Iconica’s Ashley Kowalchuk Named HR Rising Star

Congratulations to Ashley Kowalchuk, our Senior HR Manager, on winning the Human Resources Rising Star Award at the In Business Madison Executive Excellence Awards. The awards ceremony was held on August 20 at the Edgewater in Madison and recognized outstanding finance and human resources professionals from across the region.

The Rising Star category honors the accomplishments of younger professionals on track to become future leaders, and Ashley’s track record makes it clear why she was chosen. Over more than 15 years in HR, she has transformed onboarding and performance management processes, launched a coaching-based leadership program, and built strong talent pipelines with local schools and universities. Her work has helped Iconica earn the Wisconsin State Journal Top Workplaces award five years running.

Ashley’s leadership extends beyond our team. She serves as President of the Greater Madison Area SHRM chapter, and in July she stepped into a statewide role as District Director-Elect for WI SHRM.

“I was very honored and surprised,” Ashley told In Business Madison. “I didn’t expect it, but it’s a great honor.”

Reflecting on the current business environment, Ashley noted that finding and retaining talent remains the biggest challenge HR leaders face today. “It’s just trying to find top talent and keeping them engaged and retaining them at our organization, and something that we strive to do with how we interact with each other,” she said. “Our culture is really huge, and it’s about being kind of a big family at the end of the day.”

Congratulations, Ashley. This recognition is well deserved.

Read the full feature in In Business Madison. Interested in joining a team that invests in its people? Explore careers at Iconica.