Employee Recognition Masterclass 2023

Norm Sabapathy

Global Vice President of Human Resources, Vistex 

Norm Sabapathy is a C-suite executive with 25 years of management experience with global, multi-billion-dollar industry leaders in industrial, transportation, manufacturing, services, food, consumer packaged goods, commercial real estate and investment sectors.  Norm is currently Executive Vice President – People, Communications & Technology at Cadillac Fairview Corporation (CF), a global owner, operator, investor and developer of best-in-class real estate across retail, office, multi-family residential, industrial, life sciences & mixed-use asset classes.  Headquartered in Toronto, Canada with regional offices in Dallas, Sao Paulo, London & Singapore, CF has an over $40 billion portfolio across North America, South America, Europe & Asia-Pacific.  Norm has Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Industrial Relations degrees and has been granted the designation Certified Human Resources Executive (CHRE).  He is an International Foundation certified Trustee, an Institute of Corporate Directors certified Board Director, and sits on for-profit and not-for-profit Boards as well as being involved with various industry and volunteer organizations. 

Caitlin Nobes

Lead Analyst, Achievers Workforce Institute

Caitlin started her career in journalism and is still passionate about bringing the right information to the right people at the right time. As content manager and data analyst, Caitlin oversees Achievers Workforce Institute’s primary research program, investigating the latest workforce trends to bring actionable best practices to HR and business leaders. Caitlin has a BA in Psychology and a post-graduate diploma in journalism and has spent the last decade of her career specializing in HR content and data. She grew up in New Zealand but has lived in Toronto since 2011.

Alison Bowzer

Reward and Recognition Analyst, Charter Communications

Alison Bowzer is a Rewards and Recognition Analyst at Charter Communications. Alison is responsible for integrating recognition into daily activities for more than 101,000 employees. She will celebrate five years with Charter later this year, with the two most recent within the recognition sector.  Alison received a BSBA in Marketing from the University of Central Missouri and an MBA with an emphasis in HR from Lindenwood University. She is a Certified Recognition Professional through Recognition Professionals International. Alison also volunteers as a mentor for an international youth organization focusing on the growth and empowerment of young women. 

Jenn Kupres

Global VP of Human Resources, Vistex

Jenn Kupres serves as the Global Vice President of Human Resources for Vistex.  Jenn is responsible for leading Vistex’s overall human resources strategy, global talent acquisition, diversity and inclusion, organizational design, workplace culture development, compensation and benefits, HR technology, and employee relations.  During her tenure with Vistex, Jenn has redesigned the function, culture, and impact of HR across Vistex to support its business goals and strategies as well as the needs and aspirations of its employees around the globe.  She and her team have worked with leaders across Vistex’s functional areas to build and manage an HR organization that reflects and supports their strategic business needs.  Jenn joined Vistex in August of 2019, bringing to Vistex over 25 years of diverse HR experience, having worked for Fortune 500 companies in the technology, consumer goods, and forest products industries.  In partnership with Achievers, Jenn and her team launched the GEM (Going The Extra Mile) program in Q4 2022, which their workplace culture has widely embraced.  A global effort to drive recognition and appreciation, with nearly 4,000 instances of recognition since program inception. 

Elise Judges

Customer Success Manager, Achievers

With nine years of experience in the Recognition and Engagement Space, Elise has partnered with many Achievers customers to create best in class recognition programs. By understanding each customer’s business, what makes them unique, and who their people are, she is able to recommend best practices that will truly help every employee do the best work of their lives. As our customers’ strategic goals evolve, Elise supports them by ensuring that their recognition program is designed to be at the forefront and in alignment with the where their business is going. 

Julie Garcia

Recognition and Engagement Manager, Meijer

Julie Garcia has 9 years of retail and leadership experience at Meijer, one of the nation’s largest US private companies. In her current role she’s the Recognition & Engagement Manager for Meijer where she leads the recognition and engagement strategy to drive recognition, engagement and belonging. Julie has a bachelor’s degree in organizational communication and business management from Western Michigan University. Julie has a passion for acknowledging, celebrating, and rewarding team members for their contributions and building a culture of belonging.

Krystal Hindle

Director of Customer Success, Achievers

With 20 years of account management experience, Krystal has worked at Achievers for over 7 years, helping recognition programs drive adoption, engage employees, and consolidate recognition initiatives into one central employee hub — all while sharing amazing ROI for program administrators. Understanding the complexities and unique differences of each unique customer allows her to help organizations target specific audiences and align business goals and outcomes. With a passion for mentorship and career progression, Krystal leads our Achievers Mentorship Program. This group’s mission is to share information, best practices, education, and experience to help employees develop leadership skills and create career-advancing opportunities to drive Achievers’ success. Managing a brilliant team of Achievers Customer Success Managers, Krystal continues to work closely with customers, bringing new ideas and thought leadership to every conversation. 

Leala McInerney

Senior Manager of Customer Enablement Services, Achievers

As a highly-skilled global communications and adult education expert, Leala and her team have a clear focus: To help Achievers customers keep their program top-of-mind and aligned to business objectives through education as well as engaging communications campaigns that drive measured success. Having assisted some of our largest customers with change management support, program expansions, as well as other behaviour-driving initiatives, she approaches her work from a thoughtful, global perspective. Leala is also responsible for the ongoing management of the Achievers Success Community. With this commitment to support, coupled with her personal philanthropic experience, she is a true expert in helping others foster both in-person and digital connections.