Canada’s Most Admired CPCO
Recognizing Leaders In Corporate Culture
Founded by Waterstone Human Capital, this award honours the country’s most admired Chief People and Culture Officers (CPCOs). The CPCO is a strategic leader who drives people and culture-centred activities to ensure their organization attracts and retains the high-performance leaders and team members it needs to drive culture and achieve exceptional growth and performance.
The Canada’s Most Admired CPCO winners are typically broadly admired and recognized as industry leaders by their peers and in their respective fields.
How It Works
The Canada’s Most Admired CPCO award runs in conjunction with the Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures™ program. It was founded by Waterstone Human Capital to recognize the country’s most admired people and culture leaders. To qualify for a Canada’s Most Admired CPCO award:
- You must be the Chief People and Culture Officer, Chief Human Resources Officer, Chief Talent Officer, Head of Talent, or equivalent title, of a Canadian or Canadian-based organization.
- You must be nominated by the Canada’s Most Admired CPCO Board of Governors.
- You must complete a written submission.
- You must be available to patriciate in person in the Canada’s Most Admired Summits and Awards Celebration in Toronto on April 18, 2024.
| What are the award categories? |
|---|
| Each year, one winner will be selected in each of five award categories: Emerging (revenues of $5 million to under $25 million, and over 25 employees) Growth (revenues of $25 million to under $100 million) Mid-Market (revenues of $100 million to under $500 million) Enterprise (revenues of $500 million and above), and Non-Profit (not-for-profit and charitable organizations) |
| Who votes on the winners? |
|---|
| Our Canada’s Most Admired CPCO Board of Governors is made up of esteemed people and culture leaders from some of Canada’s top organizations. They review, and vote, on the submissions. This vote results in five winning CPCOs, one in each category. |
| How are winners announced and celebrated? |
|---|
| Winners are announced in November of each year and featured in a special section published by our media partner, the National Post. They are then celebrated at the annual Canada’s Most Admired Awards Celebration. This is an evening of celebration with 700+ of Canada’s preeminent executives and leaders. Preceding the Awards Celebration, there is also a daytime learning event that features keynote speakers, Q&A’s and in-depth panel discussions with leaders from a wide variety of culture-focused, well-recognized organizations across Canada. Tickets for these events go on sale in November. |
| How are nominees selected? |
|---|
| Nominees must be people and culture leaders at Canadian companies who have achieved significant accomplishments in their career – specifically focused on using the power of people and culture to drive organizational performance. They are typically broadly admired and deemed as industry leaders by their peers. Nominees are put forward and finalized by our Canada’s Most Admired CPCO Board of Governors. Finalists are then approached in the summer of each year to make a detailed submission to the program. |
| What is required of me if I am invited to submit? |
|---|
| If you are nominated, and choose to submit, you would be required to complete a brief written submission that explores the following five categories: Strategy and Leadership Describe your role within the organization, how you position the people and culture team, and how you are driving strategy to achieve your corporate culture and business goals and objectives. Talent Attraction and Retention Tell the story of your employer brand and the role it plays in acquiring and retaining top talent. People Development How are you creating a learning and development culture, guiding people development processes, and identifying the next generation of leaders through succession planning. Innovation and Transformational Leadership What is your influence on driving transformation within your organization on the topic of culture. Culture and Organizational Performance How has your work to build, sustain, and transform corporate culture helped to drive organizational performance (e.g., growth, profitability). You would also be given the opportunity to provide supporting materials such as a CV, a brief overview of the company, key milestones in your success, letters of recommendation, and a performance summary on retention rates and voluntary turnover. This is a summary. A full set of submission questions will be provided to all nominees. |
| What is required of me if I win? |
|---|
| As a 2023 participant, should you be successful, you would be required to attend and participate in the Canada’s Most Admired Summit and Awards Celebration on April 18, 2024. You would be asked to participate on a Summit panel, and then you would be presented with your award on-stage and be asked to give a short speech to the attendees. It is a very special evening and winners typically invite family, friends, and important colleagues to celebrate with them. **Attendance at the Awards Celebration is mandatory as part of your participation—please do not proceed with your submission unless you can attend. |