaluation framework that applies the same criteria to every submission:

• Alignment to their business need and environment.
• Program design, functionality and delivery.
• Adoption, integration, user experience, innovation and creativity.
• Overall effectiveness, impact, and measurable benefits.

This rigorous evaluation process provides organizations with independent validation of their work and ensures that recognition is based on demonstrated results rather than popularity or nomination alone. Brandon Hall Group publishes its judging criteria and judge profiles at https://excellenceawards.brandonhall.com/.

“Every year, the HCM Excellence Awards remind us that innovation is ultimately about impact. The organizations recognized this year have demonstrated that great HR and learning strategies don’t just improve programs, they strengthen organizations, empower people, and deliver measurable business results. We are honored to celebrate their achievements,” said Brandon Hall Group COO Rachel Cooke, HCM Excellence Awards program leader.

Winning organizations represent excellence across learning and development, leadership development, talent acquisition, talent management, human resources, sales enablement, future of work, and other areas critical to organizational performance.

Celebrate Excellence at the 2027 HCM Excellence Conference

The 2026 HCM Excellence Award winners will be celebrated at the HCM Excellence Conference, taking place January 26–28, 2027.

The three-day conference will bring together HR, learning, talent, and business leaders for research, best practices, executive discussions, and practical strategies focused on advancing Workforce Excellence. The event culminates with the HCM Excellence Awards Gala, where the 2026 winners will be recognized and celebrated alongside their peers from around the world.

Learn more and register at https://excellenceconference.brandonhall.com/.

About Brandon Hall Group

Brandon Hall Group is the Workforce Excellence Intelligence company.

For more than 30 years, we have helped organizations transform workforce performance into measurable business results. We combine independent research, proven practices from award-winning organizations, benchmarking, strategic advisory, and the collective intelligence of a global executive community to help leaders make better decisions with greater confidence.

Our Workforce Excellence Intelligence is built on evidence, not opinion. By continuously studying leadership, learning, talent, human resources, artificial intelligence, and the future of work, we identify what drives exceptional organizational performance—and translate those insights into practical frameworks, benchmarks, and guidance that organizations can apply immediately.

More than 10,000 organizations worldwide — including many of the world’s leading employers and Human Capital Management solution providers — have engaged with Brandon Hall Group through our research, advisory services, Excellence Councils, Institute, certifications, and the globally recognized HCM Excellence Awards®. Together, they create one of the industry’s richest ecosystems of workforce knowledge, best practices, and proven results.

Our purpose is to make Workforce Excellence achievable for every organization and establish it as the global standard for organizational success.

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I’m onsite this week at Eightfold’s Cultivate Conference in Napa, which the company has positioned as “The Infinite Workforce Summit.” After several conversations, demos and analyst briefings, what stands out most to me is how much broader Eightfold’s strategy has become over the last few years.

The Evolution Beyond Talent Intelligence

When we first started following Eightfold around 2020, the conversation centered heavily around talent intelligence. That positioning differentiated them early. While much of the market was still focused primarily on workflow automation inside talent acquisition, Eightfold approached the problem from the perspective of understanding talent itself: skills, career trajectories, internal mobility, adjacent capabilities and organizational intelligence.

That foundation still exists today, but the scope has clearly expanded.

The company is now framing its platform around what it calls the “Infinite Workforce,” a model where AI agents and humans work together across recruiting, workforce planning, employee development and organizational transformation. Rather than treating AI as an enhancement layered onto existing HR systems, Eightfold is positioning AI as the operational layer that helps organizations understand how work gets done and how workforce capacity evolves over time.

AI Interviewing Is Becoming More Adaptive

A large portion of the conversation at Cultivate naturally centers around AI Interviewer, which is understandable given how quickly interest in AI-driven hiring experiences has accelerated across the market.

From what I saw in the demonstrations and analyst sessions, Eightfold’s approach appears more mature than many of the earlier AI interview experiences currently in market. The company is now positioning 360 Interview as a more adaptive and consolidated interview framework capable of combining multiple stages of evaluation into a more unified experience.

Screening, technical validation, coding assessments, language evaluation, behavioral analysis and interview documentation are increasingly being orchestrated within one workflow rather than fragmented across separate rounds and systems. The broader objective appears to be compressing what has traditionally been a lengthy, multi-stage hiring process into a significantly more streamlined experience while still preserving human decision-making where organizations want it.

What I also found notable is that Eightfold does not appear to be forcing organizations into a fully autonomous hiring model immediately. Some organizations are comfortable allowing AI to conduct interviews directly. Others still want recruiters and hiring managers heavily involved in the process. Eightfold seems to understand that reality and has built significant recruiter-assist functionality alongside the autonomous capabilities. That balance will likely matter for enterprise adoption.

That said, I don’t think AI Interviewer is ultimately the biggest story coming out of Cultivate.

Workforce Readiness May Be the Larger Strategic Play

The more strategic conversation appears to be happening around workforce readiness and how organizations prepare for large-scale AI transformation inside the enterprise.

One of the more interesting discussions during the briefing focused on a question many CHROs are now receiving from boards and executive leadership teams:

Is our workforce actually prepared for AI?

