Vena, the Intelligent Complete Planning platform loved by finance and trusted by business, today announced that it received recent recognition from the Brandon Hall Group in its 2023 HCM Excellence Awards™. The company received awards in the Leadership Development, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Talent Acquisition categories. This marks the second consecutive win for Vena in the last category, as the company took home honors in Talent Acquisition in 2022.
“We are honored to again receive recognition from the Brandon Hall Group,” said Tracey Mikita, Chief People Officer at Vena. “As Vena has grown as a business, we have scaled our people programs to keep pace with our growth into a global organization. This includes focusing in on and strengthening our leadership programs and doubling down on our ability to onboard, retain and engage employees. These investments have become competitive advantages for us as we recruit new employees across Canada, the U.S., U.K. and beyond.”
“As Vena has grown as a business, we have scaled our people programs to keep pace with our growth into a global organization. This includes focusing in on and strengthening our leadership programs and doubling down on our ability to onboard, retain and engage employees."
—Tracey Mikita
Chief People Officer, Vena
The 2023 Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards™ recognize best practices for initiatives in Learning and Development, Talent Management, Leadership Development, Talent Acquisition, Human Resources, Sales Performance, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and the Future of Work. Vena was recognized for the following initiatives:
Leadership Development, Best Advance in Leadership Development:
Vena received a silver award for Best Advance in Leadership Development for the expansion of its leadership development program into a three-year progressive curriculum. It has grown from one program and involves developing leadership skills at all levels of the organization, increasing retention of high-potential employees (HiPo) and closing identified skill gaps among newly promoted leaders.
The curriculum now comprises four programs: Early Foundations of Leadership to address future leaders (HiPo); Leadership Onboarding for newly promoted or new-to-Vena leaders; a redesigned Leadership Experience mid-level program; and the introduction of a Culture and Purpose program, all of which embody Vena’s Leadership Philosophy and CORE values.
Talent Acquisition, Best New Hire Onboarding Program: 
The company was recognized with a bronze award for its redesigned onboarding program with an emphasis on providing a collaborative experience to new hires and building rapport even before Day One. This includes a technology platform that automates and measures employee experiences, as well as covers need-to-know new hire information.
The onboarding program maintains a strong focus on Vena’s people-centric culture and values, including personalized journeys with just-in-time training that is fully automated and measured at every step to support ongoing evolution and improvement.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Best Use of Employee Resource Groups to Address DE&I:
Vena also received a bronze award for its deployment of a robust Employee Resource Group strategy to support the overall business objective of building and maintaining an inclusive workplace culture in which everyone has the freedom to be themselves.
From one group in 2018—Network4Women, which continues to serve as an inclusive group of women, gender non-conforming persons and their allies—the company now supports eight Vena Resource Groups in total:
- Vena Cares, which supports the organization’s charitable efforts and community service
- Melanite, a resource group for Vena’s Black employees and their allies
- Mental Health, to foster mental health and well-being throughout the company
- Spectrum, which serves as a resource group for Vena’s 2SLGBTQIA+ members and allies
- Va11y, a resource group that is focused on disability and accessibility advocacy
- Green Team, the company’s sustainability and green initiatives resource group
- Families, which fosters a sense of community, support and resources for employees in a family caregiver or ally role
"We’re overjoyed to receive this recognition for our efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as our investments in onboarding and developing future leaders,” said Vena CEO Hunter Madeley. “At Vena, we believe empowering employees to thrive fuels innovation and drives our success. These awards reflect our commitment to fostering a workplace in which all talent can maximize their potential. We truly appreciate the many individuals and teams across the organization who contribute their time, effort and passion to building and supporting an engaging and inclusive culture at Vena."
"At Vena, we believe empowering employees to thrive fuels innovation and drives our success. These awards reflect our commitment to fostering a workplace in which all talent can maximize their potential."
—Hunter Madeley
Chief Executive Officer, Vena
About Vena
Vena is the only Intelligent Platform for Complete Planning that’s natively integrated with Microsoft 365, empowering teams to plan the way they think. Vena streamlines financial and operational planning, reporting and analysis processes, and provides advanced analytics and modeling capabilities to help business, finance and operations leaders make informed business decisions. With Vena, you can leverage the power of Excel and AI-powered insights in a unified, cloud-based platform that enhances collaboration, scalability and security. Over 1,600 of the world’s leading companies rely on Vena to power their planning. For more information, visit venasolutions.com.
MEDIA CONTACT
Jonathan Paul
Senior Director, Content & Communications, Vena
jpaul@venacorp.com