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Join the Brandon Hall Group Excellence Council

A private network of award-winning HR and Learning leaders shaping the future of Human Capital Management.

Apply to become part of a curated community of senior HR and Learning professionals who contribute to Brandon Hall Group research, influence industry direction, and collaborate in a confidential peer network free from vendor influence.

Why the Excellence Council Matters

  • A Practitioner-Only Community for Real Insight

    The Excellence Council brings together corporate HR and Learning leaders to share real-world practices, challenges, and breakthroughs—where no vendors or solution providers are present.

  • Powered by the World’s Most Trusted Standard of Excellence

    Built on three decades of research and the insights behind the HCM Excellence Awards, the Council connects members to proven innovations, frameworks, and patterns Brandon Hall Group identifies across global transformation efforts.

  • Influence the Future of the Profession

    Council conversations directly shape Brandon Hall Group research, tools, frameworks, courses, and advisory priorities—your experience becomes part of the Institute.

  • High-Trust Peer Collaboration

    Members gain access to private roundtables, facilitated introductions, and candid conversations with leaders facing the same challenges.

Who Should Apply

Ideal Members:

  • CHROs, CLOs, CPOs, Talent Leaders

  • Learning, Leadership Development, and Talent Management Executives

  • HR leaders overseeing transformation, employee experience, DEI, performance, capability building, or workforce strategy

  • Leaders operating at enterprise or regional scale

  • Professionals with demonstrated HCM excellence (including current or past Award winners)

Who Is Not Eligible:

  • Solution providers, consultants, agencies, or vendors
    (For Council integrity and psychological safety) 

Council Membership Experience

Members Gain Access To:

  • Private, off-the-record peer gatherings (virtual and in person)

  • Early insights and pattern recognition from BHG award analysis & research

  • Opportunities to influence BHG frameworks, tools, and learning assets

  • The ability to contribute to thought leadership (Faculty, research, case studies)

  • A community built on trust, independence, and practical wisdom

Some Photos from our Excellence Council
Mike Ash Chestnut
Rachel and WIL Advisory
Michael Karla Dom
Inclusive leader panel
AI Leadership panel 2

Excellence Council Application

Supported by Brandon Hall Group’s 30 Years of Insights

Our global research, HCM Excellence Awards, and Brandon Hall Institute serve tens of thousands of practitioners every year. Excellence Council members sit at the center of this ecosystem and help shape what excellence looks like next. 

Excellence Council Structure

Our Councils are organized to ensure relevant, high-value peer engagement across roles, industries, and regions.

The Brandon Hall Group Excellence Council is not a single, generic group.
It is a network of focused councils designed to bring together leaders with shared responsibilities, challenges, and strategic priorities—ensuring every conversation is relevant, practical, and experience-driven.

Functional Excellence Councils

By role and domain expertise

  • Learning Excellence Council

  • Talent Excellence Council

  • Human Resources Excellence Council

  • Talent Acquisition Excellence Council

  • Leadership Development Excellence Council

  • Women in Leadership Excellence Council (by invitation)

These councils connect practitioners with similar responsibilities to exchange real-world insights, lessons learned, and emerging best practices.

Industry Excellence Councils

By sector-specific challenges

  • Healthcare

  • Financial Services & Banking

  • Technology

  • Manufacturing

  • Retail

  • More to come

Industry councils focus on context-specific realities, regulations, workforce dynamics, and transformation challenges unique to each sector.

 

Regional Excellence Councils

By geography and market dynamics

  • United States

  • Canada

  • EMEA

  • APAC

  • Latin America 

Regional councils enable leaders to share insights shaped by local labor markets, regulations, culture, and economic conditions.

 

 

Members may participate in one or more councils based on role, experience, and interests.
Council alignment is finalized during the application review process to ensure the most valuable peer experience.

FAQ's

What is the cost?

The Excellence Council is free to qualified practitioners. Selection is limited to ensure quality and diversity of perspective.

How often does the Council meet?

Quarterly virtual roundtables + opportunities for research input + optional in-person gatherings.

What is expected of members?

Excellence Council membership is designed to be meaningful, flexible, and experience-driven.

Members are expected to:

  • Participate in periodic peer discussions or roundtables when possible

  • Share perspectives grounded in real-world experience, including lessons learned and practical insights

  • Engage in conversations with professionalism, openness, and respect for confidentiality

  • Support the collective mission of shaping Brandon Hall Group research, frameworks, and guidance

From time to time, members may also be invited to contribute short-form, publishable thought leadership, such as:

  • Written insights or brief perspectives

  • Direct quotes or commentary for research, reports, books, and the Brandon Hall Group Magazine

  • Participation in webinars, podcasts, or virtual discussions

All contributions are optional, curated, and designed to highlight practitioner expertise—not create additional workload. There are no sales expectations, quotas, or mandatory deliverables.

What happened to the Brandon Hall Group Faculty?

Brandon Hall Group Faculty has not gone away- it has evolved.

We are relaunching Faculty under new guidance to better align with the Excellence Council and our broader mission to elevate practitioner-led insight. Faculty now represents a more curated group of experienced leaders whose real-world expertise directly informs Brandon Hall Group research, frameworks, tools, certifications, and events.

This evolution ensures that Faculty insights are deeply integrated across the Brandon Hall Institute and grounded in proven, award-winning practices.

Can you share examples of Brandon Hall Group’s thought leadership and practitioner insights?

Brandon Hall Group has a long history of elevating practitioner voices and experience-based insight across multiple platforms.

Our work includes:

  • Hundreds of research notes drawn from interviews and perspectives shared by HR and Learning leaders within our member community

  • Thought leadership video series recorded with senior practitioners at events such as the 2025 HCM Excellence Conference

  • The annual HR Outlook Book, featuring expert commentary and practitioner perspectives on key workforce trends

  • Brandon Hall Group Magazine, which regularly highlights quotes, insights, and lessons learned from industry thought leaders

  • Research, frameworks, tools, and certifications informed by real-world practices from award-winning organizations

The Excellence Council builds on this foundation by creating a more structured, practitioner-only environment where these insights are developed collaboratively and translated into guidance that shapes the future of Human Capital Management.

👉 Link to 2025 HCM Excellence Conference Thought Leadership Video Series

How is the Excellence Council different from other advisory boards or peer groups?

The Excellence Council is practitioner-only, independent of vendor influence, and built on more than 30 years of Brandon Hall Group research and award-winning insights.

Unlike traditional advisory boards or analyst communities, the Council connects leaders directly to a trusted peer network while enabling their experience to shape the research, frameworks, and tools used by organizations worldwide.

Why are solution providers and consultants not eligible for the Excellence Council?

The Excellence Council is intentionally designed as a practitioner-only environment to ensure open, candid, and experience-driven dialogue among corporate HR and Learning leaders.

To create the level of trust required for meaningful peer exchange, the Council does not include solution providers, consultants, agencies, or vendors. This allows members to speak freely about challenges, decision-making processes, lessons learned, and outcomes—without the presence of commercial influence or sales dynamics.

Brandon Hall Group remains deeply engaged with solution providers through research, events, and the HCM Excellence Awards. However, the Excellence Council serves a distinct purpose: protecting a high-trust space where practitioners can learn from one another and contribute insights that shape our research, frameworks, and tools.