That question goes well beyond whether employees have experimented with ChatGPT or completed a learning module. It becomes a much larger issue around workforce adaptability, skills evolution, productivity impact and organizational planning.

Eightfold’s Workforce Readiness initiative appears aimed directly at helping organizations better understand how AI is actually being adopted across the workforce and where gaps still exist. Rather than relying solely on surveys or top-down assumptions, the platform uses conversational assessments, workforce intelligence and coaching workflows to help organizations identify where employees may benefit from additional AI enablement or development support.

What stood out to me is that the broader vision seems less about measuring AI usage for its own sake and more about understanding how work itself is changing inside the organization. In practice, that shifts the conversation from simple AI adoption metrics toward workforce effectiveness, role evolution and long-term organizational adaptability.

Importantly, Eightfold is approaching this from the perspective of talent intelligence rather than traditional learning analytics. That distinction matters because the company already has years of workforce data, skills relationships, internal mobility patterns and career intelligence informing these recommendations.

To me, that feels like a more defensible position than simply adding AI coaching features onto a learning platform.

The Next Layer: AI-Native HR Infrastructure

The biggest strategic announcement at Cultivate was clearly Talent Forge, which became a central theme throughout the keynote discussions and analyst conversations.

At a high level, Talent Forge represents Eightfold’s attempt to rethink how enterprise HR technology gets built and adapted in an AI-driven environment. Rather than relying entirely on rigid packaged applications and long implementation cycles, the vision appears centered on giving organizations more flexibility to create highly customized talent experiences, workflows, interfaces and applications on top of Eightfold’s talent intelligence infrastructure.

Conceptually, it reflects a much larger shift already happening across enterprise technology. Organizations are increasingly questioning whether traditional systems of record are flexible enough for the pace of workforce and AI transformation currently underway.

During the keynote, Ashutosh Garg, Co-Founder and CEO of Eightfold.ai, framed the shift very directly when he said, “The world has moved from you buying software to you building it.”

That idea sits at the center of the Talent Forge strategy. The premise is not simply that organizations need more AI functionality inside HR systems, but that they may increasingly want the ability to shape and adapt those systems themselves as workforce needs evolve.

Eightfold’s answer appears to be that the future may involve more composable and AI-assisted HR architectures built around workforce intelligence rather than static applications alone.

What makes this particularly interesting is that Eightfold is approaching the opportunity from the standpoint of skills intelligence, matching, career data and workforce infrastructure rather than pure application development. The long-term vision seems less about replacing every HR system overnight and more about allowing organizations to build experiences that better reflect how their own workforce actually operates.

At the same time, I also think this is the area where the market will likely move carefully. The concept is strategically ambitious, but it also introduces very real questions around governance, ownership, technical maturity, change management and the evolving relationship between HR, HRIT and the CIO organization.

Still, the broader direction feels important. Talent Forge signals that Eightfold is thinking beyond individual HR applications and more about the underlying architecture organizations may eventually use to manage workforce transformation itself.

Final Thoughts

At a market level, what I continue to find interesting about Eightfold is that the company still does not position itself like a traditional talent acquisition vendor, even though recruiting remains a major entry point into many organizations.

The longer-term vision appears much larger than hiring.

The company is increasingly positioning itself around workforce orchestration, skills intelligence, internal mobility, AI readiness and organizational adaptability. Whether enterprises are fully ready for that transition is still an open question, but it is clear that Eightfold is trying to shape the next phase of the HR technology conversation rather than simply reacting to it.

The post From Talent Intelligence to Workforce Transformation — My Early Takeaways from Eightfold Cultivate 2026 appeared first on Brandon Hall Group.

Earlier this year, Brandon Hall Group published a blog in collaboration with Docebo highlighting the growing importance of AI adoption, while emphasizing the need for strong governance and a clear strategy. Docebo continues to be an AI leader in the LMS space, most recently with its acquisition of Zive, further strengthening its position at the forefront of innovation.

The Learning Management System (LMS) market has long been criticized for being a “silo” — a place where learning goes to live, but not necessarily where work happens.

At the Docebo Inspire conference in April, Docebo, a Brandon Hall Group Gold-level Smartchoice® Preferred Provider, took a massive step toward shattering that silo by announcing the acquisition of Zive, a Hamburg-based enterprise AI startup.

This move isn’t just another “tuck-in” acquisition. It represents a fundamental shift in how we define the “L” in L&D. By integrating Zive’s advanced knowledge retrieval technology, Docebo is positioning it as the central “brain” of the enterprise.

This move underscores a broader shift in the learning technology market, where standalone LMS platforms are losing ground to solutions that embed knowledge and guidance directly into the flow of work.

Most providers still operate within fragmented models, either delivering structured learning or enabling in-context support. Docebo’s strategy with Zive signals a deliberate move to collapse that divide, unifying knowledge discovery, learning delivery and workflow enablement into a single AI-driven ecosystem.

