The HR Professionals Summit & Awards 2025 was a resounding success, bringing together industry experts, thought leaders, and HR professionals to share knowledge, insights, and best practices in human resource management. The event was held at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel, Accra, Ghana and was organized by the HR Certification Centre, with Maven Communications serving as the event and award partner.
The event kicked off with opening remarks by Pearl P. Tehoda, Executive Director of the HR Certification Centre, who set the tone for the summit by emphasizing the urgency of the theme: *”Redefining the People Leadership Blueprint”.
In her remarks, Pearl noted that the theme was not just timely, but urgent, calling on practitioners, executives, and decision-makers to step beyond their operational comfort zones and architect a fresh leadership approach powered by agility, analytics, emotional intelligence, human-centered systems design, and bold strategic thinking.
She emphasized the need for transformational leadership, highlighting the importance of challenging ourselves from transactional HR to transformational stewardship, from managing people to enabling performance, and from fire-fighting to future shaping.
Keynote Addresses: Insights from Industry Leaders
The summit featured three keynote speakers who shared their expertise and insights on various aspects of human resource management.
Mr. Kweku Awotwi, Board Chairman of UBA and Multimedia Group, delivered the first keynote address on “Redesigning the Blueprint for Business Transformation”. With his vast experience in leadership and business transformation, Mr Awotwi provided valuable insights on how organizations can reposition themselves for success in a rapidly changing business environment.
The second keynote address was delivered by Dr. Abena N. Asomaning, ESG/M&E/CSR and Leadership Expert at Ghana Export-Import Bank, who spoke on “Agile Leadership in a Disruptive World: Shaping the Work Environment Through People”. Dr. Asomaning’s presentation highlighted the importance of agile leadership in navigating the complexities of the modern business world and creating a work environment that fosters innovation, creativity, and productivity.
The final keynote address was delivered by Dr. Jeff Bassay, Founder of the HR Certification Centre & Institute of Leadership & Strategy, who shared his insights on Africa’s Business Leadership Development Roadmap, highlighting key areas of focus for business leaders to drive growth and success on the continent.
Panel Discussions: Expert Insights and Knowledge Sharing
The summit featured two panel discussions that provided a platform for industry experts to share their knowledge and insights on various aspects of human resource management.
The first panel discussion was on “Reimagining Leadership Capabilities: What Skills Define the Next Generation of People Leaders?”
The panelists included Mr. Michael Abbiw, CEO of MGA Consulting Ltd, Lizzy-Ann Kwagbedzi, Country Director, Berkha Africa, and Dr. Patrick Akanpaaba, L&D Manager at Petroleum Commission, who were moderated by Genevieve Partington, Country Director of Amnesty International.
The second panel discussion was on “Culture, Trust, and Engagement: Building High-Performing Organizations Through People Leadership”.
The panelists included Irene Asare, Chair of the People Committee at PSAA, Ohenewaa Appiah, Senior Manager of People and Change at KPMG, and Abdallah Ibrahim, Acting CHRO at MTN Ghana, who were moderated by Kofi Blankson, Country Technology Manager at Standard Chartered Bank, Ghana.
Graduation Ceremony
The event also included a graduation ceremony for 784 students who completed their 6-month HR Professional Courses, with 103 of them being certified HR Professionals.
In her remarks, Pearl P. Tehoda, Executive Director of the HR Certification Centre, expressed her delight in reporting that the centre had enrolled a total of 924 candidates in a year, with 784 graduating in 2025.
She noted that these numbers signalled the rising tide of HR talent in Ghana and the centre’s commitment to setting the pace in HR education.
Pearl congratulated the graduates, emphasizing that their achievements reflected discipline, ambition, and resilience. She reiterated that in a world where the workplace is shifting faster than ever, they now carry the capability, credibility, and confidence to lead with impact. She described the graduates as value creators, culture shapers, and strategic business partners.
Pearl thanked the facilitators for their time, resources, expertise, and dedication, and also, thanked partners for their support.
In her charge to the graduates, Pearl reminded them to live with insight, challenge the status quo, and most importantly, keep learning, as learning is the only way to stay relevant, influential, and become future-ready. She shared her formula for the future of work, which is, people + technology + leadership, and challenged the graduates to go out there and redefine the people leadership blueprint.
Induction & Declaration Ceremony
Following the graduation ceremony, Dr. Jeff Bassay led the induction of certified HR professionals and affiliates into the Association of Chartered Human Resource Management (ACHR). This prestigious association recognizes the expertise and commitment of HR professionals who have demonstrated a high level of competence in their field.
