Phenom Earns 2026 H3 HR Advisors HCM Technology Signal Award for AI Maturity

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 23, 2026--

Phenom, the leader in applied AI with an infrastructure built specifically to redesign work operations, announced it has been recognized for AI Maturity with a 2026 HCM Technology Signal Award by H3 HR Advisors.

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According to the research firm: What distinguishes Phenom’s approach is the degree to which AI is applied across the entire talent lifecycle: from attraction through sourcing, screening, interviewing and internal mobility. Phenom’s platform is designed to reduce friction on both sides of the hiring market, helping organizations move faster while improving relevance and personalization for candidates. The dual focus on external candidates and existing employees, using similar intelligence models to support internal mobility and career development, reflects a view of talent pools as continuously evolving ecosystems rather than discrete pipelines.

“In a market full of noise, the organizations that stand out are the ones quietly solving meaningful problems for HR teams and employees every day,” said Trish Steed, CEO and Chief Strategy Officer at H3 HR Advisors. “The Signals Awards highlight technology that holds up in practice, adapts to change and helps organizations move forward with confidence. That kind of progress deserves to be recognized, and we congratulate the awardees.”

What AI Maturity Looks Like In Practice

HR leaders face mounting pressure to deploy AI fast, but without the right foundation, scattered point solutions rarely deliver measurable value. Research from Phenom's State of AI & Automation for HR: 2026 Benchmarks Report found that 83% of organizations still operate at low AI maturity across their talent strategies, even as the pressure to act intensifies.

Phenom’s approach to this challenge starts at the infrastructure level. More than a decade of purpose-built HR intelligence underpins a platform where Engines harmonize data across enterprise systems, Ontologies give AI the precision to read nuance across markets, geographies, and workforce conditions, and Agents reason, adapt, and escalate when human judgment is required. At the hypercell level, every workflow is further shaped by role, function, geography, and business strategy rather than executed through a generic template. The result is AI that operates with the specificity and governance enterprises actually need.

Phenom applies that same rigor to helping customers advance their own AI maturity. A proprietary AI & Automation Maturity Model, along with AI Bootcamps and a Value Acceleration Model, give organizations a way to assess where they are, identify high-impact gaps, prioritize next steps, and reach outcomes faster.

The maturity model maps organizations across two independent axes: automation (removing manual work) and intelligence (making better decisions), on a scale from manual processes (Level 0) to fully agentic operations (Level 5) across talent acquisition and management. For enterprises serious about AI, it turns ambition into an actionable plan.

Global enterprises are already realizing what AI depth and direction make possible:

“HR teams know AI matters, but they’re still trying to determine where it will create the most value. Our customers already know,” said John Deal, Sr. Director, Product Marketing at Phenom. “Faster hires, stronger pipelines, employees who stay, and recruiters focused on the work that actually requires human judgment. That’s what AI maturity looks like in practice, and it’s what Phenom was built to deliver.”

To learn about Phenom’s latest AI and automation innovations, watch its HR Innovation Showcase on demand.

About Phenom

Phenom is an applied AI company with the only AI infrastructure built specifically for HR. Powered by Engines that harmonize data, Ontologies that guide every decision, X AI that hyper-personalizes experiences, and Agents that work alongside teams, Phenom’s platform uses industry and business context to automate workflows, eliminate busywork, and enhance every experience while remaining compliant. Driven by a purpose to help a billion people find the right work, no other company is as dedicated to helping organizations hire faster, develop better and retain longer.

Phenom has earned accolades including: Inc. 5000’s fastest-growing companies (6 consecutive years), Deloitte Technology's Fast 500 (5 years), 11 Brandon Hall ‘Excellence in Technology’ awards including Gold for ‘Best Advance in Generative AI for Business Impact,’ Business Intelligence Group’s Artificial Intelligence Excellence Awards (3 consecutive years), The Cloud Awards 2025/2024, The A.I. Awards 2024, and a regional Timmy Award for launching and optimizing HelpOneBillion.com (2020).

Headquartered in Greater Philadelphia, Phenom also has offices in India, Israel, the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom.

For more information, please visit www.phenom.com. Connect with Phenom on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

Phenom announced it has been recognized for AI Maturity with a 2026 HCM Technology Signal Award by H3 HR Advisors. The recognition is for deeply embedding AI across the entire talent lifecycle to deliver quantifiable outcomes for global enterprises.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Union Pacific delivered 5% higher earnings in the first quarter as the railroad worked to prepare its case to convince regulators that its $85 billion acquisition of eastern rival Norfolk Southern is a good idea.

The Omaha, Nebraska-based railroad said Thursday that it earned $1.7 billion, or $2.87 per share, but it estimated that merger-related costs weighed down the results by 6 cents per share. That's still up from last year's $1.63 billion, or $2.70 per share. And the results topped the $2.86 per share that the analysts surveyed by FactSet Research expected.

Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena said the railroad continued to get more efficient during the quarter as it benefited higher rates even as it prepared its case for the merger. Vena said he's even more convinced now that creating the nation's first transcontinental railroad would be good for customers and the country because Union Pacific will be able to deliver goods more quickly at a lower cost.

“Service is going to be better. We provide more opportunity. We take trucks off of the highway and our employees are guaranteed jobs,” Vena said. “I think we’re more convicted now that this is good for country and good for Union Pacific. And financially, it is good for our shareholders.”

The railroad’s revenue grew 3% to $6.22 billion even though it hauled about 1% fewer shipments. That’s because the rates it charges continued to increase and the railroad benefited from fuel surcharge fees.

Union Pacific’s expenses also grew 3% to $3.76 billion.

The railroad affirmed its outlook for midsingle digit growth in its earnings per share this year in line with its long-term plan. It plans to invest $3.3 billion in its operation.

Union Pacific plans to resubmit its application to acquire Norfolk Southern next week. The U.S. Surface Transportation Board rejected the railroad's first request to approve the $85 billion merger because the regulators wanted more information. The STB hasn't yet decided whether the deal that would cut the number of major freight railroads down to five will enhance competition.

The deal has divided labor and the shippers who rely on both railroads. UP is already one of the biggest railroads and it serves the western United States. The nation's largest rail union and a number of the smaller ones supported the merger after Union Pacific promised that their workers would have jobs for life, but two of the other largest unions that represent engineers and track maintenance workers oppose it.

The railroads' customers are also split with trade groups representing chemical makers and agricultural businesses expressing concerns, but hundreds of other businesses lining up behind it. President Donald Trump has also said the deal sounds good to him.

Vena has argued that creating a railroad that stretches from coast to coast would be good for the economy because without the need for a hand-off between railroads in the middle of the country rail shipments would move faster, meaning it could better compete against trucking.

FILE - A Union Pacific worker walks between two locomotives that are being serviced in a railyard in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Dec. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Josh Funk, File)

FILE - A Norfolk Southern freight train rolls past the U.S. Steel's Clairton Coke Works, in Clairton, Pa., Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)