Centre of excellence

Your trusted partner in strategy design

Awardco’s Centre of Excellence brings together industry-leading experts, strategic advisors and hands-on practitioners to elevate recognition programmes and drive client success at scale.

meet our team

Leaders in strategy,
partners in success

With decades of global experience, the COE delivers tailored support in programme design, strategy and execution, building and optimising proven solutions that drive real results.

Cali Hyde
Head of Strategic Accounts
Cali Hyde

With over nine years of experience in SaaS and professional services, Cali Hyde brings strategic depth and business acumen to the Centre of Excellence. Currently Awardco’s Head of Strategic Sales, Cali has led enterprise sales, proposal strategy and global development across markets in both the U.S. and Europe. Her cross-functional leadership and passion for scalable, strategic solutions make her an essential voice in aligning COE initiatives with client needs and business growth.

 
Chantale Callingham
VP of Client Success
Chantale Callingham

Chantale Callingham is Vice President of Client Success and leads Awardco’s Centre of Excellence, bringing 15+ years of experience in SaaS and enterprise strategy. A certified PMP and MBA, she’s known for people-first leadership, building inclusive global teams, and driving measurable impact. Chantale’s career includes roles at Fortune 500s and leading tech firms, always focused on transforming customer experiences. Passionate about equity, belonging, and innovation, she challenges the status quo and fosters strategic partnerships to scale meaningful workplace recognition and culture.

 
Christi Gilhoi
Corp. Integration - Emp. Experience
Christi Gilhoi

Christi is an Employee Experience executive with leadership roles at Qualcomm, Okta, and Cisco, bringing deep expertise in building and scaling global recognition programs for organizations of 40,000+ employees. With hands-on experience across the full program lifecycle—from business case development and securing executive buy-in to change management and successful launches—she understands the client perspective inside and out. Now consulting with Team Awardco, Christi serves as a practitioner resource, helping clients drive meaningful employee engagement and operational excellence through strategic recognition initiatives.

 
Katie Bundy
Rewards & Recognition Leader
Katie Bundy

Katie Bundy brings deep strategic expertise to the Centre of Excellence after 17 years at J.P. Morgan, where she led initiatives across Sales, Finance and Employee Experience. She co-led the rollout of Awardco’s platform to 290,000+ global employees, boosting recognition satisfaction by 17%. Katie’s strength lies in aligning programme strategy with business needs through thoughtful design, change management and executive engagement—making her a key player in shaping scalable, effective client programmes.

 
Laura Shanley
Employee Experience Advisor
Laura Shanley

A trusted expert in programme implementation and optimization, Laura Shanley has led Awardco initiatives from the client side and now consults for multiple organisations navigating complex launches. With hands-on experience from Okta, DocuSign and Qualcomm, Laura brings unmatched insight into the nuances of R&R vendors and platform design. Her ability to build scalable, efficient programmes on tight timelines makes her an essential partner in delivering client success through the COE.

 
Nick Frazier
Senior Director of CS & Ops
Nick Frazier

Nick Frazier serves as Senior Director of Client Success and Operations for Awardco EMEA, bringing years of operational expertise and global leadership to the Centre of Excellence. With a background in human resource management, data analytics and a tenure of over seven years at Awardco, Nick has played a pivotal role in scaling service operations across regions. His strategic oversight and cross-functional insight into client success operations help the COE deliver scalable, sustainable processes that meet the evolving needs of a global customer base.

 
Sarah Marrs
Centre of Excellence Global Lead
Sarah Marrs

As Awardco’s Global COE Lead, Sarah Marrs combines academic insight with real-world experience to help clients create high-impact, evidence-based programmes. With nine years at Qualtrics leading EX strategy for global enterprises and a doctorate in Evidence-Based HR in progress, Sarah brings both credibility and creativity to every initiative. Her passion for organisational psychology and hands-on collaboration makes her a driving force behind the COE’s mission to elevate the employee experience at every stage.

 
ShaNae McCleskey
Director, Technical Account Services
ShaNae McCleskey

As Director of Technical Account Services, ShaNae McCleskey brings cross-functional expertise in technical implementation, client management and operational delivery. With a background spanning enterprise rollouts, emergency services, education and wellbeing industries, ShaNae is uniquely equipped to manage complexity with precision and care. Her ability to lead with clarity and anticipate client needs makes her an invaluable resource to the COE—bridging strategy and execution for seamless, scalable outcomes.

 

Centre of Excellence services

Providing tailored guidance on rewards budgeting, programme deployment, implementation and much more to ensure impactful employee experiences.

Strategic expertise rooted in real-world success
Backed by real-world experience leading global recognition programmes, our team pairs deep product expertise with benchmark-driven insights to deliver strategic guidance that drives measurable results.
You receive:
  • Strategic guidance backed by experience leading global recognition programmes
  • Deep product knowledge paired with benchmark-driven insights
  • Focused solutions that deliver measurable business impact
Tailored programme advisory and business consultation
Every organisation is at a different stage in its recognition journey, which is why we offer tailored consultation, including ROI strategies, business case development, governance and budget modelling, communication planning and global stakeholder alignment.
You receive:
  • Support for every stage of the recognition journey
  • Custom strategies aligned to business goals and scale
  • Guidance across ROI, governance, communication, and adoption
Research-backed strategy
Recognition transforms organisations. Through research, community and client collaboration, we help build programmes that inspire, connect and grow with the business.
You receive:
  • Insights driven by industry research and client collaboration
  • Program design rooted in connection, growth, and evolution
  • Access to a community of practitioners and proven best practices
Thanks to Christi and the Awardco Center of Excellence, we now have a strong thought partner that shares new and different strategies to help us further elevate the Americare recognition experience. We have tested the market, and this collaborative consultation and creative problem solving from recognition practitioners differentiates Awardco. In practice, it has built our confidence that we have business partners who are sincerely invested in helping us take recognition from being a perk to a powerful strategic driver that delivers tangible impact.
Sarah Mazzocco
Chief People Officer

Personalised advice from experts in the field

Awardco’s Centre of Excellence is designed to provide you with the guidance you need from experts you trust.