Twenty-five years ago, Nickle LaMoreaux landed an HR internship position at IBM while studying industrial relations at Cornell University; the following year, she was offered a role as a recruiting and talent manager. At the time, she envisioned the gig as a "quick stop" in HR, to get her professional feet wet and make some money before starting law school.

Today, she sits in the CHRO office of the tech giant, overseeing the entire global people operations for the more than 250,000-person IBM workforce. This week, LaMoreaux was named 2024 HR Executive of the Year by leading media outlet HR Executive, which has recognized the top leader in the function annually since 1989. The award, which is judged by HR experts and former winners, recognizes an HR leader's outstanding and strategic contributions to their organization and the HR field as a whole.

Judge Peter Fasolo, CHRO of Johnson & Johnson and the 2022 HR Executive of the Year, calls LaMoreaux a "role model for our profession."