Plum has just earned one of the most prestigious accolades in HR technology … again. The Waterloo-based talent assessment company’s Plum Role Model™ has been named one of the 2025 Top HR Products of the Year by HR Executive and the HR Technology Conference, recognized for turning job descriptions into science-backed hiring blueprints in seconds.

“We know how big an honour it is to win this,” said Plum CEO and co-founder Caitlin MacGregor. “This is not like a pay-to-play award. This is the most recognized award in our industry. The competition was really fierce. To be able to break through all that noise and be one of the winners, especially when most competitors are very large, well-established enterprise companies, is a really big deal.”

From startup to industry disruptor

Plum’s story begins in 2012, when MacGregor and her team set out with three guiding pillars: best-in-class science, an exceptional user experience, and the ability to scale. Just a year in, they joined Communitech’s accelerator program, moved to Waterloo, and secured their first $40,000 investment.

“The reason we stayed in Waterloo is the combination of the support from the ecosystem and the quality of life,” MacGregor said. “The people who are here want that work-life balance and positive company culture.”

Over the years, Plum has disrupted the decades-old behavioural assessment industry, which MacGregor says “has been around since the Second World War.” The Plum platform measures what the company calls “durable skills”, such as adaptability, communication, and problem-solving, to match people to the roles where they’ll succeed.

The latest innovation, Plum Role Model, eliminates what was once an eight-minute survey for each role, replacing it with an instant, bias-free match powered by a vetted public database.

“Now you can match every person to every role, and every role to every person instantly,” MacGregor said. “That instant is a big deal. Whether you’re a 22-person startup making your most important hire or a large enterprise with 2,500 roles.”

Scaling globally, staying local

Plum’s client list includes major enterprises like Scotiabank, Whirlpool, and Bloomberg. But recently, MacGregor has noticed momentum building in a new direction.

“We’re seeing a surge of SMBs and mid-market companies moving really quickly,” she said. “They recognize the cost of a bad hire and the importance of developing their employees, and Plum fits that exactly.”

Even as Plum scales globally, MacGregor sees untapped opportunity close to home, and she’s not alone in that belief.

“We’re fortunate to have an incredible concentration of industry-leading companies right here in Waterloo Region, Ontario, and across Canada,” she said.  “Yet there’s still untapped potential in how often we buy from and partner with each other locally. When a company is recognized as best-in-class in its field, and it’s right here in our own backyard, we shouldn’t take that for granted. Local should be first in line to support local.”

Too often, she says, companies feel they need to look elsewhere for customers or partners. But the truth is, Waterloo Region already has the talent, innovation, and proven solutions to meet those needs. For MacGregor, it’s an opportunity for forward-thinking CEOs to strengthen their own operations and the local economy by looking across the street before looking across the border.

Building for the future

With a growing team, a fresh local hire on the horizon, and award-winning tech in hand, Plum is doubling down on its Waterloo Region roots while exploring new markets.

For MacGregor, the formula for staying and scaling locally is a supportive ecosystem, high-quality talent and quality of life.

“My kids go to fantastic schools, and we live in a fantastic neighbourhood. Being able to raise our kids in a great community is a really strong part of the decision to stay.”

And now, with Plum Role Model™ turning heads in the HR tech world, MacGregor hopes more local leaders will look to homegrown innovators when building the future of work.