The End of “Search and Rescue” Missions

One of the greatest points of friction in workplace productivity is the time spent hunting for information. Employees toggle between Slack, Google Drive, SharePoint and the LMS, often finding conflicting, repeated or outdated data. For enterprise buyers, this fragmentation isn’t just inefficient, it directly impacts time-to-productivity, onboarding speed and customer experience. Organizations continue to invest heavily in content creation but struggle with content activation, ensuring the right knowledge reaches the right employee at the right moment.

Zive’s approach directly addresses this gap by shifting from content storage to contextual knowledge delivery, aligning with how buyers increasingly evaluate platforms: not by the volume of content, but by measurable impact on performance.

Zive’s technology is designed to solve exactly this. It connects to unstructured data sources across the enterprise and makes them searchable and actionable via AI.

Key Insight: Brandon Hall Group research shows a clear shift toward embedding learning into the flow of work, enabling employees to access knowledge in real time rather than through separate systems. The Zive acquisition positions Docebo to support this evolution by delivering knowledge directly within the workflow.

“What we’re seeing is a fundamental shift from learning as a destination to knowledge as an embedded capability. Organizations are no longer asking how to deliver more content, they’re asking how to activate knowledge in the flow of work. The integration of technologies like Zive signals the next phase of platform evolution.” — Michael Rochelle, Chief Strategy Officer and Principal Analyst, Brandon Hall Group

Powering the “Agentic” Future: AgentHub

The centerpiece of this acquisition is the launch of Docebo AgentHub. While 2025 was the year of the chatbot, 2026 is the year of the AI agent. Unlike a chatbot that simply answers questions, an agent can reason, decide and act.

With Zive’s technology powering the backend, a Docebo AI agent can now:

• Scan a company’s internal product manuals.
• Identify a new feature update.
• Draft a micro-learning course based on that update.
• Push that course to relevant sales teams all without an admin lifting a finger.

While many platforms have introduced AI assistants, most remain reactive, responding to prompts rather than initiating action. Docebo’s AgentHub, powered by Zive, represents a move toward proactive orchestration, where AI agents continuously monitor knowledge changes and trigger learning interventions automatically.

This distinction between reactive AI and agentic AI marks an important competitive boundary as organizations begin to prioritize systems that not only inform employees, but actively enable execution.

The Human Element: What it Means for L&D Admins

For L&D professionals, the acquisition of a smallish “special ops” team like Zive might seem insignificant. However, the implications are huge. This isn’t about replacing the L&D professional; it’s about elevating them. By automating the “curation” and “discovery” phases of learning, admins can move from being content organizers to strategic business partners.

The impact of this acquisition will be most immediate for:

• Customer education teams that require real-time alignment with evolving product knowledge
• Sales enablement leaders who depend on rapid dissemination of updates to frontline teams
• Global enterprises managing fragmented knowledge across systems, regions and business units

For these buyers, the combination of skills intelligence, knowledge retrieval and learning delivery begins to close a long-standing gap, connecting learning directly to business execution.

Looking Ahead

With this acquisition, Docebo is positioning itself beyond the traditional LMS category and into a broader role as a knowledge orchestration platform.

As the market evolves, buyers are increasingly prioritizing solutions that reduce tool sprawl while improving measurable outcomes. By bridging learning, knowledge access and workflow enablement, Docebo is aligning with this shift and redefining what organizations should expect from a learning platform.

From Brandon Hall Group’s perspective, Docebo’s strength lies in its modern, cloud-native architecture and its ability to deliver flexible, scalable learning experiences. Unlike many legacy LMS platforms, Docebo was built in the cloud from the ground up, making it easier to deploy, integrate and manage an important advantage for organizations looking to move and adapt their learning strategies without heavy IT lift. Additionally, Docebo stands out in extended enterprise learning, where organizations need to train not just employees but also customers, partners and external stakeholders. Its native ecommerce functionality and multi-portal capabilities enable organizations to monetize learning and deliver tailored experiences across diverse audiences, positioning Docebo as a strong choice for companies with complex, outward-facing learning ecosystems.

The announcement of Zive, coupled with their recent acquisition of 365Talents, Docebo is building a “closed-loop” ecosystem. They now have the tools to identify skills gaps (365Talents), find the knowledge to bridge those gaps (Zive) and deliver the learning via a unified platform. 

The central question for organizations is no longer “Do we need an LMS?” but “How does knowledge move across our enterprise?”

The acquisition of Zive points to a future where learning platforms are evaluated less on course delivery and more on their ability to activate knowledge in the flow of work, a shift that will redefine buying criteria over the next 12 months.

Read about the complete Docebo AI framework at https://www.docebo.com/.

Heidi Grecsek, Managing Director, Human Capital Management, Brandon Hall Group; and David Wentworth, Managing Director, Learning and Talent, Brandon Hall Group, contributed to this report.

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Boca Raton, Florida, April 20, 2026 — Brandon Hall Group announced today the official opening of entries for its 2026 Excellence in Technology Awards and Excellence in Education Technology Awards. Organizations worldwide may begin submitting entries on April 20, 2026.

These programs recognize innovation and measurable impact across the full spectrum of Human Capital Management technology, including learning and development, talent management, human resources, sales enablement and emerging solutions shaping the future of work. The Education Technology Awards focus on organizations advancing digital learning across K-12, higher education and professional development.

