Global Leadership Awards
The HBA Global Leadership Awards are peer-nominated and presented annually by HBA Central to recognize exceptional contributions by both individuals and HBA components. These prestigious awards celebrate outstanding leadership, service, and meaningful impact, honoring those who advance HBA's mission and strengthen its global professional community.
The 2026 Global Leadership Award honorees will be presented at HBA's Leadership Institute on 18 November, the last day of HBA's Annual Conference in Houston.
Award Categories & Criteria
Purpose: This award recognizes an exceptional member leader who has exemplified visionary leadership, measurable organizational impact, and strong engagement with members and stakeholders in the HBA community.
Criteria: Nominees should demonstrate excellence in:
- Providing visionary leadership that advances HBA's strategic priorities
- Delivering measurable impact through programs, initiatives, or organizational improvements
- Strengthening member engagement, volunteer leadership or stakeholder relationships
- Championing collaboration, innovation, and inclusive leadership across the HBA network
Eligibility: Open to all Global, Affinity Group, Regional, and Chapter leaders who have served in an HBA volunteer role for two plus years.
Who can nominate: Current member leaders and HBA staff
Purpose: This award recognizes an individual or group who has demonstrated commitment, passion, and a drive for results by developing and successfully launching a new process, product, service, or recognition initiative that positively benefits the HBA, its operations, and/or its financial sustainability.
Criteria: Nominees should demonstrate excellence in:
- Developing and successfully launching a new process, product, or initiative that benefits the HBA
- Demonstrating creativity, commitment, and a drive for results that bring innovation to life
- Creating measurable financial, operational, or organizational impact for the HBA
- Demonstrating potential for sustained, long-term value and benefit to the association
Eligibility: Open to all Global, Affinity Group, Regional, and Chapter leaders
Who can nominate: Current member leaders and HBA staff
Purpose: This award recognizes a regional council that has demonstrated exceptional performance and achieved measurable success in advancing membership, engagement, financial, operational, or other strategic goals across its region and chapters.
Criteria: Nominees should demonstrate excellence in:
- Achieving measurable membership growth and/or retention
- Delivering successful programs and driving strong participation and engagement
- Achieving financial goals or measurable financial growth
- Demonstrating strong collaboration, communication, and participation across the region
- Advancing the region's visibility through effective marketing or public relations efforts
Eligibility: Open to all regions
Who can nominate: Current member leaders and HBA staff
Purpose: This award recognizes an HBA chapter board that has demonstrated exceptional performance and achieved measurable success in advancing membership, engagement, financial, operational, and/or strategic goals while meeting HBA policies and exceeding the chapter's own expectations.
Criteria: Nominees should demonstrate excellence in:
- Achieving measurable membership growth and/or retention
- Delivering successful programs and drives strong participation and engagement
- Achieving financial goals or demonstrates measurable financial growth
- Demonstrating strong collaboration, communication, and participation across the region
- Advancing the chapter's visibility through effective marketing or public relations efforts
Eligibility: Open to all current chapters
Who can nominate: Current regional council leaders, chapter board leaders, and HBA staff.
Purpose: This award recognizes a Member Network (formerly known as an Affinity Group) that has demonstrated exceptional performance and achieved measurable success in advancing membership, engagement, financial, operational, and/or strategic goals while meeting HBA policies and exceeding the group's own expectations.
Criteria: Nominees should demonstrate excellence in:
- Achieving measurable membership growth and/or retention
- Delivering successful programs and drives strong participation and engagement
- Achieving financial goals or measurable financial growth
- Demonstrating strong collaboration, communication, and participation across the region
- Advancing the group's visibility through effective marketing or public relations efforts
Eligibility: Open to all current Member Network Groups
Who can nominate: Current Member Network members, regional council leaders, chapter board leaders, and HBA staff.
Purpose: This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated consistent, impactful leadership that advances their region and furthers HBA's mission.
Criteria: Nominees should demonstrate excellence in:
- Providing effective organizational leadership and contributes to strategic planning
- Collaborating effectively across functions, chapters, and other regional stakeholders
- Contributing to the region's financial success
- Supporting chapter initiatives, outreach and guiding chapter leaders
- Delivering quantifiable outcomes/impact that support the region's success and HBA's mission
Eligibility: Open to current regional council leaders (chair, deputy chair, treasurer, functional presidents, and chapter presidents)
Who can nominate: Current member leaders and HBA staff
Purpose: This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated consistent leadership that positively impacted their chapter and promoted excellence in furthering the HBA mission.
