Employee Recognition Masterclass 2026: Best practices for HR leaders 

Carol A. Chapple is Vice President of Talent Effectiveness at Ryan, LLC, where she partners with business leaders to elevate performance through data-driven talent strategies. She leads the firm’s global learning function and oversees initiatives spanning employee engagement, performance management, and succession planning, delivering tailored development and consulting solutions that align with evolving business needs. A licensed Industrial-Organizational Psychologist with more than 30 years of experience, Carol brings deep expertise in people analytics and organizational effectiveness. Prior to joining Ryan, she served as Chief Analytics Officer for an assessment firm, advising Fortune 500 companies on reducing turnover, enhancing employee performance, and strengthening leadership capability. Carol was recognized by the Dallas Business Journal as a recipient of the North Texas Women in Technology Award.

Carol A. Chapple is Vice President of Talent Effectiveness at Ryan, LLC, where she partners with business leaders to elevate performance through data-driven talent strategies. She leads the firm’s global learning function and oversees initiatives spanning employee engagement, performance management, and succession planning, delivering tailored development and consulting solutions that align with evolving business needs. A licensed Industrial-Organizational Psychologist with more than 30 years of experience, Carol brings deep expertise in people analytics and organizational effectiveness. Prior to joining Ryan, she served as Chief Analytics Officer for an assessment firm, advising Fortune 500 companies on reducing turnover, enhancing employee performance, and strengthening leadership capability. Carol was recognized by the Dallas Business Journal as a recipient of the North Texas Women in Technology Award.

Iona Terziyska is VP of Human Resources and People Development at Wurth Canada. She brings extensive global leadership experience driving HR transformation and standing up HR capabilities across Canada, Europe, and South Asia. Over the course of her career Iona has built high-performing HR teams across multiple geographies and industries and has lead complex organizational change initiatives fostering engaged, people-centric cultures. Iona is passionate about culture transformation and building workplace where employees can thrive in a highly engaged and values based culture. Wurth Canada was recognized in 2023 as one of the Top 50 Most Engaged Employers followed by the A-List Award for 2026.

Jennifer Millar is a Senior Project Manager at Bell with nearly three decades of experience leading enterprise initiatives that drive business results and cultural transformation. She led the modernization of Bell’s recognition program, introducing innovative digital solutions that elevate how employees are recognized, and also leads the Pay Equity portfolio, advancing equity and inclusion. Jennifer is an active leader in Women at Bell, driving charitable and community-focused initiatives.

Jennifer Millar is a Senior Project Manager at Bell with nearly three decades of experience leading enterprise initiatives that drive business results and cultural transformation. She led the modernization of Bell’s recognition program, introducing innovative digital solutions that elevate how employees are recognized, and also leads the Pay Equity portfolio, advancing equity and inclusion. Jennifer is an active leader in Women at Bell, driving charitable and community-focused initiatives.

David Bator thinks and writes about how work could work. David leads Achievers Workforce Institute, a global research practice that studies the conditions that need to exist so employees can do the best work of their lives. David is passionate about people and has spent the last 20 years working closely with leaders to build programs that position their people, teams and company to grow. David’s work has appeared in Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and The Globe and Mail.

Sandra V. García, CCP®, GRP®, CRP® is a Total Rewards Manager at General Motors with more than 26 years of experience leading enterprise-wide rewards and employee experience strategies. Since 2016, she has led GM’s employee recognition strategy, transforming GM’s recognition and award programs to strengthen employee engagement and support the company’s culture evolution. Her work has helped improve talent outcomes and create a more meaningful experience across GM’s global workforce. She also leads strategy for GM’s Total Rewards portal, helping shape a personalized, globally scalable employee experience. Through cross-functional collaboration, she has helped define consistent standards, governance, and content approaches that support a more connected experience across regions and employee groups. Sandra has spoken at major HR conferences including Achievers ACE, SHRM, HR Technology, and Gartner ReimagineHR, where she has shared insights on recognition, digital transformation, and employee experience.

Sandra V. García, CCP®, GRP®, CRP® is a Total Rewards Manager at General Motors with more than 26 years of experience leading enterprise-wide rewards and employee experience strategies. Since 2016, she has led GM’s employee recognition strategy, transforming GM’s recognition and award programs to strengthen employee engagement and support the company’s culture evolution. Her work has helped improve talent outcomes and create a more meaningful experience across GM’s global workforce. She also leads strategy for GM’s Total Rewards portal, helping shape a personalized, globally scalable employee experience. Through cross-functional collaboration, she has helped define consistent standards, governance, and content approaches that support a more connected experience across regions and employee groups. Sandra has spoken at major HR conferences including Achievers ACE, SHRM, HR Technology, and Gartner ReimagineHR, where she has shared insights on recognition, digital transformation, and employee experience.