With a legacy dating back to 1993, the Brandon Hall Group Excellence Awards program has established itself as a global benchmark for excellence, honoring organizations that successfully design and deploy programs, strategies, systems and tools that deliver measurable business results.

“Organizations today are under increasing pressure to innovate while demonstrating real business impact,” said Mike Cooke, CEO of Brandon Hall Group. “The Excellence in Technology and EdTech Awards recognize those who are doing both. These are the companies and institutions setting the pace for how technology drives performance, learning and growth.”

The Technology Awards program highlights solution providers and organizations delivering advancements in areas such as artificial intelligence, workforce analytics, learning platforms and integrated talent systems. The Education Technology Awards recognize institutions and providers developing innovative solutions that improve learning outcomes and expand access to education.

“Each submission is evaluated not only on innovation, but on how effectively that innovation translates into results,” said Rachel Cooke, COO of Brandon Hall Group and head of the awards program. “We are looking for solutions that are well designed, thoughtfully implemented and clearly aligned to business or learner needs.”

Entries are reviewed by an international panel of industry experts and Brandon Hall Group senior analysts. Judges evaluate submissions based on criteria that include innovation, design, usability and measurable outcomes. Awards are granted at Gold, Silver and Bronze levels based on scoring thresholds rather than relative ranking, ensuring a consistent and rigorous standard.

Key dates for the 2026 program include:

• Applications open: April 20, 2026
• Submission deadline: September 4, 2026
• Winners announced: December 3, 2026

Organizations of all sizes, from emerging innovators to global enterprises, are encouraged to submit entries. Winning organizations receive international recognition and insights from the judging process that can support continued growth and performance improvement.

For more information on categories, eligibility and submission guidelines, visit excellenceawards.brandonhall.com.

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UKG, a leading global AI platform unifying HR, pay, and workforce management, announced on December 12, 2025, that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Inova Payroll.

This acquisition represents a significant strategic move that will reshape how small and mid-sized businesses access comprehensive human capital management and payroll services. The deal, subject to customary closing conditions and expected to close in early 2026, brings together UKG’s technology platform with Inova’s proven service delivery model.

Understanding the Players

Inova Payroll, based in Nashville, Tennessee, serves more than 4,000 businesses across the United States. The company functions as a human capital management and payroll services provider specifically focused on small and mid-sized businesses. Inova has operated as the largest reseller of the UKG Ready suite nationwide, building deep expertise in deploying and supporting this technology platform for SMB customers.

Inova’s approach centers on enhancing HR operations through their expertise and robust benefits support. The company helps employers manage everyday HR tasks and compliance requirements more effectively, allowing them to better serve their employees. Inova streamlines essential processes and reduces manual effort for its clients.

The company’s growth trajectory and market recognition validate its business model. Inova has been featured on the annual Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the United States eight times. This accomplishment has been achieved by less than 1% of Inc. 5000 recipients, demonstrating sustained excellence and market demand for Inova’s services. Additionally, the company has captured numerous awards and honors from G2, which publishes reports and rankings on customer satisfaction based directly on end-user feedback and reviews.

The Strategic Rationale

The acquisition will enable UKG to directly provide the SMB market segment with innovative HR support and full benefits services. This represents a significant expansion of UKG’s service capabilities in a market segment that requires both sophisticated technology and hands-on support.

Arlen Shenkman, President, Chief Financial Officer at UKG, explained the strategic thinking behind the acquisition. Inova has been a trusted UKG Ready partner for seven years, helping thousands of small and mid-sized businesses level the playing field against larger competitors. The partnership has focused on unlocking productive, efficient, and flexible workplace experiences, especially for SMBs with frontline teams. The combined organization will have an even greater impact on the SMB market segment, bringing together UKG’s technology and scale with Inova’s deep service expertise to deliver best-in-class frontline employee experiences that drive exceptional customer value.

Joe Schweppe, CEO at Inova Payroll, described the acquisition as an exciting new chapter for his organization. The deal allows Inova to bring its service-driven approach to an expanding community of small and mid-sized businesses seeking a technology platform that simplifies how they schedule, manage, engage, and inspire their employees. Schweppe emphasized that Inova’s commitment to empathy, kindness, superior service, and innovative solutions has never been more achievable. The team and clients will benefit from direct access to enhanced product development, while UKG gains the advantage of Inova’s deep expertise in attracting and supporting small and mid-sized businesses.

Market Context and Significance

The small and mid-sized business market faces unique challenges in human capital management. These organizations often lack the resources and dedicated HR staff that larger enterprises possess, yet they face the same complex compliance requirements and operational demands. For SMBs with frontline teams, the challenges multiply as they must manage scheduling, time tracking, payroll, benefits administration, and employee engagement across dispersed workforces.

Inova has built its business by addressing these challenges. By combining UKG Ready technology with HR expertise and benefits brokerage services, Inova provides SMBs with enterprise-grade capabilities delivered through a service model that matches their needs and resource constraints. The company’s role as the largest UKG Ready reseller nationwide demonstrates both the strength of the technology platform and the market demand for a service-wrapped delivery model.

