2024 Better Workplaces Challenge Cup: Which Finalist Will Change the Future of Workplace Tech?
Join us for SHRMLabs' Better Workplaces Challenge Cup (BWCC), where innovation in HR tech takes center stage. At our 4th annual in-person pitch fest, the most forward-thinking startups will present their WorkplaceTech solutions designed to address key HR challenges. After months of evaluation by HR and business leaders, our finalists, PeduL, Ovida, and eLockr are ready to compete for the $50K cash prize. Judged by Steve Browne, Amber Clayton, and Ian Chiu, one startup will emerge victorious. We are proud to have Sparrow, a leader in leave management solutions, as our sponsor for the finals, ensuring this event reaches new heights. Don't miss the event as we crown the 2024 BWCC champion!
Steve Browne
Steve Browne, SHRM-SCP is the Chief People Officer for LaRosa's, Inc., a regional Pizzeria chain. He has 35+ years working as an HR professional in a variety of industries. He has a globally recognized HR blog and author of three books, HR on Purpose !!, HR Rising !! and HR Unleashed !! He is a past member of the SHRM Board of Directors. Steve also runs a global HR network called the HR Net which reaches 15,000+ HR and business professionals weekly.
Amber Clayton, SHRM-SCP
Amber Clayton is the Senior Director of Knowledge Center Operations at SHRM. Amber leads a team of HR experts who field an average of 60,000 HR-related inquiries from members a year. She is frequently sought after as a speaker and expert for webinars, conferences, and media interviews. Amber co-hosts a podcast called Honest HR. She is SHRM-certified with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Baltimore. She also holds specialty credentials in California law, inclusive workplace culture, and workplace investigations. Prior to joining SHRM in 2011, she had years of HR experience in healthcare and retail.
Ian Chiu
For over 20 years, Ian has been an investor, entrepreneur, and advisor to education and technology companies. He has a deep global network in the education sector and brings a wealth of investing and board experience to the Owl Ventures team. Ian serves on the boards of Degreed, BenchPrep, LeLe Ketang, Sanjieke, and Abl and works closely with MasterClass. Prior to joining Owl Ventures, Ian led the education sector at Warburg Pincus and was a technology investor at Silver Lake Partners. Earlier in his career, Ian was a consultant at Bain & Company and also helped launch BigMachines, a SaaS company that was acquired by Oracle.
Ian serves on the Advisory Board for SEO, a non-profit that provides educational, career, and mentoring programs for young people from underrepresented communities. He is a member of the Advisory Council for Gladeo, a digital social enterprise dedicated to providing career guidance to underserved youth of diverse backgrounds. Ian was also the lead author of Caution: Watch for Scholarships Ahead, a practical guide for students to navigate the complex scholarship application process, which was endorsed by Stanford University’s Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid.
Ian is a graduate of Stanford University, where he earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering, with Distinction, and an M.S. in Industrial Engineering, with a concentration in technology management and entrepreneurship. He also received his M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar and Arbuckle Leadership Fellow.
Andy Biladeau
Andy brings 10+ years of experience as a Human Resources leader, practitioner, and consultant. He began his career at PwC, where he led global HR transformation engagements for Fortune 500 clients, founded PwC's Learning Solutions consulting practice, and served as the Product Owner for PwC's Change Navigator platform.
As Director of Talent Development at Target Corporation, Andy led a team responsible for Training, Leadership Development, and Change Management for over 100,000 store team members. During his time at Target, he also led the organizational readiness efforts for Target's enterprise Operating Model Transformation, impacting +2,000 retail stores and more than +250k employees.
As a founding team member at the Josh Bersin Company, Andy lead the HR Advisory Services practice and delivered consulting engagements across all areas of HR, serving many clients in the Fortune 100. Additionally, he served as the Chief Learning Officer for the Josh Bersin Academy.
Now the Chief Transformation Officer at SHRM, Andy drives the execution of the SHRM global strategy, ensuring the development and successful delivery of innovative products, unparalleled services and transformative experiences to the diverse audiences SHRM serves.
Deborah Hanus
Deborah Hanus is the CEO and co-founder of Sparrow, the first high-tech, high-touch leave management solution to help employers care for their people. By managing federal, state, and local leave compliance, Sparrow ensures employee leave is stress-free for human resources, payroll, compliance, managers, and employees. Before founding Sparrow, Deborah earned multiple engineering degrees from MIT, worked in Cambodia as a Fulbright Scholar, and started a Ph.D. in AI at Harvard. Under her leadership, Sparrow has quickly grown to impact hundreds of thousands of lives.
