Employer of the Year Awards Judging Committee

Chair: 
Kifaya Abu-Thallam 
HR Executive Advisor
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Kifaya Abu-Thallam is a trusted Executive HR Advisor to business leaders and boards of directors in HR Transformation & Organization Design in the United Arab Emirates. With 20+ years of experience in government, semi-government and private sectors, she has served in some of the most significant industries including defense, telecommunications, banking, energy, and infrastructure development.  Kifaya is accredited by many recognized international Human Resources organizations such as the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in the United Kingdom, a certified member of the Australian Human Resources Institute, CPHR Canada, a Certified Organization Development Professional (USA), and CINS.

Kifaya has focused experience in designing HR models that drive organizational and employee performance through digital transformation, building effective HR strategies, workforce capabilities building programs, human-centric organizational cultures (employees’ happiness, D&I strategies), and Agile performance management systems. Kifaya is also a regular speaker and moderator at HR Summits locally and internationally.

On being asked to Chair, Kifaya commented: “The Stevie® Awards for Great Employers are a global symbol of excellence in workplace culture and people-first leadership. They shine the spotlight on organizations that set the standard for how great employers attract, engage, and support their teams — shaping a better future for employees everywhere. I’m honored to serve as Chair of this year’s Judging Committee and help celebrate the companies and leaders driving positive change in the world of work.”

Committee:
 

Saurabh Agarwal, Senior Manager  
Discover Financial Services, Riverwoods, Illinois, United States
A results-oriented PMP-certified professional with 19+ years of experience in IT infrastructure, Cloud Management, Technical Program Management, Change Management, Release Management, Account & Bid Management, and People Management. Saurabh is adept at mentoring teams, overseeing performance evaluations, and HR collaborations and has successfully led a $500M global digital transformation program across five countries.

Yetunde Amodu, Associate
Gowling WLG, Toronto, Ontario, Canada       
Yetunde is an associate in the Real Estate and Financial Services Group in Gowling WLG's Toronto office. Her practice focuses on advising development finance banks, multinational financial institutions and corporate entities on project, corporate and real estate financings. A Nigerian native, she holds a law degree from Cardiff University in Wales.


 

Gergana Ancheva 
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.

 

Deepak Chandran, Chief Innovation Officer
Emergence Technologies LLC, Willowgrove, Pennsylvania, United States
Deepak specializes in building scalable, intelligent ecosystems across the domains of energy, sustainable aquaculture, industrial AI, automotive, EV charging, Solid State Transformers, Analytics, and cloud-based prescriptive monitoring.

 

Rinita Datta, Director of Marketing
Cisco, Fremont, California, United States
Rinita is a marketing leader who thrives at the intersection of product strategy, customer value, and innovation. As Director of Marketing at Splunk, a Cisco company, she leads global initiatives across product adoption, developer engagement, and community growth. Rinita combines technical fluency, systems thinking, and business storytelling to drive innovation.

Abdul Jaleel Dudekula, Vice President
Goldman Sachs, Dallas, Texas, United States
Abdul Jaleel Dudekula is Vice President of Platform Engineering with 15 years of experience delivering enterprise-grade, cloud-native data platforms. He has led transformative initiatives at Goldman Sachs, Capital One Auto Finance, and The Home Depot, with deep expertise in real-time data, streaming, infrastructure, and large-scale platform modernization.

Betty Encinales, Global Talent Acquisition Partner
Becruit London, London, United Kingdom
Betty is Global Corporate Talent Acquisition Partner; she has spent over a decade connecting, building, and developing relationships with organizations and sector-leading experts in fintech, finance, and media. Betty has worked with major brands like Goldman Sachs, HSBC, NatWest, Lloyds, Santander, Financial Times, and Newsweek, providing valuable insights to their organizations.

Eric Hards, Senior Creative Director
Lockheed Martin, Sunnyvale, California, United States         
Eric Hards is a creative leader and storyteller who turns complex ideas into impactful narratives. With 25+ years in design and communication, he currently serves as Creative Director at Lockheed Martin Space. Eric also mentors emerging creatives through teaching, inspiring others to lead with curiosity, clarity, and purpose.
 

Joann Hizon, Vice President for HR, Facilities & Admin (retired)
SM Investments Corp Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Joann has over 25 years of leadership experience in HR, Training, Operations, and Facilities culled from the telecommunications, BPO, semiconductors, IT, pharmaceutical, property, and mining industries. She's a seasoned resource speaker on career counseling, succession planning, workforce planning, workplace diversity, organizational transformation, crisis management, business continuity planning, and sustainability.