What This Means for the Market

By acquiring Inova, UKG gains several strategic advantages. First, the company can now directly control the customer experience for a significant segment of its SMB customer base, ensuring consistent service quality and brand representation. Second, UKG gains immediate access to Inova’s expertise in customer acquisition, onboarding, and support for small and mid-sized businesses. Third, the acquisition brings more than 4,000 customer relationships directly under UKG’s umbrella, strengthening its market position and recurring revenue base.

For customers, the acquisition should provide benefits in several areas. Direct access to UKG’s product development roadmap and resources should enable faster innovation and more responsive feature development. The combination of technology and service delivery under one roof should improve coordination and reduce friction in the customer experience.

Analyst Perspective

Michael Rochelle, Chief Strategy Officer and Principal Analyst at Brandon Hall Group, offered this assessment of the acquisition:

“UKG’s acquisition of Inova Payroll demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of what small and mid-sized businesses actually need to succeed with HCM technology. Too many vendors in this space assume that SMBs simply want cheaper, simpler versions of enterprise software. The reality is far more nuanced. These organizations need full-featured platforms that can handle complex scheduling, compliance, and workforce management challenges, but they also need expert guidance and support to implement and optimize these systems. Inova has proven over seven years and across 4,000 customers that this combined technology and service model works. By bringing this capability in-house, UKG’s acquisition of Inova embeds into UKG’s business model a proven go-to-market approach that addresses real market needs. The fact that Inova has appeared on the Inc. 5000 list eight times and consistently earns high customer satisfaction ratings validates that this is not just a good idea but a model that customers value and are willing to pay for. We expect this acquisition to strengthen UKG’s competitive position in the SMB market significantly.”

Looking Ahead

Based on the seven-year partnership history and the strategic alignment between the companies, the prospects for successful integration appear strong. UKG is not acquiring an unfamiliar business but rather bringing a proven partner into the fold. This familiarity should reduce integration risk and accelerate time to value.

For the SMB market, this acquisition signals that UKG continues to take the needs of clients seriously and is willing to invest in service models that maximize how technology can create breakthrough performance impact for their clients. UKG offers an exciting new development for a market segment that has too often been underserved by solution providers.

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Brandon Hall Group, the home of the prestigious HCM Excellence Awards®, today announced the winners of the 2025 Excellence in Action Awards, recognizing organizations that have demonstrated exceptional commitment to elevating their people through innovative, high-impact programs across 17 human capital categories.

This year’s Excellence in Action Awards attracted submissions from organizations around the world, representing initiatives across Employee Engagement, Promotion & Succession, Career Development, Employer Branding, Company Culture, Technology Environment, Leadership, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Talent Mobility, Attracting Top Talent, Change Readiness, Hybrid Work, Wellness, Feedback & Recognition, Organizational Teamwork & Collaboration, Innovation & Creativity, and Learning & Development.

Across these categories, winning organizations showcased programs that strengthened culture, improved employee experience, accelerated performance, advanced workforce capabilities, and delivered meaningful, measurable impact.

“The Excellence in Action Awards honor organizations that have made extraordinary commitments to elevating their people. These winning programs demonstrate how thoughtful design, intentional culture-building, and authentic employee engagement can transform the workplace experience. Each honoree represents a powerful example of what it means to put people at the center of business success,” said Rachel Cooke, Brandon Hall Group Chief Operating Officer and leader of the Excellence Awards program.

A People-Centered, Impact-Driven Evaluation Process

The Excellence in Action Awards use a comprehensive methodology grounded in people impact, strategic intent, program design excellence, and authentic employee voice. Each submission undergoes a multilayered evaluation that includes:

• Program Strategy & Intentional Design
• Implementation Quality & Employee Experience
• Measurable Impact & Organizational Outcomes
• Employee Testimonials and Impact Stories
• Organization-Wide Influence & Cultural Contribution
• Sustainability & Scalability

“What sets the Excellence in Action Awards apart is our rigorous, independent evaluation process focused on real organizational impact. Our judges assess each entry based on measurable improvements in employee experience, culture, and performance. The organizations recognized this year have set a new benchmark for empowering their people and driving meaningful, sustainable change,” said Mike Cooke, Brandon Hall Group Chief Executive Officer.

How the Brandon Hall Group Institute Supports These 17 Categories

The Excellence in Action Awards represent more than recognition — they reflect the full spectrum of human capital practices that organizations must master to build thriving, people-centered workplaces. The Brandon Hall Group Institute plays a critical role in advancing these capabilities.

Through research-backed frameworks, capability-building programs, certification pathways, and applied learning experiences, the Institute works with organizations year-round to:

• Strengthen engagement and culture initiatives
• Build more effective leadership and succession systems
• Advance DEI, wellbeing, and employee experience efforts
• Improve talent mobility and career development strategies
• Enhance feedback, recognition, and performance practices
• Prepare organizations for hybrid work, change readiness, and innovation
• Design impactful learning and development ecosystems

Celebrating the 2025 Excellence in Action Honorees

This year’s honorees exemplify what is possible when organizations place people at the center of strategy, culture, and growth. Their achievements reflect the highest standards of innovation, purpose-driven leadership, and measurable human impact. The full list of winners is available at https://excellenceawards.brandonhall.com.

