Insider Spotlight
The approach has also brought industry recognition. Maya secured seven honors at the 2026 Stevie® Awards for Great Employers across AI-enhanced recruitment, employer branding, onboarding, employee engagement and people leadership.
Why it matters
Rather than positioning AI as a substitute for people, Maya is using the technology to reduce friction in talent processes. AI-assisted search helps recruiters identify candidates based on relevant skills and experience, while AI-assisted outreach enables more personalized conversations. Final hiring decisions remain with recruiters and business leaders.
Maya is also redesigning the experience around recruitment. Candidates are given a clearer view of roles, expectations and opportunities before applying, while new hires receive structured support from preboarding through integration. Engagement initiatives, meanwhile, aim to connect employees more closely with customers, recognition, wellbeing and the company's broader purpose.
“For us, being AI-first is not about replacing human judgment. It is about using technology to remove friction, make better decisions and help people focus on work that creates value,” said Carla G. Lanza, chief people officer of Maya. “We are applying the same attention to simplicity, relevance and experience that shapes our products to how we build our teams and culture.”
The recognition
Maya received a Silver Stevie® for Experience-Driven Employer Branding and Bronze awards for AI-enabled hiring, employee engagement and onboarding, according to a company release. Lanza also won Silver for Chief Human Resources Officer of the Year.
Andrea Agatha Pascual, employee engagement manager, received Gold for Employee Engagement Professional of the Year, while Rose Ann Belangoy, senior lead for payroll, earned Bronze for Benefits or Payroll Professional of the Year.
Zoom out
Maya says AI is already embedded across customer acquisition, personalization, service, credit, fraud prevention, operations and talent, backed by governance and human oversight.
More than 160 professionals worldwide participated in judging this year's Stevie honorees, while Employer of the Year categories combined judges' ratings with more than 178,000 public votes.
The bigger picture
Maya's workforce strategy shows how AI adoption is moving beyond customer-facing products into the systems companies use to compete for talent—while keeping people responsible for the decisions that matter. —Princess Daisy C. Ominga| Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
