Employer of the Year Awards Judging Committee

Chair: 
Erin Noel Braaten, Senior Director of Talent Acquisition
Ampact, North Branch, Minnesota

Erin Braaten is an inspiring HR leader, mentor, coach, and change champion. Erin thrives on translating strategic plans into tactical execution to empower people, teams, and organizations. Erin has been supporting people and organizations through bold, insightful, and transformational HR leadership for over 12 years. Erin has a unique combination of technical skills and human resources expertise which allows her to optimize HRIS systems and use data analytics to develop insights into employee morale and leverage people analytics to drive organizational strategies. Erin has a strong record of success in team building, coaching/mentoring employees at all levels, and developing training programs for new hires. Erin enjoys working with managers to support their development into compassionate and accountable leaders. She is a self-described “HR nerd”. Her passion for Human Resources is contagious and her person-centered approach to supporting employees and leaders has allowed her to build collaborative and lasting relationships with her colleagues.

Erin’s experience spans across retail, manufacturing, health care, and nonprofit sectors. Erin’s previous executive positions include serving as the Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Ellie Mental health and the Vice President of Human Resources at Rise, Inc. Erin has also served as a Human Resources Consultant and Manager at Metropolitan Alliance of Connected Communities.

When she isn’t working, Erin spends her time baking with her daughter and enjoying the outdoors with her family. Erin is an active community member, serving on the board of directors for 180 Degrees, a Minnesota nonprofit organization that provides youth and adult residential support services by creating safe spaces and services that honor each individual's healing journey. Erin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Hamline University and a Master of Arts in Human Resources and Industrial Relations from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. Erin has had her Society of Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional Certificate since 2017.

Committee:

Gergana Ancheva, Employer Branding Communication Lead
Sirma Solutions, Sofia, Bulgaria
Gergana is an Employer Branding leader and a growth-driven person. Professionally, she is committed to shaping strong brands through compelling stories and innovative content. Gergana holds a BSc degree in Marketing and Management from the University of Sussex, UK and a MSc degree in International Marketing from King’s College London.

Andy Chang, Head of Engagement Solutions, Marketing Technology
Electrolux, Bangkok, Thailand
Andy Chang (Nay Lin Zaw) has been the Head of Group Marketing Technology, Engagement Solutions at Electrolux since July 2019. With two decades of experience in Marketing Technology and E-commerce, Andy has served renowned enterprises, agencies, and startups across multiple industries. Andy's primary interest lies in building consumer experience personalization capabilities within enterprises.
 

Maureen Clayton, President
Insight Strategic Communications Inc, Roswell, Georgia, United States
Maureen is the president and founder of Insight Strategic Communications, an award-winning internal communications firm, and the founder of Nest Egg Communications. Clients include a variety of hospitality and consumer brands. She received degrees in journalism from the University of Georgia, where she serves as co-chair of the Grady College AdPR Advisory Board. 

Vamsi Krishna Dhakshinadhi, Chief Technology Officer
GrabAgile Inc, Cheyenne, Wyoming, United States
Vamsi Krishna Dhakshinadhi is the CTO at GrabAgile Inc. and a Forbes Technology Council member. With expertise in agile methodologies and career development, he drives innovation and growth in the tech industry.

Abdul Jaleel Dudekula, Vice President
Goldman Sachs, Dallas, Texas, United States
Abdul, Vice President at Goldman Sachs, is a highly experienced platform engineering leader and platform architect with 14 years of extensive expertise in designing and implementing robust, scalable infrastructure solutions. Abdul plays a pivotal role in designing, developing, and maintaining the cutting-edge technology platforms that support the firm's global finance and tech operations.

Betty Fernanda Encinales, Global Corporate Talent Acquisition Partner
Newsweek, London, United Kingdom
Betty’s role as Global Corporate Talent Acquisition Partner at Newsweek allows her the opportunity to place the very best talent into specialist areas of the Media & Journalism space. For a period exceeding a decade, Betty and her team have connected, built, and developed relationships with organizations and sector leading experts.