Abd Elkareem Hmedan, Senior HR Consultant
HD Group, Dubai, United Arab Emirates        
Dr. Abd Elkareem Hmedan is a Senior HR Consultant with ten years™ experience delivering strategic people solutions. A PhD in HR Management complements Chartered MCIPD, SHRM-SCP and SPHRi credentials. Certified Level A&B psychometric assessor, he combines analytical rigor and insight to evaluate innovation and recognize excellence as a Stevie Awards judge.
 

Jaidev Jayakumar Jay, Manager     
Deloitte & Touche Llp, Boston, Massachusetts, United States   
Jaidev (Jay) Jayakumar is a management consultant with experience supporting Fortune 500 companies in digital transformation, Mergers and Acquisitions and enabling next-generation solutions. Jay is a Project Management Professional (PMP), holds a Masters in Biotechnology Management from University of California Irvine and a Gold medalist from Anna University, Chennai.

Franklin Kamnang Ngansop, Cofounder and Certified Business Coach
Vitamin CS Coaching, Douala, Littoral, Cameroon
Franklin, an energetic 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 a profound understanding of industry dynamics, makes him a powerhouse for nurturing growth in budding enterprises. Franklin has a commendable history of assisting startups.

 

Venkatesh Kanneganti, Senior Quality Assurance Manager
Gilead Sciences, Dublin, California, United States
Venkatesh is an experienced quality and validation expert, and a published author in life sciences. He has over 12 years’ experience leading digital quality systems, compliance frameworks, and enterprise transformation. He combines technical depth with strategic insight to support innovation and regulatory success across global biotech and pharma environments.


Inderpal Khanuja, Engagement Manager
McKinsey and Company, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Seasoned management consultant with 15+ years of expertise serving clients across 10+ countries to propel growth and create long term value for companies across the spectrum, from Fortune 100 companies to small-medium companies. Industry and consulting experience with proven ability to deliver results and create sustainable, tangible value for companies.
 

Akhil Khunger, VP Quantitative Analytics
Barclays, New York City, New York, United States     
Akhil is a seasoned professional in financial engineering and risk management. He currently serves as a QA financial modeling specialist at Barclays. With over a decade of experience, roles at institutions like Citibank and HSBC. His expertise in AI, time series analysis and statistical modeling has led to the creation of sophisticated financial models.

Amit Mishra, Senior Director of Engineering
Fox Corporation, Los Angeles, California, United States
Amit is an internationally recognized technology executive with over two decades of excellence in software engineering, large-scale distributed systems, and AI-driven digital innovation. As Sr. Director of Engineering at Fox Corporation, he leads high-performing global teams responsible for architecting and delivering world-class consumer platforms, including Fox Sports, FoxNow, and Fox Nation.

Priyank Mishra, Senior Manager, Supply Chain
Lam Research, Fremont, California, United States
Priyank is a Supply Chain Professional with more than 10 years of industry experience. He is currently working as a Senior Manager at Lam Research, where he has been a thirteen-time recipient of Above and Beyond awards and a one-time recipient of Standing Ovation awards. He holds a Master's from Duke University in Engineering Management.
 

Palanivel Rajan Mylsamy, Director of Engineering Program Management
Cisco Systems INC, Milpitas, California, United States
Results-driven Engineering Program Management and Business Operations Leader with over 19 years of extensive experience in Networking, Technology, and Globalization. Recognized for a strategic approach to transforming business operations in the digital era, specializing in digital operations, program and portfolio management, and change management. Proven track record in successfully delivering complex transformational projects.

Ruhir Nath, Senior Consultant Product Marketing
Dell Technologies, Round Rock, Texas, United States
Ruchir Nath, a thought leader with 17+ years of experience, excels in building high-performing teams and managing complex projects. At Dell Technologies, he drives business development and AI initiatives. Previously, he led sales strategy at Dell and worked on finance transformation at AMD. Member of Forbes Council and Fast Company.
 

Prajwal S Nayak, Cofounder
Koino, San Francisco, California, United States    
Prajwal Nayak is an accomplished technology leader specializing in cloud architecture, artificial intelligence, and full-stack software engineering. As CTO at KOINO, he spearheaded the development of an autonomous AI CFO agent now trusted by numerous CFOs and agencies. Previously, Prajwal co-founded stacksy.ai and led engineering teams at Swiggy, where he was instrumental in scaling products to support millions of users.

Santosh Nazare, Director Data Science
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Detroit, Michigan, United States 
Healthcare data science leader blending clinical expertise and advanced analytics. At BCBSM, Santosh spearheaded AI-driven solutions improving payment integrity, care management, and member satisfaction, driving cost savings and enhanced CMS STAR ratings contributing to healthcare affordability. Proven in scaling analytics teams, delivering strategic impact, and innovating healthcare with data science.

