PHOENIX, Ariz. – Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA), the trade association representing commercial service airports in the United States and Canada, last night announced the recipients of the 2022 Human Resources Excellence Recognition Program Awards. The winners were recognized during an awards gala dinner at the 2022 ACI-NA Business of Airports Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, which was attended by nearly 550 commercial management, business diversity, human resources, and finance professionals from the North American airport industry.
“The ACI-NA Human Resources Excellence Recognition Program Awards were created to celebrate airports’ achievements in recognizing the indispensable role that human resources play in the success of an airport,” said ACI-NA President and CEO Kevin M. Burke. “San Francisco International Airport and the Indianapolis Airport Authority stand out for their stellar contributions and investments in the people who make our airports work, and I congratulate their teams for their exemplary work.
Overall Human Resources Program Award Winner: San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
San Francisco International Airport centers its human resources efforts around employees as whole individuals — recognizing the importance of their wellbeing and sense of belonging, whether in the workplace, at home, or in the local community. In 2020, SFO’s People, Performance, and Development (PDD) Division partnered with its Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to create and adopt a Racial Equity Action Plan (REAP) — one of the most substantive transformations the airport has undertaken in the past decade, and one that continues to evolve over time. The REAP is a living document representing hundreds of collective hours of sharing, listening, innovating, and implementing meaningful solutions in hiring and recruitment, retention and promotion, and more. It marks an intentional, values-driven shift in airport culture and a commitment to maintaining a high standard of airport-wide equity and inclusivity.
“Our Racial Equity Action Plan is driving one of the most fundamental shifts ever undertaken in the culture of SFO,” said Ivar C. Satero, airport director for the San Francisco International Airport. “These guiding principles infuse every corner of our workplace to ensure that we demonstrate the very best values of our region. We are grateful to be honored by Airports Council International – North America for our efforts.”
Individual Topic – Change Management Program Award Winner: Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA)
Through the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indianapolis Airport Authority’s (IAA) Human Resources Department has continued its people-first mantra to not only ensure the health and safety of its employee base, but also to respond to changing workforce needs in areas of employee engagement, continual learning, developing young talent, and connecting with students, among other initiatives. The human resources team places a strong emphasis on fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion and understands the importance of adapting the principles of Change Management for a multi-generational workforce. To that end, IAA has created an industry-leading employee benefits program providing tuition assistance, daycare reimbursement, paid time off for community service, and more.
“Like many airports, the Indianapolis International Airport (IND), experienced an incredible amount of change through the challenges of the global pandemic,” said Mario Rodriguez, executive director of the Indianapolis Airport Authority. “However, we remained steadfast in our people-first mantra to not only ensure the health and safety of our employee-base, but also to adjust to the changing needs of a multi-generational workforce.”
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