Seetharamareddy Gowda, Corporate Financial Systems Advisor/Analytics Lead
FedEx, Plano, Texas, United States
Seetharamareddy has over 12 years of hands-on experience in the fields of data analytics and artificial intelligence. He brings expertise across multiple domains, including data engineering, analysis, data science, and AI/ML implementation. He has collaborated closely with business stakeholders and leadership teams, gathering requirements and translating them into actionable insights. 

Siddharth Gupta, Director of Data Science & Analytics
Coupang, Sunnyvale, California, United States
Siddharth is a technology leader with over 15 years of experience in data science, serving as the Director of Data Science & Analytics at Coupang. Siddharth brings experience in advertising, marketing, technology, data science, and product development, with prior experience at Meta and eBay. At Coupang, Siddharth works on building best-in-class advertising products.

Joann Hizon, Vice President for Human Resources, Admin & Facilities
SM Investments Corp, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Joann has over 25 years of leadership experience in HR, Administration, Training, Operations, Facilities and General Services. Her experience has been in the telecommunications, BPO, semiconductors, IT, pharmaceutical, property, and mining industries. She's a sought-after resource speaker on career counseling, succession planning, workforce planning, workplace diversity, organizational transformation, crisis management/BCP, and sustainability.
 

Krishna Jadhav, Senior Director - Tech
Tech Mahindra, Edison, New Jersey, United States
Krishna is a seasoned technology leader with a proven track record of driving digital transformation and innovation. As a Senior Director at Tech Mahindra, he spearheaded the development of secure and transparent financial solutions using cutting-edge technologies like blockchain, AI, and cloud. Krishna's expertise, global experience, and commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Rohit Kamath, Head of Finance Planning and Analysis
Traeger Pellet Grills, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Rohit has 16+ years of finance, strategy, and consulting experience at Nike, Restaurant Brands, International Popeyes, and Atos Origin. Rohit, head of FP&A at Traeger Pellet Grills, has significant accomplishments including Nike Apple Watch partnership in 2016, NFL contract from 2012-2014, and driving Nike digital to 50% of the overall brand.

Franklin Kamnang Ngansop, Founder and Certified Business Coach
Vitamin CS Coaching, Douala, Littoral, Cameroon
Franklin is a Startup and Business Coach whose mission is to unlock the immense potential within entrepreneurs and businesses. His expertise in business strategy and innovation, coupled with an understanding of industry dynamics, makes him a powerhouse for nurturing growth in budding enterprises. Franklin has a history of assisting startups to establish themselves. 

Sattvik Kansal, Co-founder & Head of Engineering
Rome Protocol, Oak Park, California, United States
Sattvik is the co-founder and head of engineering at Rome Protocol. He has deep expertise in developing infrastructure for financial technology. He has built and led payment systems for the European and US markets, with products used by brand-name customers such as Western Union.

Quyen Anh Khuc Huu, Corporate Culture Manager
Galaxy Holdings Ltd, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Quyen Anh is a Corporate Culture Manager with extensive experience in developing and implementing strategies for conglomerates in Vietnam to advance their Culture, Brand and Communication sectors. Prior to this role, he worked as a professional news anchor and reporter for TV stations.

Akhil Khunger, VP Quantitative Analytics
Barclays, New York City, New York, United States
Akhil has over ten years of experience in the financial industry and is currently working in quantitative analytics at Barclays. He has experience in statistics, time series modeling, quantitative strategies, and programming experience in Python, C++, and SQL. He worked on quantitative models for FX, Macro, Credit, and Futures businesses.

Rohit Kulkarni, Associate Director
Merck, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Rohit has over 18 years of experience in Financial Trading, Educational Research, Data Analytics and Pharma industries such as Thomson Reuters, McKinsey and Merck. Rohit is responsible for developing FAIR data products for Merck scientists to expedite drug discovery. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering, a Master of Science in Information Science and MBA.

