Using recognition as infrastructure for change.
AI adoption at work has doubled in just two years, and every leader is racing to prepare their workforce for what's next. But technology doesn't transform organizations — people do. In this session, Chantale Callingham, SVP of Global Client Success & EMEA Operations at Awardco, makes the case that employee recognition isn't a "nice-to-have" that competes with AI and workforce transformation — it's the infrastructure that makes those initiatives succeed.
Drawing on new research from the Awardco Center of Excellence and real results from organizations, you'll learn how recognition reinforces new behaviors, reduces uncertainty, prevents cultural drift, and keeps people connected to purpose while everything around them changes. If you're navigating AI adoption, restructuring, or workforce redesign, this session will reframe recognition as one of your most practical levers for change.
Key takeaways:
- Every transformation is a behavior-change initiative — organizations transform because people learn, experiment, adapt, and collaborate differently, not because technology changes.
- Recognition is a scalable way to reinforce the behaviors leaders want more of, giving employees clarity on what success looks like in the future organization.
- During uncertainty, employees need evidence, not just communication — recognition proves their work still matters and builds confidence.
- Recognition prevents "cultural drift" and preserves identity through restructures, keeping shared values visible via real, everyday examples.
- Recognition drives measurable results — employees are 2.3x more likely to be engaged and 1.7x more likely to stay, with proof points from Alera Group, Paramount, Crumbl, and Lineage.
Meet the Presenters
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Chantale Callingham
Chantale Callingham has 12+ years of leadership experience in HR technology and global customer experience. Before Awardco she spent five years at O.C. Tanner, where she helped shape their client success strategy and drive improved client satisfaction and retention, and previously led teams at Ibex CX and Bond Brand Loyalty. She is known for a mentorship-driven, data-informed leadership style focused on client retention and strategic growth. She holds an MBA from the Australian Institute of Business.
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Kelly Satterfield
Kelly Satterfield is a strategic, data-driven HR leader with more than 15 years of experience. Satterfield has led global HR transformation across manufacturing, retail, and other complex, deskless workforce environments, building and scaling talent, total rewards, and employee experience functions and connecting people strategy to measurable business outcomes. She brings that practitioner-led perspective to Awardco’s clients, helping them design and scale recognition strategies that drive engagement, retention, and performance across both corporate and frontline populations.
SHRM certification has approved this webinar for 1 PDC toward SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP recertification. A program code will be provided at the end of the webinar.