International HR Day: Celebrating the Top HR Leaders

May 20 marks International HR Day, celebrating the impact of HR professionals worldwide.

Created in 2019, International HR Day was created to better recognise the role HR plays in shaping more inclusive, flexible and productive work environments. 

The importance of the HR function has only grown in that time. The number of CHROs in American companies have increased by 120% in the past ten years, Stanford Graduate School of Business, with HR beginning to play a more strategic role in business performance. 

This same study also found that workplaces where CHROs receive higher pay also tend to have more productive and happy employees on average. 

In fact, research from EY finds that 85% of employees feel that having a strategic HR function will be critical for the success of their business in the next five years. 

An investment in strong HR leadership is paying off for many high-performing organisations – such as Google, Accenture and Mango – with companies that place importance in a strategic HR function often seeing significant returns. 

Leveraging AI in people strategies 

In February, Google was named one of America’s best large employers by Forbes, following an employee-based survey. 

Under Chief People Officer Fiona Cicconi, the company has transformed its people strategy to provide a stronger employee experience aligned with its ‘AI-first’ model – integrating AI into its human resources function to boost efficiency, employee empowerment and company innovation. 

This includes increasing the level of data used in HR decision-making and reskilling employees to give them the capability to focus on high-impact work in the AI era.

Discussing the recognition on LinkedIn, Fiona said: “This ranking is special because it’s based directly on Googler feedback. To me, it reflects the genuine enthusiasm I see across our offices as we build for the AI era. 

“A huge thank you to every Googler who makes our culture what it is – and to our People team for helping everyone do their best work.”

Accenture raises the bar 

Accenture has also been recognised as one of Great Place to Work’s World’s Best Workplaces – with employee satisfaction reaching 79%. 

The company’s core values centre on client value creation, leading as one global network, respecting individuals, attracting, developing and retaining the best people and integrity and stewardship. 

According to Great Place to Work’s ranking data, 87% of employees agree that when joining the company, they were made to feel welcome. Once in their role, 85% of people say they were given the resources and equipment to do their job, whilst 84% feel they are given significant responsibility.

Candida Mottershead, Chief Human Resources Officer of Europe, Middle East and Africa at Accenture, discussed the news on LinkedIn, saying: “This is a reflection of the incredible people I have the privilege to work alongside every day - their dedication, creativity and commitment to collaboration makes all the difference.

“Proud to be part of a team that continues to raise the bar and shape the kind of workplace we all want to be part of.”

Celebrating diversity, talent and inclusivity

Fashion group Mango is another company that is leading in terms of people strategy, with the brand receiving a Top Employer certification in recognition of its dedication to diversity, talent and inclusivity. 

According to the company, the recognition can be attributed to ongoing work under the key pillars of its 4E Strategic Plan – Elevate, Expand, Earn and Empower – each of which put people at the heart of their operations.

Among other objectives, the plan sets out to achieve sales in excess of 4 billion euros in 2026 through operational expansion and team empowerment. 

Under the strategy, the company has seen significant growth, including increasing its workforce by approximately 17% since 2023.

More than 1,100 employees were promoted over this period, including over 150 in its headquarters in Barcelona and around 950 in stores worldwide – with female representation on the executive committee reaching 46%.

Chief People Officer of Mango David Payeras, says the award “recognises our commitment to building an excellent, diverse and inclusive work environment where people are at the heart of our strategy".