John Riley
Chief Human Resources Officer
UBank
As chief human resources officer at UBank, John Riley has spearheaded major initiatives aimed at improving inclusivity and organizational culture. He conducts regular engagement surveys to understand employee sentiments and uses the feedback to shape policies and programs that align with the company’s core values. Riley actively supports leadership development programs that focus on cultural alignment with the organization, helping to attract and develop talent. As a result of his initiatives, UBank has seen a significant increase in employee engagement and retention rates.
KELLY ROONEY
Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources and Diversity & Inclusion Officer
WM (formerly Waste Management)
Since Kelly Rooney was appointed human resources and diversity and inclusion at WM in 2022, she has been advancing several key initiatives aimed at cultivating a people-centric approach to attracting, training, and retaining talent at the organization. Under her leadership, the company is piloting competency-based hiring, focusing on candidates’ ability and potential to grow and develop their skills, which is leading to a more diverse pool of applicants. For existing employees, Rooney is updating its performance review process and compensation and benefits offerings to support employees’ unique needs and minimize turnover. Due to these initiatives, WM has seen an increase in engagement and a reduction in turnover among employees participating in development and diversity initiatives.
Toni-Ann Sforza
Chief People and Experience Officer
Municipal Credit Union
Beginning in 2022, Toni-Ann Sforza, chief people and experience officer at Municipal Credit Union, implemented a company-wide employee engagement program aiming to increase worker satisfaction. Among the program’s key elements are the total rewards initiative and post-pandemic workplace strategy. Sforza instituted a total rewards statement for the organization, ensuring that employees are informed about the dollar amounts that the company contributes to their healthcare and retirement benefits and emphasizing the importance of educating employees about their benefits to encourage participation. In addition to providing a flexible hybrid schedule for all but customer-facing employees, new hires at Municipal Credit Union are surveyed after one week, one month, and three months into their onboarding process to provide them with support and assurance as they transition into their role.
Riya Sood
OpSec Security
With more than a decade of experience in transformative HR, Riya Sood joined OpSec Security as chief human resources officer in 2020. The organization, which has undergone several acquisitions and wanted to make its HR function more efficient, tasked Sood with automating services and transitioning its processes from manual to digital. Sood drove this initiative by crafting new HR functions from the ground up, implementing a human resources management system, and expanding the company’s talent to ensure that OpSec Security’s HR functions are consistent across the globe.
Cheryle Teague-Weaver
Former Head of HR
AG&E
Cheryle Teague-Weaver has served as AG&E’s head of HR since 2022, where she has been responsible for reestablishing a safety program across the organization. She has also led efforts to implement and update the company’s benefits package and handled administration of AG&E's acquisition of an offshore company. By streamlining HR processes to improve the company’s overall HR infrastructure and acting as a liaison between employees and management, Teague-Weaver's initiatives have increased the company’s growth and retention rate by 50% over the last 18 months.
Kathleen Weslock
Ansys, Inc.
Since joining Ansys, Inc. as chief human resources officer in 2023, Kathleen Weslock has designed and executed an HR strategy to improve operations, talent management, and total rewards. During this process, she established an HR dashboard that provides insights into how the company’s leadership advances and supports its people across the business. Further, she helped grow the company’s employee resource groups (ERGs) by 20% in participation and supported 30% of ERG leaders as they made significant career moves. As a result of Weslock’s initiatives, Ansys has seen a significant boost in employee engagement, with a 90% response rate above industry norms.