Hort Innovation has been recognised on the global stage, taking home a Gold Brandon Hall Group™ Excellence Award for the SPROUT Onboarding Program, a people-first initiative designed to welcome, connect and empower new team members from day one.  

The award was nominated in the Best New Hire Onboarding Program category, which celebrates top people management programs across learning, talent, leadership, and the future of work. The win places Hort Innovation alongside global leaders such as Google, McDonald’s, Accenture, and PepsiCo, all of whom were evaluated against a rigorous set of criteria. Entries were assessed by a panel of industry experts.  

Sprout was developed by Hort Innovation to create a consistent, engaging and values-aligned onboarding experience. The program combines personal connection and tailored learning pathways to help new starters feel supported and confident as they begin their journey with the organisation.  

Mona Maidment, General Manager of People and Culture at Hort Innovation reflected on the win: “This award is a significant accomplishment for our team and reflects the care we put into creating meaningful employee experiences. Sprout is more than an onboarding program, it’s a way to connect people to our purpose, culture and community from day one. We’re thrilled to see it recognised as best practice on a global scale.”  

Hort Innovation’s win also provides a valuable opportunity to benchmark its onboarding approach against global standards and continue evolving its people practices in line with industry best practice.