Consultancies feature as finalists in Australian HR awards 2026
The finalists for the Australian HR Awards 2026 have been announced, with a number of consultancies featuring across the various categories alongside several individual nominees.
Dora Peake of Versent is among the finalists for the HR director of the year award, while Peake’s colleague Michelle Poffandi and Correne Vorster of FTI Consulting compete for the manager of the year title. Capgemini’s James Schlunke is up for a ‘rising star’ award.
Meanwhile, Capgemini and FTI Consulting have also been nominated for ‘team of the year’ in their respective size brackets, along with Deloitte, KPMG, Ernst & Young, Aurecon, TSA Riley, Nexon, and Scyne Advisory in various other categories, the latter for ‘best workplace flexibility program’.
“Flexibility is more than just words, but a core part of our culture,” said Scyne chief people officer Fi Glendinning. “Our policy enables our people the flexibility to optimise their work/life balance. By empowering our team with genuine, practical flexibility, we ensure they are best positioned to support our clients to deliver impactful, public-interest outcomes with integrity and accountability.”
A constant feature at the awards – including its former CEO Kaylene O’Brien as 2023 ‘champion of the year’ – Capgemini is nominated both for companies with over 1,000 employees and for its graduate development program. In contrast, FTI Consulting will make its ‘team of the year’ debut in the under 1,000 employees bracket, although Vorster follows up on her nomination from last year.
“I’ve had the privilege of working alongside incredible teams and individuals,” Vorster said last time around. “My focus has always been on making a real impact, whether through shaping strategy, leading change, or helping build a culture where people can thrive. To be recognised for work that sits at the heart of performance and engagement is both humbling and energising.”
Three of the Big Four are also finalists at this year’s awards, which will be announced early next month. Deloitte is up for ‘best diversity, equity & inclusion program’ as well as ‘best recruitment campaign’, while Ernst & Young features in the ‘best use of technology’ category and KPMG for its leadership development program – the latter up against project consultancy TSA Riley.
The best ‘learning & development program’ has a two further Asia Pacific consultancies competing for the title; engineering & design specialist Aurecon and digital & cybersecurity provider Nexon. Lastly, alongside Peake’s tilt at the top director title, Versent itself – part of Telstra since 2023 – is in the running for ‘employer of choice’ for companies with between 100 and 999 employees.
“This recognition is a lovely moment for Versent and reflects the continued focus we’ve placed on building an employee experience that supports, stretches, and connects our people through growth, change, and complexity,” Peake said. “I’m especially proud because this is never the work of one person, but a brilliant people & culture team and thoughtful leaders across the business.”
