HR Administration

Game Changers 2016

By James Tehrani

Jul. 22, 2016

In our six years of awarding Game Changers, we’ve never had a group quite like this one.

What was eye-opening to us initially was the quality of applications from companies in India. Three of those fine applicants are among this year’s Class of 2016 Game Changers. The fact that the program is becoming recognized internationally is exciting in that we always envisioned this as a global mark of excellence, and companies outside of the United States are starting to recognize that.

Speaking of excitement, we decided to change things up a bit this year. For the first time, we asked all of our 25 Game Changers to submit selfies to show off their personalities, and boy did they deliver. We got a photo of one Game Changer skydiving as well as one diving on a bed while holding a phone to mention a couple of the standout images. Some of those photos you’ll see in this issue; others will appear online.

We also asked our Game Changers to answer a series of questions and submit their answers in short videos, and many of them did, and we had the privilege of meeting two of the Game Changers in Chicago, Catalina Andrade and Gretchen Van Vlymen, and interviewing them for their videos. Check them out!

Another first was that one of our Game Changers from India, Sabera Patni, changed jobs before this issue went to press, and Jonathan Flickinger was laid off (see “The Last Word.”) from a coal mining company. It’s a good reminder that the workforce is constantly changing.

This is an outstanding group of young talent, and we are proud to call them our 2016 Game Changers. Congratulations to all of them.