Recognition at the 2026 Excellence Conference & Gala

Award recipients will be celebrated at the Brandon Hall Group Excellence Conference, taking place February 9–12, 2026, in West Palm Beach, Florida. https://excellenceconference.brandonhall.com/ Organizations represented at the Gala will be invited onstage to receive a commemorative Excellence in Action Award. Select winners will also share best practices during breakout sessions.

About Brandon Hall Group

Brandon Hall Group is the home of the HCM Excellence Awards® – the most prestigious and sought-after awards in Human Capital Management. For over 30 years, these awards have set the gold standard in recognizing organizations for innovative and effective HCM practices across Learning and Development, Talent Management, Leadership Development, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Human Resources, Sales Performance, and Technology.

Known as the “Academy Awards of Human Capital Management,” our awards programs attract entrants from leading corporations worldwide, as well as mid-market and smaller firms. With over 150 categories, the awards shine a spotlight on the most innovative and effective organizational achievements and the solution providers who power them.

Our awards process is rigorous and impartial, leveraging an international panel of veteran industry experts and Brandon Hall Group senior analysts. Winners not only gain international recognition but also receive critical insights to help them accelerate their business growth and impact.

The HCM Excellence Awards® program is complemented by our Technology Awards and our new Excellence in Action Awards, ensuring comprehensive recognition across all aspects of Human Capital Management.

At Brandon Hall Group, we don’t just celebrate excellence — we provide a platform for sharing best practices that drive the industry forward. Our awards program is a cornerstone of our mission to empower excellence in organizations around the world and advance the HCM profession as a whole.

Join the ranks of the most innovative and effective organizations in HCM. The Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards® — where excellence is recognized, celebrated, and shared.

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Delray Beach, Florida — Thursday, December 4, 2025 —

Brandon Hall Group, the home of the prestigious HCM Excellence Awards®, today announced the winners of the 2025 HCM Excellence in Technology and Education Technology Awards, recognizing breakthrough innovations that are redefining the future of Human Capital Management and education outcomes across learning, talent, leadership, HR, DEI, workforce development, and academic performance. This year’s winning submissions showcase advancements in intelligence, AI-driven design, scalability, learner engagement, assessment innovation, and measurable organizational and institutional impact.

Organizations and solution providers from around the world submitted transformative technologies spanning corporate learning, K–12 and higher education, talent marketplaces, skills development platforms, learning experience ecosystems, AI coaching, immersive training, and groundbreaking EdTech that improves how people learn, grow, and perform across both workplace and educational environments.

Brandon Hall Group is also pleased to highlight an exceptional group of top achievers earning recognition across multiple categories: Absorb Software, Century 21 Heritage Group, D2L, EI Powered by MPS, Enthral.ai, EY, GP Strategies, HelpMeSee, The Writing Revolution, Unilever, Vantage Circle, NovoEd, Tata Consultancy Services, MetLife, and NIIT. These organizations and solution providers demonstrated exceptional design, innovation, and measurable impact. The full list of winners is available at https://excellenceawards.brandonhall.com/.

The HCM Excellence in Technology and Education Technology Awards® are regarded as the most rigorous and prestigious recognitions of innovation in Human Capital Management and learning technologies. Each entry undergoes a multilayered evaluation process designed to ensure fairness, consistency, and objective assessment. Submissions are reviewed by an international panel of independent industry experts with deep expertise across learning sciences, instructional design, HR technology, leadership development, educational research, organizational development, and workforce transformation. This diverse group of judges applies broad and disciplined expertise to evaluate each solution’s effectiveness and true contribution to both organizational and educational performance.

Entries are scored using a comprehensive methodology that assesses innovation, fit-the-need, program design and functionality, measurable benefits, and overall organizational or learner impact. Judges evaluate submissions independently to eliminate bias. Following the judging phase, Brandon Hall Group senior analysts and executive leaders conduct a thorough validation review to confirm scoring accuracy, category alignment, and methodological integrity. Award levels are determined solely by total points earned, reinforcing the impartiality, credibility, and global reputation of the awards.

Rachel Cooke, Brandon Hall Group Chief Operating Officer and leader of the Excellence Awards® program, emphasized the power of technological innovation to advance both work and learning, stating that “The Excellence in Technology and Education Technology Awards celebrate the most forward-thinking innovations shaping the future of learning, talent, and human capital management. This year’s winners exemplify how technology can unlock new possibilities — improving performance, enabling smarter decision-making, personalizing learning at scale, and transforming how organizations and institutions support and develop their people.”

Chief Executive Officer Mike Cooke highlighted the strength of the evaluation process and the extraordinary caliber of the recognized solutions, noting that “Our awards are built on a rigorous evaluation framework that measures true innovation, functional excellence, and quantifiable impact. The organizations and solution providers recognized this year reflect the highest standards in the industry, demonstrating how advanced technologies — from AI-powered learning systems to breakthrough EdTech platforms—can accelerate capability, efficiency, and results across both business and education.”