Criteria: Nominees should demonstrate excellence in:
- Providing effective leadership that advances the chapter's goals
- Collaborating effectively across chapter functions and with regional leaders
- Contributing to the chapter's financial success
- Delivering quantifiable outcomes/impact that support the chapter's success and HBA's mission
- Supporting member leaders and helping the chapter navigate change effectively.
Eligibility: Open to current chapter board leaders (president,vice president, chapter operations director and DALs)
Who can nominate: Current regional council leaders, chapter board leaders, and HBA staff
Purpose: This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated consistent leadership that positively impacted their Member Network and helped advance the HBA's mission.
Criteria: The nominee has significantly contributed to the group's leadership, strategic planning, decision-making and prioritization. They have collaborated cross functionally, and helped champion engagement and success that delivered results and impact for the group.
Eligibility: Open to all 2026 Member Network (Affinity Group) leaders
Who can nominate: All 2026 Member Network leaders and HBA staff
Purpose: This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated consistent leadership that advances relationships with Corporate Partners, fosters collaboration, and helps further HBA's mission.
Criteria: Nominees should demonstrate excellence in:
- Providing effective leadership that advances corporate relations goals
- Contributing to strategic planning, decision-making, and prioritization
- Collaborating effectively across functions and with chapters and regions
- Contributing to the financial success of the corporate relations function
- Championing positive change and supporting member leaders
Eligibility: Open to current Regional Corporate Relations Leaders
Who can nominate: Current regional council leaders and HBA staff.
Purpose: This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated consistent leadership that advances member and member leader engagement, fosters collaboration, and furthers the HBA mission.
Criteria for this award: Nominees should demonstrate excellence in:
- Providing effective leadership that advances member and member leader engagement goals
- Contributing to strategic planning, decision-making, and prioritization
- Collaborating effectively across functions and with chapters and regions
- Contributing to the financial success of the functional area
- Delivering quantifiable impact that increases member engagement rates
Eligibility for this award: Open to all Global, Affinity Group, Regional, Chapter Engagement/Member Experience/Volunteer Experience/Member and Volunteer Engagement Leaders
Who can nominate: Operating Board leaders responsible for engagement, member and volunteer experience, regional council leaders, chapter board leaders, and HBA staff.
Purpose: This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated consistent leadership that positively impacted HBA educational programming and events, fostered collaboration, and promoted excellence furthering the HBA mission.
Criteria: Nominees should demonstrate excellence in:
- Providing effective leadership that supports education, programming, and events.
- Contributing to strategic planning, decision-making, and prioritization.
- Collaborating effectively across functions and with chapters and regions.
- Contributing to the financial success of programs and events
- Delivering quantifiable impact that supports HBA programming and events
Eligibility: Open to all Global; Regional; Chapter Programming/Educations and Events
Who can nominate: Operating Board Members, regional council leaders, chapter board leaders, and HBA staff.
Purpose: This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated leadership in marketing and communications, elevating HBA's brand and visibility, engaging stakeholders and advancing the HBA's mission.
Criteria: Nominees should demonstrate excellence in:
- Providing strategic marketing and communications guidance that promotes HBA's mission and brand
- Developing innovative marketing and communications strategies that drive engagement and impact
- Collaborating effectively across functions, chapters, and regions to strengthen organizational outcomes
- Using data and audience insights to inform decisions and optimize results
- Delivering measurable outcomes/results that have enhanced HBA’s visibility and reach
Eligibility: Open to all Global; Affinity Group; Regional; Chapter Marketing and Communication Leaders.
Who can nominate: Operating Board, regional council leaders, chapter board leaders, and HBA staff.
Purpose: This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated exceptional leadership in creating, enhancing and delivering meaningful member value, fostering collaboration, and advancing HBA's mission.
Criteria: Nominees should demonstrate excellence in:
- Leading the development and delivery of innovative programs, services, or experiences that enhance member value.
- Identifying member needs and translating insights into impactful solutions and offerings.
- Collaborating effectively across functions, chapters, and regions to strengthen the member experience.
- Contributing to strategic planning and organizational priorities that increase member engagement and value.
- Championing innovation and improvement to ensure HBA delivers meaningful and evolving member benefits
Eligibility: Open to all Global, Regional, Member Value Offerings team members
Who can nominate: Operating Board, regional council leaders, chapter board leaders, and HBA staff.