The induction ceremony marked an important milestone for the new members, who were welcomed into the community of chartered HR professionals.
Furthermore, Dr. Jeff Bassay led the newly inducted members in a declaration, reaffirming their commitment to upholding the values and principles of the HR profession.
The declaration served as a reminder of the important role that HR professionals play in shaping the future of work and organizations. By making this declaration, the certified professionals and affiliates demonstrated their dedication to excellence, ethics, and continuous learning in their profession.
Awards Ceremony
The HR Awards ceremony recognized outstanding achievements in human resource management, with a total of 28 awards given out to deserving companies and individuals. The criteria for the awards was explained by Wing Commander Samuel Allotey (RTD), who highlighted the rigorous selection process that went into choosing the winners.
This year, 260 nominations were received, with 109 coming from companies and 107 from individuals. After a thorough evaluation, 54 finalists were shortlisted, comprising 26 companies and 28 individuals.
The awards ceremony celebrated the excellence and innovation of the winners, with 17 awards given to companies and 11 to individual leaders, making it a total of 28 awards for the night.
The winners of the awards are as follows:
Companies Awards
– Excellence In HR Mentorship/Graduate Training Program Transformation:
– 1st Runner-Up: Kasapreko PLC
– Winner: Consolidated Bank Ghana Limited
– Excellence In Employee Engagement:
– 1st Runner-Up: Wilmar Africa Limited
– Winner: Hollard Insurance Ghana
– Innovative HR Team of the Year:
– 1st Runner-Up: Olam Agri and Hollard Insurance Ghana
– Winner: Fidelity Bank Ghana Limited
– Outstanding Contribution To HR Technology:
– 1st Runner-Up: Precept Human Capital & Advisory Limited
– Winner: Npontu Technologies Limited
– Excellence In Rewards & Recognition:
– 1st Runner-Up: Fidelity Bank Ghana Limited
– Winner: Kasapreko PLC
– Excellence In Leadership & Development:
– Winner: ABSA Bank Ghana Limited
– Excellence In Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:
– 1st Runner-Up: Telecel Ghana
– Winner: Kasapreko PLC
– HR Excellence In Employer Branding:
– 1st Runner-Up: Enterprise Life
– Winner: FanMilk PLC
– Excellence In Banking & Business Transformation:
– Winner: ABSA Bank Ghana Limited
Individual Awards
– Talent Acquisition Practitioner of the Year:
– Winner: Richard Harry Asante Botchway
– Learning & Development Practitioner of the Year:
– Winner: Enoch Kwaku Barimah
– Employee Relations Practitioner of the Year:
– Winner: Lordina Aseidu Opoku
– Compensation & Benefits Practitioner of the Year:
– Winner: Marie-Ann Ocansey
– HR Business Practitioner of the Year:
– Winner: Ephraim Nii Agyiri Barnor
– People Focused CEO of the Year:
– Winner: Patrick Asiamah, CEO of SynLab
– HR Future Leader (Under 35):
– Winners: Lucy Akosua Fiadonu, Lydia Quayson, Lily Addae Nkrumah, and Florentina Adu
– HR Future Leader (SME):
– Winner: Ewurafua Boafo
– HR Future Leader (Large Scale):
– Winner: Mohammed Mudasiru Tiamiu
– Exceptional Contribution to HR Development:
– Winner: Lydia Quayson
– HR Personality of the Year:
– Winner: Ebow Nyamekye Allen-Koufie
Lifetime Achievement Awards
This year, the HR Awards introduced a new category, the Lifetime Achievement Awards, which recognised the outstanding contributions of four remarkable individuals in the HR field for over 3 decades. The winners of the Lifetime Achievement Awards are:
1. Mrs Margret Jackson (Learning & Development)
2. Mr Austin A. Gamey (Labour Relations & Alternative Dispute Resolutions)
3. Dr. (Mrs.) Irene Stella Agyenim-Boateng (Employee Relations)
4. Wing Commander Samuel Allotey (RTD) (Corporate Governance & Labour Relations)
Closing Remarks
In her closing remarks, Pearl P. Tehoda, Executive Director of the HR Certification Centre, encouraged all practitioners and leaders to implement the knowledge and insights gained from the summit. She urged leaders to give their teams the opportunity to exercise their leadership and innovation, emphasizing that this was crucial for growth and success.
She also thanked the entire team, committee members, volunteers, staff of the HR Certification Centre, and partners, especially Maven Communications, the official event and award partner, for making the event a success.
