Employee Experience Awards Key Dates
Celebrating Hong Kong’s top workplaces through the power of the employee experience
In the current fast-evolving business landscape, organisations acknowledge the vital role that the employee experience plays in attracting and retaining top talent, driving productivity, and fostering innovation.
Today, organisations across Hong Kong are embracing a powerful truth: the employee experience is the cornerstone of sustainable success. From attracting and retaining top talent to boosting innovation and performance, companies that invest in their people are building the workplaces of the future.
Now in its fifth year, the Employee Experience Awards (EXA) returns to Hong Kong to continue its mission of honouring organisations that are redefining what it means to put people first. This prestigious platform shines a spotlight on those who lead with empathy, foster inclusive cultures, and empower their people to thrive.
As the dynamics of Hong Kong’s workforce shift, so do the expectations for meaningful work, impactful leadership, and continuous development. EXA celebrates the companies that don’t just adapt to these changes – they champion them.
At the heart of the Employee Experience Awards are four essential pillars that define an exceptional employee experience:
1. Leadership
Recognising visionary leaders who shape strong organisational cultures, set clear direction, and inspire their teams to achieve excellence.
2. Learning
Honouring organisations that prioritise lifelong learning and development, and equipping employees with the skills they need to grow and succeed.
3. Engagement
Celebrating companies that foster purpose, belonging, and motivation — creating vibrant, resilient workplaces, where people feel connected and valued.
4. Talent Acquisition
Commending organisations that attract and retain top talent through strategic, values-driven hiring practices that lay the foundation for long-term success.
This is your golden opportunity to showcase the impactful initiatives and forward-thinking strategies that have transformed your organisation into a truly employee-centric workplace.
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This year, 34 award categories are open for submission, providing a platform for organisations to showcase their outstanding achievements across Leadership, Learning, Engagement, and Talent Acquisition.
Whether you’ve transformed your leadership strategies, reimagined employee learning, driven deeper engagement, or excelled at talent attraction — now is your time to shine.
Be recognised. Be celebrated. Be the example of what an exceptional employee experience looks like.
We wish you the very best with your submissions. See you at EXA Hong Kong 2026!
WHAT’S NEW IN 2026?
Best In-House Learning Academy
Best Community & Social Impact Engagement
Best PeopleFirst Strategy
Best In-House Recruitment Team
Best Onboarding Experience
Best Talent Assessment and Selection Process
Best Use of Recruitment Technology Tools
Why should you enter EXA2026?
Stay ahead of the talent war
Be top of mind for candidates and employees by showcasing your meaningful, personalised, user-friendly and digital EX.
Catalyse your employer branding efforts
Spread positivity and boost morale by putting your team’s work in the spotlight and winning at the Employee Experience Awards.
Better business outcomes and improved performance
Nurture an army of happy employees who are excited to do their best at work. Unleash their full potential and increase productivity.
Deliver stakeholder confidence
Whether it’s your employees, C-suite leaders or global management team, reaffirm your organisational excellence to your stakeholders.
Make sure your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed and your teams get the recognition they deserve!
Entries will close on 20 March 2026 so start your entry today!
Judging Criteria
Here are some guiding pointers that judges will be looking out for. Please ensure your entry answers the points below for the various sections along with the guiding pointers in the respective categories. (please read the Entry Guidelines for full descriptions):
* Your entry could focus on an existing or a new initiative, programme, campaign, project, etc.
BUSINESS CHALLENGE
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- Provide the context of your industry and include the brief background/overview of your company.
- Please include information that demonstrates the implications of the business challenges faced.
- What were your initial plan/business opportunities you were looking to pursue?
- How has the challenge(s) pivoted your vision, goal and mission of your HR strategy?
- What was the company’s overall direction? What kind of buy-in and support did you get from your top management and line-of-business managers to overcome the challenge?
- What are some innovative and/or new ideas proposed when brainstorming solutions to tackle the challenge(s)?
- What is the expected business ROI from the proposed changes?
- Please include some testimonials from peers/senior management/clients. Feel free to include graphs, charts that will strengthen your business case.
STRATEGY
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- What did you do to transform your business?
- Outline the milestones in your strategy highlighting what worked and what didn’t work. How did you solve the issues that cropped up along the way when you were executing your strategy?
- How was your strategy communicated to all stakeholders? What were some of the channels you used?
- Who were your key stakeholders? How did you maintain continued support from key stakeholders?
- Please include information that demonstrates the acceptance rate of the transformation strategy.
- What were the key objectives of your transformation strategy?
- What are some of the USP’s of your transformation strategy? How does this align with your organisational goals?
- Please include some testimonials from peers/senior management/clients. Feel free to include graphs, charts that will strengthen your business case
Impact
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- What were the primary and secondary results of your strategy? How did your plan affect your organisational culture and goals?
- What business and commercial benefits did your transformation strategy deliver?
- What was the feedback from your stakeholders?
- How did you track the ROI of your impact?
- Please provide some evidence of success. You may use metrics, anecdotes and case studies.
- Please include some testimonials from peers / senior management / clients. Feel free to include graphs, charts that will strengthen your business case.
Learning points
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- Please identify top 3 key takeaways from your transformation strategy.
- What were some gaps in your strategy?
- What are the strengths that form the foundation of your strategy?
- What are the future plans that you have in place to further boost this?
- What are some elements of the strategy that you think is unique to your organisation?
- Please include some testimonials from peers/senior management/clients. Feel free to include graphs, charts that will strengthen your business case.
Panel of Judges
The Employee Experience Awards will be evaluated at the highest standards, by the most eminent senior HR experts and thought leaders. These hand-picked individuals are committed to giving your entries all the dedication they need, in order to sieve out the finest HR teams and leaders who have transformed the world of work.
If you are interested in joining the judging panel, or would you like to nominate someone, please contact Selina Kwok at +852 2965 6606 or selinak@lighthouse-media.com.
Our expert judging panel will be announced soon. Keep an eye on our page for all updates on the judging panel.
PAST JUDGES
We would like to thank our past judges for their time and effort in 2025
James Wong
Regional Head of Human Resources, Marks & Spencer Asia
Al-Futtaim
Michelle Wong
General Manager, Human Resources
Angliss Hong Kong Food Service
Karina Cheung
Head of Human Resources
Giorgio Armani Operations
Joey Chung
Group Head of Human Resources
Haitong International Securities Group
Sponsors and partners
For bespoke sponsorship packages and opportunities, please contact our sales team at partnerships_northasia@humanresourcesonline.net
Highlights from previous years
Check out what went down at Employee Experience Awards from the previous year and get ready for an even bigger party in 2026!
PHOTOS