Award recipients will be celebrated at the Brandon Hall Group Excellence Conference, taking place February 9–12, 2026, at the Hilton West Palm Beach in Florida. Select winners will present leading practices during breakout sessions, offering attendees valuable insights into some of the most innovative and effective uses of HCM and EdTech solutions globally.

In addition to receiving recognition through the awards program, select winners will be featured in upcoming Brandon Hall Group research, frameworks, and case studies that showcase leading practices across Human Capital Management and Education Technology. These organizations contribute to the body of knowledge that informs the Brandon Hall Group Institute, which delivers world-class certifications, applied learning experiences, and capability-building programs for HR, learning, and talent leaders worldwide.

About Brandon Hall Group

Brandon Hall Group is the home of the HCM Excellence Awards® — the most prestigious and sought-after awards in Human Capital Management. For over 30 years, these awards have set the gold standard in recognizing organizations for innovative and effective HCM practices across Learning and Development, Talent Management, Leadership Development, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Human Resources, Sales Performance, and Technology.

Known as the “Academy Awards of Human Capital Management,” our awards programs attract entrants from leading corporations worldwide, as well as mid-market and smaller firms. With over 150 categories, the awards shine a spotlight on the most innovative and effective organizational achievements and the solution providers who power them.

Our awards process is rigorous and impartial, leveraging an international panel of veteran industry experts and Brandon Hall Group senior analysts. Winners not only gain international recognition but also receive critical insights to help them accelerate their business growth and impact.

The HCM Excellence Awards® program is complemented by our Technology Awards and our new Excellence in Action Awards, ensuring comprehensive recognition across all aspects of Human Capital Management.

At Brandon Hall Group, we don’t just celebrate excellence — we provide a platform for sharing best practices that drive the industry forward. Our awards program is a cornerstone of our mission to empower excellence in organizations around the world and advance the HCM profession as a whole.

Join the ranks of the most innovative and effective organizations in HCM. The Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards® — where excellence is recognized, celebrated, and shared.

The post Brandon Hall Group™ Announces Winners</br> of the 2025 HCM Excellence in Technology</br> and Education Technology Awards® appeared first on Brandon Hall Group.

If you needed confirmation that AI recruiting tools are about to become the hottest commodity in HR tech, August 2025 delivered it in spades. In three weeks, two enterprise giants announced blockbuster acquisitions that signal the future of talent acquisition.

Workday’s Latest Acquisition

On August 21st, Workday announced a deal to acquire Paradox, the conversational AI platform behind 189 million candidate conversations. With nearly 1,000 clients including Chipotle, 7-Eleven, General Motors, and Nestlé, Paradox gives Workday instant growth potential in the massive frontline worker talent acquisition market.

SAP’s Earlier Move with SmartRecruiters

Three weeks prior, SAP grabbed SmartRecruiters (another heavy hitter in the AI-powered TA space) with its 4,000+ customers including Amazon, Visa, and McDonald’s. The timing isn’t coincidental; it’s a declaration of war for who can build/buy the biggest baddest, end-to-end HR/talent technology suite AI-powered talent acquisition stack.

Why AI Recruiting Is Having Its Moment

The strategic logic behind this is clear: AI (done right that is) can excel at automating the repetitive, high-touch activities at the top of the hiring funnel. Responding to candidates, scheduling interviews, initial screening (i.e., exactly what burns out recruiters in high-volume scenarios). Changing the game there (especially for high volume/frontline hiring where both SmartRecruiters and Paradox have deep penetration), means saving untold millions of dollars in lost revenue, recruiting costs, new hire attrition, onboarding, burnout, and much more.

But there’s a deeper play: data network effects. Every recruiting interaction has the potential to improve AI performance, attracting more candidates, and improving quality of hire. This flywheel effect can create competitive moats that compound over time and can’t be easily replicated.

The Competitive Fallout

These moves send shockwaves through the HR tech ecosystem:

Traditional ATS providers like iCIMS are investing heavily in AI capabilities to compete with platforms that now offer comprehensive conversational experiences alongside traditional tracking functionality.

AI-first platforms like Eightfold AI suddenly compete against well-funded enterprise platforms with massive customer bases and integrated HCM suites rather than point solutions.

Specialized recruiting tools must innovate faster than platform integration or find their own acquisition partners.

The integration vs. innovation tension is real—acquisitions often slow innovation while companies focus on integration, creating windows for agile competitors (although SAP has been vocal about a “let them cook” approach to the SmartRecruiters acquisition).

What HR Leaders Should Expect

Platform consolidation is accelerating. Candidate expectations are rising—AI-powered conversations are becoming table stakes. Regulatory complexity around AI bias and privacy is increasing, potentially favoring larger platforms with compliance resources.

Most importantly, recruiting teams need new skills around AI management and strategic relationship building as administrative tasks get automated.

The Road Ahead

We’re likely seeing the start of a broader consolidation wave. The winners will balance platform integration with continued innovation. The losers will wait too long to adapt to the reality that AI is quickly becoming the foundation of high-impact, hyper efficient recruiting.