Murugan Lakshmanan, Director
Fidelity Investments, Morrisville, North Carolina, United States
Murugan Lakshmanan is a distinguished leader in the fintech industry with over 17 years of experience. He specializes in creating mission-critical, scalable event streaming and messaging platforms. His innovative work drives digital transformation for global enterprises, enabling resilient, real-time data streaming and advanced analytics.

Kannamangalam Chakaravarthi Lakshminarasimham, Director, Program Management
Expedia Group, San Francisco, California, United States
Kannamangalam is a Program Management leader with two decades of experience in portfolio, program, and project change management, leading high-performing teams that manage complex, cross-functional, and the company's top business and transformative initiatives. Leader of managers across business, product, operations, engineering, and technology.

Mayada Maged, Managing Partner
Staff Arabia, Giza, Egypt
Mayada Maged, Managing Partner at Staff Arabia HR Outsourcing Global Service Provider. With more than 20 years of experience in the HR field and outsourcing industry, Mayada Holds a PGD from Eslsca Paris University, Six Sigma and Global Management certified, as well as being recognized by the AUC for Entrepreneurship in 2023.

Anwar Mohammed, Associate Vice President
RAKBANK, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Anwar, a highly skilled professional, was awarded the Golden Residency Award in 2022 by the UAE government. He was also named one of the "TOP 50 CISOs" in the Middle East by Cyber Security Global Awards in 2024. His research paper was published in the International Journal of Research Culture Society.

Jwala Khan Pathan, CEO
GrabAgile Inc, Cheyenne, Wyoming, United States
JwalaKhan, CEO of GrabAgile Inc., specializes in transformative leadership and strategic development. With a background in technology and business management, he spearheads innovative projects like EventCope. Committed to fostering a collaborative environment, JwalaKhan excels in operational excellence and continuous improvement, driving impactful growth in the tech industry.

Abeer Ramadna, Director Assistant of Control and Inspection Unit for Economic Activities
Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply, Amman, Jordan
Eng. Abeer Ramadna, with a Master's in Industrial Engineering and over 20 years of expertise in project management, quality assurance, and policy development, is certified in EFQM, KAIZEN, Innovation Management, and ISO standards. Renowned for her excellence, she has judged prestigious awards and earned numerous accolades.

Sidharth Ramsinghaney, Director, Corporate Strategy and Operations
TWILIO, McKinney, Texas, United States
Sidharth Ramsinghaney is a distinguished global strategist with 15+ years at the helm of corporate strategy, business transformations, and turnarounds. His journey includes impactful roles at McKinsey, where he led multi-billion-dollar growth transformations, and at Deloitte, orchestrating large-scale initiatives for Fortune 100 clients.
 

Aparna Seksaria, Director Life Sciences Solutions  
SAP America Inc, Encinitas, California, United States
Aparna Seksaria is the Life Sciences Solutions Director with over eighteen years of experience in consulting and implementing SAP solutions across pharma and medical device companies. Aparna specializes in understanding the pharma business processes, trends, and challenges of the industry and translating them into potential SAP solutions while strengthening functions and features.

Thangamuthu Kumaran Vaiyapuri, Resident Solutions Architect
Databricks Inc, Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, United States
Thangam Vaiyapuri is a seasoned technology leader and Data/AI architect with over 21 years of experience in the Banking and Financial Services industry. His expertise spans Investment Banking, Consumer and Retail Banking, and Wealth Management. Currently, he is a Senior Big Data/AI architect at Databricks Inc., driving innovative solutions and efficiency.

Cleopetra Yousef, HR & Organization Development Senior Expert/ Advisor/Trainer/ Assessor
Freelance Consultant, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Cleopetra is a top-performing and result-focused Human Resources and Organization Development Professional.  She has 25+ years of experience in different industries and countries across the MENA Region, including Telecommunication, Retail, FMCG, NGOs, Manufacturing, Pharma, Banking, and Government and Semi- Government.

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