Brandon, Man. — Horizon Family Brands has been awarded the Gold Award for Best Leadership Development Program in the 2026 Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards for a seven-month initiative developed with Talent Growth Partners (TGP).
International recognition for sustained leadership investment
The Brandon Hall Group awards, now in their 33rd year, evaluate programs on design, effectiveness, measurable results and business impact, judged by senior industry experts, practitioners and analysts. Horizon’s prize comes as the company pursues growth in better-for-you food and beverage categories while reinforcing commitments to sustainability and family-farm relationships.
According to the company, what began as a single cohort has expanded into multiple cohorts, ongoing executive coaching, alumni development and broader talent initiatives—creating a growing leadership ecosystem rather than a one-off training course. Horizon and TGP said they tailored the program around the leadership behaviours critical to Horizon’s strategy rather than using a pre-made curriculum.
“We’re building Horizon for significant long-term growth,” said Tyler Holm, chief executive officer of Horizon Family Brands.
Program design and business outcomes
The partners combined Hogan personality assessments, executive coaching, peer accountability, executive sponsorship and applied work on real business challenges. Horizon reports concrete outcomes from the program, cited in the company release:
- Full return on program investment in less than one year.
- 94 per cent participant satisfaction (as reported by the company).
- Expansion from a single cohort to an ongoing leadership ecosystem including alumni development and multiple cohorts.
Those results were highlighted by the Brandon Hall Group’s judging criteria, which place emphasis on measurable business impact and the program’s ability to scale with the organisation’s needs.
| Feature | Reported outcome |
|---|---|
| Program length | Seven months |
| Return on investment | Full ROI in <1 year |
| Participant satisfaction | 94% |
Why the award matters to employers in Manitoba
For Brandon employers and community organisations, the accolade underlines two lessons: tailored leadership development that aligns with an organisation’s strategy can generate measurable value, and investing in internal talent pathways may deliver rapid returns.
Local workplaces that face recruitment challenges across sectors — from manufacturing and retail to health care and agri-food — often look to a mix of external hiring and internal development. Horizon’s approach, which focused on specific leadership behaviours and applied workplace projects, offers a replicable model for organisations seeking to strengthen decision-making, accountability and succession planning without relying solely on external hires.
Experts who assess such programs typically look for evidence that leadership development changes workplace behaviour and produces business results. The Brandon Hall Group’s international judging process adds an external validation layer that employers here can cite when evaluating training partners or building internal programs.
Next steps and broader context
Horizon said the initial program has become a broader ecosystem featuring executive coaching and alumni support. That continuity—moving participants from a single cohort into a sustained leadership community—is presented as central to the program’s rapid return on investment.
While the award is an external recognition of program quality, Brandon-area organisations should weigh local labour market conditions and budget constraints when considering similar investments. Leadership development programs vary widely in cost and design; Horizon’s reported outcomes will be of particular interest to human-resources leaders and executives seeking evidence of quick, measurable impact.
The Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards remain one of the better-known international evaluation platforms for human capital management initiatives, and this year’s Gold for Horizon Family Brands draws attention to how purpose-built development efforts can support growth strategies in the food and beverage sector—and beyond.
For local employers, the takeaway is straightforward: targeted leadership development that ties directly to business challenges can pay back quickly and build enduring internal capacity.