The AI in recruiting arms race is on. Two major players just made their moves. Who’s next?

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Brandon Hall Group

Strategic Research and Analyst Insights

Our expert analysts delivered in-depth research and perspectives on critical areas:

• Employee Well-being and Experience: We emphasized the importance of employee well-being with resources such as How to Promote Mental Health and Well-Being in Banking/Financial Services, Promoting Mental Health and Well-Being in the Retail Industry and Crafting an Exceptional Employee Experience in Manufacturing. Additionally, we explored key strategies for attracting and retaining talent through Crafting a Compelling EVP and Employee Brand.
• Strategic Frameworks for Retention and Engagement: We provided sector-specific guidance with A Strategic Framework for Employee Retention and Engagement in Healthcare and A Strategic Framework for Employee Retention and Engagement in the Energy Industry.
• Leadership Development: Recognizing the importance of strong leadership, we analyzed The Impact of Developing High-Potential Leaders in International Companies and offered insights on Mentoring That Matters: Strategic Solutions for Today’s Top Workforce Challenges.
• Technology and Innovation in HCM: We kept our members informed on the latest technological advancements with Visier’s Roadmap for Fully Integrated Workforce Intelligence and analyst perspectives on platforms like Centrical’s AI Performance Experience Platform. We also highlighted the importance of employee-centric HR service delivery with Applaud HR: Putting Employees at the Center of HR Service Delivery and explored the emerging area of financial well-being with SupportPay: Creating the Family Financial Well-being Category.

Technology Reviews: Showcasing Innovation

We provided in-depth tech reviews, showcasing a range of innovative solutions from our Brandon Hall Group Excellence in Technology award winners:

• AI-Powered Learning and Development: Several reviews highlighted the impact of AI, including Brainier Delivers AI-Powered Video Coaching, HowToo Slashes Training Development Time with AI-Driven Learning Platform and Disprz’s Generative AI Platform Achieves 8% KPI Improvement for Global Workforce.
• Enhanced Training and Engagement: We covered solutions like simpleshow and Kellanova Elevate Brand Training with Interactive eLearning Tech and Digit’Ed’s OpenLearning Brings Netflix-Style Experience to Corporate Training.
• Efficiency and Impact: Other tech reviews focused on solutions that drive efficiency and improve outcomes, such as HealthStream Cuts Clinical Rotation Onboarding Time by 65%, How TD Bank Saved $1.92M Through AI Simulation Training and Career Clarity: How EPAM Reduced Talent Departure by 71%.

Your Partner in HCM Excellence

This snapshot reflects Brandon Hall Group’s ongoing dedication to providing valuable resources and expertise to our members. We empower organizations to navigate the complexities of HCM and achieve sustainable success.

Contact us today to explore how a Brandon Hall Group membership can support your organization’s growth.

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Brandon Hall Group,

Research and Insights to Fuel Your Strategy

Our expert analysts delivered in-depth research across key areas:

• The Impact of AI: We continue to be at the forefront of exploring AI’s transformative power in HCM. Assets like “Agilexe: Transforming Training Analysis with AI“, “Ethical AI and Data Governance for Learning Organizations“, and videos from our 2025 HCM Excellence Conference® such as “AI’s Evolution & Impact on Human Capital” and “AI and Talent Development: Transforming Learning at Scale” provide critical guidance.
• Leadership Development: A core focus remains on developing effective leaders. Several assets focus on aligning leadership development with business strategy across various sectors, including retail, banking & financial services, healthcare, and energy. We also explored “Resilience in Leadership Development” and “Future-Ready Leaders for Multi-Generational Workforces.”
• Employee Experience and Engagement: Creating a positive employee experience is paramount. We offered insights on “Our Top Tips for Next-Level HR Leadership,” “Building the Foundation: A Strategic Framework for Employee Retention and Engagement in Manufacturing,” “Fostering Employee Experience Excellence in the Technology Industry” and “Promoting “Mental Health and Well-Being in the Technology Sector.”
• Strategic Alignment: Bridging the gap between learning operations and business impact is crucial, as highlighted in “Strategic Misalignment in L&D: Bridging the Gap Between Learning Operations and Business Impact.”

Videos from Our 2025 HCM Excellence Conference®

Our members also gained access to a rich collection of videos from our HCM Excellence Conference®. These videos feature thought leaders and experts discussing cutting-edge topics:

• AI’s evolution and impact on human capital.
• The evolving role of Chief Learning Officers.
• Leadership during crisis.
• The strategic role of HR in the age of AI and automation.

Technology Insights and Solution Provider Profiles

Staying ahead of the technology curve is essential. We provide in-depth tech reviews and solution provider profiles, such as:

• Analysts’ briefings and profiles with Agilexe and Centrical; and
• A host of Technology Reviews on Brandon Hall Group Technology Award-winning tools.

Your Partner in HCM Excellence

This is just a glimpse of the valuable resources Brandon Hall Group provides. Our commitment to delivering data-driven research and actionable insights empowers organizations to achieve HCM excellence.

Contact us today to learn more about how a Brandon Hall Group membership can benefit your organization.

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