EMPLOYEES AS ROLE MODELS: PALFINGER WINS HR INSIDE AWARD 2026

117 employees, 117 personal stories: With its global Role Model campaign, PALFINGER put people from different regions with diverse roles and career paths in the spotlight. The company was recognized for this achievement as the winner of the “Diversity & Sustainability” category of the HR Inside Award 2026.

Authentic stories showcase the diverse career paths at PALFINGER. Employees share insights into their personal journeys, making them role models for others. With the global Role Model campaign, PALFINGER highlighted people and their strengths within the company, providing inspiration and guidance for colleagues worldwide.

At the HR Inside Summit held at the Vienna Hofburg on October 14, the PALFINGER campaign was named the winner in the “Diversity & Sustainability” category. Together with BearingPoint, Generali, ÖBB und der Raiffeisenlandesbank NÖ-Wien, PALFINGER was among the five finalists and impressed the 13-member expert jury.

The “Diversity & Sustainability” category recognizes projects that promote diversity, inclusion and equal opportunities while also focusing on sustainability and social responsibility – topics at the heart of the Role Model campaign. A total of 120 projects were submitted for the HR Inside Award, one of the leading awards for HR work in the German-speaking region.

“At PALFINGER, we are very proud of our corporate culture: performance-driven, supportive and open-minded. Our Role Model campaign puts exactly that in the spotlight. 117 role models from all regions show what makes them unique and what connects us all: diversity, respect and collaboration,” says Maria Koller, CHRO at PALFINGER.

PALFINGER Role Models: 315 nominations, 117 portraits

The campaign began with the question of how to make more female role models visible in a male-dominated industrial company. With women making up around 14 percent of the workforce across the company, PALFINGER set out to increase the visibility of women and create relatable role models. The approach was later expanded to portray women and men from different regions and areas of work. Employees worldwide were able to nominate colleagues. The decisive factor was why someone was perceived as a role model. Function and hierarchy were irrelevant. The focus was on recognizing commitment and performance.

The 315 nominations resulted in 117 personal portraits, which were published over a period of nine months on internal channels, including the PALFINGER intranet, as well as on posters at PALFINGER locations. The portraits achieved a high reach via the intranet and received positive feedback. Overall, the campaign made an important contribution to an inclusive and collaborative corporate culture at PALFINGER.

Diversity as part of Strategy 2030+

The Role Model campaign is anchored in the strategic “Strengthening Brand & Culture” program. It makes diversity and belonging visible within the corporate culture and supports talent acquisition, development of young talent and employer branding. The momentum created by the campaign continues even after its conclusion: it serves as a starting point for further initiatives relating to diversity and cultural change at PALFINGER.

Selected portraits of employees are available here: This is us