Winners revealed at 2021 Australian HR Awards; Johnson & Johnson the only healthcare company to secure a win

Human Resources: The annual Australian HR Awards has been recognised as the leading independent awards event in the HR profession and celebrates excellence in Human Resources. The awards showcase the leading HR teams, leaders, programs and initiatives that raised the bar over the past year.

The 2021 awards ceremony was hosted virtually by Belinda Russell, Today Extra co-host, 9Network on Friday 17 September. From the pharma and medtech sector, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly and Edwards Life Sciences were finalists in several categories.

Notably, Johnson & Johnson was the only healthcare company to secure an award this year. The company was recognised for the Best Leadership Development Program.

Ryan Hannelly, Head of HR for Johnson & Johnson ANZ, accepted the award on behalf of the organisation. He said “Johnson and Johnson is thrilled to be recognised at the Australian HR Awards. First and foremost, we believe empowering our employees to live purposeful lives is the key to achieving J&J’s mission to change the trajectory of health for humanity.

“To enable this, our team members tell us that our key strengths are fostering an environment focused on diversity, equity and inclusion, whilst also striving to deliver industry leading programs for our people to be at their best. These include flexible work choices, investing in mental health and well being programs and continuous learning and development for all our team members, whilst also enabling leadership programs like People Leader Rhythm (PLR) to advance people and capability.”

Judges’ comments included “Good investment and clear return on investment’; ‘Clever, strategic, business aligned, strong link to culture. Effective, innovative, evidence-based great methodology.”

Nigel Ward, CEO of Australian Business Lawyers and Advisors, the event partner, said “In the last 18 months…the words humanity, grit and resilience have taken on a new meaning. I want to congratulate all of the HR professionals on not only surviving the last 18 months, but for many of you thriving through this time by finding new ways to grow and prosper.”