The Excellence in Human Resource awards program recognizes distinguished HR professionals who build and nurture the talent within their organizations and have helped to elevate companies to the top of their industries. The Rising Star Award honors an up-and-coming star in the HR profession—an individual near the top of their organization's HR team—who has demonstrated extraordinary leadership skills and an ability to tackle difficult business challenges while enhancing the viability of HR.

"Kathleen is a true ‘leader' in every sense of the word," said Vivian Maza, chief people officer at Ultimate. "Ours is a company with a strong ‘People First' culture, which Kathleen has both embraced and helped advance. She puts our employees at the forefront and, in a relatively short period of time at Ultimate, has achieved significant companywide benefits enhancements, increased efficiencies for our open enrollment processes, and further developed programs serving our growing global market. Kathleen's remarkable trajectory has made a profound impact on our organization in a relatively short period of time—and she's just getting started."

"I am humbled to receive this recognition, and the nomination on behalf of Ultimate," said Pai. "It is truly inspiring to see the talent, passion, and dedication of our more than 4,200 employees. As we work together to improve the lives of all those we serve—from our customers to our communities—my colleagues and I remain focused on providing a productive, caring, and rewarding workplace for Ultimate's people."

Ultimate is a leading provider of cloud-based human capital management solutions, with more than 37 million people records in the Ultimate cloud. Ultimate's award-winning UltiPro delivers HR, payroll, talent, and time and labor management solutions that connect people with the information they need to work more effectively. Founded in 1990, Ultimate is headquartered in Weston, Florida, and employs more than 4,200 professionals. In 2018, Ultimate ranked #3 on Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For list, its seventh consecutive year in the top 25, and #1 on Fortune's Best Workplaces in Technology list for the third year in a row. In 2017, Ultimate ranked #7 on Forbes' list of 100 Most Innovative Growth Companies; #2 on People's 50 Companies That Care list; and the National Customer Service Association named Ultimate Service Organization of the Year in the Large Business category. Ultimate has more than 4,100 customers with employees in 160 countries, including Bloomin' Brands, Culligan International, Feeding America, Major League Baseball, Red Roof Inn, SUBWAY, Texas Roadhouse, and Yamaha Corporation of America. More information on Ultimate's products and services for people management can be found at www.ultimatesoftware.com.

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