Sudheer Obbu, Vice President - Senior Lead Software Engineer
JPMorgan Chase, Delaware, Ohio, United States
Sudheer is an accomplished DevSecOps, Cloud, and platform engineering service lead with 19 years of expertise in architecting, securing, and optimizing complex multi-cloud infrastructures. His focus includes innovating FinOps solutions, integrating advanced technologies like GenAI for AIOps, driving efficiency through automation initiatives, and a track record in enhancing security and reducing costs.
 

Brian Phifer, CEO
Phifer & Company LLC, New York City, New York, United States
As Founder and CEO of Phifer & Company, Brian has over 28 years of experience leading global executive recruitment initiatives in marketing, communications, and corporate branding. His firm excels in fostering personalized client relationships to deliver tailored recruitment strategies that align with unique management styles, company cultures, and business goals.



Dr. Akhil Raj, Manager, Application Development Engineering       
Centene Corporation, Austin, Texas, United States
Application solutions leader with a Ph.D. in Business Administration and over 17 years of experience in business process reengineering, project management, and software development. Strong record overseeing all facets of the SDLC, guiding strategic decisions, and leading high-performing teams.


Jagdish Ramchandani, Business Analytics Manager
Premier Dental Product Company, Nashville, Tennessee, United States        
Jagdish is an accomplished professional with over 18 years of experience in Business Intelligence, Data Analytics, and Business Analytics. His expertise lies in manipulating large data sets, crafting actionable reports, and leading a team of data analysts and engineers. Jagdish is skilled at simplifying complex processes and delivering insightful, data-driven solutions.
 

Anastasii Shakula, Senior Staff Accountant
Ashton Woods Homes, Alpharetta, Georgia, United States     
Anastasiia Shakula is a Senior Staff Accountant at Ashton Woods Homes with international experience in audit and accounting. She holds a Master’s degree in Accounting and Taxation and specializes in financial reporting, corporate accounting and process improvement, bringing both strong analytical skills and a global perspective to her professional expertise.
 

Amber Hussain Siddique, Director - Finance Controlling & Planning
Dr Reddy's Laboratories INC, Princeton, New Jersey, United States
Specializes in the generics pharmaceutical industry and is currently heading the finance controlling function of Dr. Reddy's North America business. Amber is a Chartered Accountant from India with proven expertise in financial controlling and planning, business analytics, and a deep understanding of pharmaceutical supply chain operations, including inventory management and cost optimization.

Nitin Singh, Chief Value Advisor and Practice Leader- Cloud ERP 
SAP AMERICA, INC., Newtown Square, United States
Nitin Singh, serving as the Chief Value Advisor and Practice Leader at SAP America, is a seasoned digital transformation expert. His proven track record spans the enterprise application Industry, where he has spearheaded digital transformation initiatives for numerous Fortune 500 companies. Recognized as a thought leader in his field, Singh boasts multiple publications.
 

Guanwei (Rachel) Tao, Manager, New Business & Customer Strategy
TriMas, Los Angeles, California, United States
Rachel Tao is a seasoned product strategist and innovation leader with over 18 years of experience in the global medical device industry. She has successfully launched more than 27 products across Asia, Europe, and North America. Her career spans from sales at Johnson & Johnson to senior product management roles at Abbott. 

Naveen Thangaraj, Delivery Executive
Capgemini America Inc, Atlanta, Georgia, United States   
Delivery Executive with 18 years in IT, holding a Bachelor's in Computer Science & IT from India. Experienced across Oracle and SAP ERP systems, led 4 greenfield implementations, digital transformation, and managed services. Progressed from Programmer to Executive, mentoring grads and delivering value across diverse client engagements since relocating to the U.S. in 2014.
 

Abhaya Uprety, Co-Founder & CTO
ParkStash Inc. , San Jose, California, United States
Abhaya is the Cofounder & CTO at ParkStash - an Intelligent Transportation and Parking Asset Management platform. ParkStash helps property owners monetize, enforce, and monitor their parking assets with a suite of products and integrations: automatic license plate recognition, permit management, gate access control, and parking enforcement. We partner with other service providers to cater to custom solutions.

Vivek Vishal, Senior Director
Honeywell Safety Products USA, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States     
Vivek is Senior Director of Sales Excellence at Honeywell Safety Products USA, Inc., leading PPE Safety and Sales Strategy. Formerly at Dell Technologies, he drove sales planning and merger integrations. A thought leader in AI-driven RevOps, he advises on safety via the World Economic Forum and Forbes Business Development Council.

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