Manage HR Magazine: Awards Ranking
Manage HR Magazine proudly presents the Chief People Officer of the Year 2026, recognizing professionals who enhance workforce well-being through innovative benefits strategies and people-focused leadership. These leaders develop benefits programs that align employee expectations with organizational priorities while supporting a positive workplace experience. Their leadership helps organizations strengthen talent retention and respond to evolving workforce needs, enabling companies to build a more engaged workforce while supporting long-term business success.
Chief People Officer of the Year - 2026
Ryan Elberg
Chief People Officer, Albert
Ryan Elberg leads people strategy at Albert, an AI-powered financial assistant that manages your money for you and brings budgeting, saving, investing, identity protection and more under one roof. His path there runs through Datadog, Coast and Albert, three very different rooms that taught him the same lesson from different angles. The quality of a company is set by the quality of the bar it refuses to lower. That conviction, tested and sharpened across hypergrowth, fintech and now a profitable consumer platform, has earned him recognition as Chief People Officer of the Year 2026.