As the Chief Operations Officer at Achievers, Kristian Gaetano leads all post-sales functions, ensuring customers receive exceptional experiences and long-term value. This includes Customer Success & Account Management, end-user support (contact centers, technical support, and fraud), Professional Services & Implementation, and the Global Rewards Marketplace (eCommerce experience, supply chain, and fulfillment to over 190 countries globally). His focus is on delivering for customers, building a world-class team, and driving customer retention and growth. Since joining Achievers in 2011, Kristian has held leadership roles including Director of Customer Success, Senior Director of Revenue Operations, and Chief Transformation Officer. He began his career in HR with Grant Thornton, Vale Inco, and the Rotman School of Management before joining Achievers to support its mission of Changing the Way the World Works. Kristian holds a degree in Psychology from Wilfrid Laurier University and a postgraduate certificate in Human Resources Management from Seneca College.

Emma Harvie leads global studies such as the Achievers Workforce Institute State of Recognition Report, uncovering trends that shape the future of work, and advising leaders on how recognition can drive performance, retention, and belonging at scale. With more than a decade of experience in employee experience and workforce strategy, Emma is passionate about connecting the science of recognition with the art of leadership. Emma has presented at leading conferences globally, including Gartner HR Symposium and Total Rewards Asia, and regularly facilitates thought leadership sessions and webinars across APAC, North America, and EMEA.

He’s a tech entrepreneur who believes that smart ideas driven by great people can change industries for the better. Jordan helped build and scale software companies through periods of early product market fit, rapid revenue growth, fundraising, and successful acquisition. His latest venture, Nudge, was acquired by private equity in 2022. At his core, Jordan is driven by a passionate curiosity to understand problems and build smart solutions that drive customer value, while building high-performing teams that execute with unparalleled speed and accuracy. He takes great pride in helping to drive the business’s vision and strategic direction with our investors, board of directors, customers and employees, and Jordan thoroughly love what he does.

David Bator thinks and writes about how work could work. David leads Achievers Workforce Institute, a global research practice that studies the conditions that need to exist so employees can do the best work of their lives. David is passionate about people and has spent the last 20 years working closely with leaders to build programs that position their people, teams and company to grow. David’s work has appeared in Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and The Globe and Mail.

Emma Harvie leads global studies such as the Achievers Workforce Institute State of Recognition Report, uncovering trends that shape the future of work, and advising leaders on how recognition can drive performance, retention, and belonging at scale. With more than a decade of experience in employee experience and workforce strategy, Emma is passionate about connecting the science of recognition with the art of leadership. Emma has presented at leading conferences globally, including Gartner HR Symposium and Total Rewards Asia, and regularly facilitates thought leadership sessions and webinars across APAC, North America, and EMEA.

He’s a tech entrepreneur who believes that smart ideas driven by great people can change industries for the better. Jordan helped build and scale software companies through periods of early product market fit, rapid revenue growth, fundraising, and successful acquisition. His latest venture, Nudge, was acquired by private equity in 2022. At his core, Jordan is driven by a passionate curiosity to understand problems and build smart solutions that drive customer value, while building high-performing teams that execute with unparalleled speed and accuracy. He takes great pride in helping to drive the business’s vision and strategic direction with our investors, board of directors, customers and employees, and Jordan thoroughly love what he does.

As the Chief Operations Officer at Achievers, Kristian Gaetano leads all post-sales functions, ensuring customers receive exceptional experiences and long-term value. This includes Customer Success & Account Management, end-user support (contact centers, technical support, and fraud), Professional Services & Implementation, and the Global Rewards Marketplace (eCommerce experience, supply chain, and fulfillment to over 190 countries globally). His focus is on delivering for customers, building a world-class team, and driving customer retention and growth. Since joining Achievers in 2011, Kristian has held leadership roles including Director of Customer Success, Senior Director of Revenue Operations, and Chief Transformation Officer. He began his career in HR with Grant Thornton, Vale Inco, and the Rotman School of Management before joining Achievers to support its mission of Changing the Way the World Works. Kristian holds a degree in Psychology from Wilfrid Laurier University and a postgraduate certificate in Human Resources Management from Seneca College.

Scott Landers joins Achievers with over 25 years of leadership experience in the software industry. Over the course of his career, Landers has demonstrated a strong track record of transformative leadership. Most recently, he served as Chair and CEO of Harver, a market-leading volume hiring software solution where he spearheaded the integration of key acquisitions and execution of the company’s post-pandemic strategy. Landers previously spent over a decade at Monotype, first as CFO and subsequently as EVP and COO of the then-publicly listed company, before taking over as President and CEO. He led Monotype to grow significantly at scale, starting with the launch of the company’s first SaaS offering and continuing through its complete transformation into an enterprise SaaS business. Earlier in his career, Landers held executive roles at MapInfo and Pitney Bowes.