The Stevie® Awards are delighted to announce the seven distinguished professionals who will chair the judging committees of the 2025 (19th annual) Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service competition.

The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service are the world's top sales awards, customer service awards, business development awards, contact center awards, and more.

This year's Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners in the program were announced on March 6. All winners will be celebrated during an award ceremony on April 10 in New York City.

The seven committee chairs were invited to chair based on their professional experience and expertise. Judging chairs helped to form their committees, each of which is comprised of other professionals from around the globe. Learn more about the Stevie Awards judging process here. 

Here are this year's judging committee chairs:

Business Development & Thought Leadership Awards Judging Committee 
Chair: Will Milano, Principal, Paramount Professional Services Marketing, Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Will has been a senior marketing leader in the corporate training and performance improvement industry for over 16 years. Most recently, he spent over 9 years as Chief Marketing Officer for Integrity Solutions, a Nashville, Tennessee-based sales training firm that has won over a dozen Stevie Awards in recent years. His focus in the industry has been growing brands that were previously "best-kept secrets", raising their market visibility and differentiation, driving demand and revenue growth strategies, and fostering customer engagement and retention.

Overall, Will has almost 25 years of experience in professional services marketing. He focuses on the four essential elements of B2B marketing strategy: brand strategy, demand generation, and customer acquisition, customer engagement & retention, and sales enablement. He is now the Principal of Paramount Professional Services Marketing, providing consulting and fractional CMO services to a variety of professional services organizations. Will has been the host of the very popular Mental Selling podcast since late 2021 and has been interviewed on a variety of other podcasts, sharing his insights on B2B marketing and thought leadership strategies.

Customer Service & Contact Center Achievement Awards Judging Committee
Chair: Mr. Yuji Hamamoto, President and CEO, Inspiro, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Yuji Hamamoto is the President and CEO of Inspiro, leading over 11,000 customer champions across 12 international locations. With more than three decades of diversified global experience with Mitsui & Co., he has held senior-level positions in sales and marketing, finance and investments, trading, project development and implementation, and operations management in the ICT and electronics business sector.

Since assuming his current role in 2020, Yuji has steered Inspiro into becoming an industry-recognized leader in global digital customer experience (CX) outsourcing. His focus on enhancing agent experience, improving customer experience, and optimizing operational efficiency in leading successful DX initiatives for network optimization, infosec augmentation, data consolidation, and analytics has driven outstanding results and significant growth. His leadership has notably earned the company global accolades for its excellence in management, customer service delivery, customer and agent experience, and innovative technology.

Educated at Keio University, Tokyo, with a BA degree in Political Science, Yuji’s professional journey has spanned multiple continents, including Asia, North and South America, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Russia, and the CIS countries. Today, he operates from Inspiro’s headquarters in Makati City, Philippines.

Customer Service Department & Customer Service Success Awards Judging Committee
Chair: Angela Blevins, Vice President, Club and Owner Services, Hilton Grand Vacation Club, Plainfield, Indiana, United States

Angela serves in a senior leadership role as Vice President of Club and Owner Services for Hilton Grand Vacations. She is responsible for the world-class customer service experience for close to a million customers. Prior to Hilton Grand Vacations, Angela served as Bluegreen Vacations Senior Vice President of Club Services and Customer Care, as well as a member of the Executive Committee, and was responsible for directing the induction, retention, and relationship development of all Bluegreen owners. Along with her team of contact center professionals, Ms. Blevins is focused on driving innovation and leveraging 360-degree customer data to deliver exceptional customer satisfaction and continuous product improvement.

Angela joined Bluegreen in 2003 as Director of Contact Center operations in the company’s Indianapolis office. She was promoted to Vice President of Customer Engagement and Shared Servicing in 2005 and was appointed to the Board of Directors for the Bluegreen Vacation Club in 2016. Prior to joining Bluegreen Vacations, Ms. Blevins was the Director of Contact Center and Program Management at Telamon Corporation in Indianapolis, Indiana, where she served as the company’s customer service architect, developing and implementing business processes to support client services, field sales, and delivering contract requirements. She also led contact center operations at Aspen Systems Corporation in her native Indianapolis.

Ms. Blevins has been recognized for her innovative and engaging leadership in customer service, earning a Silver Stevie Award for Customer Service for five consecutive years, 2012 – 2016. She was named an “Influential Woman of Northwest Indiana” finalist for the Northwest Indiana Influential Women Association for three consecutive years, 2014 – 2016. She also earned a Bronze Stevie Award in 2013 and was named a Woman of the Year finalist in the same year, along with various other individual and team industry awards.

Customer Service & Contact Center Individual & Team Awards
Chair: Lisa P Oswald, Senior Vice President, Global Customer Service, Travelzoo, New York, New York, United States

Lisa P. Oswald is senior vice president and global head of customer service at Travelzoo, supporting its 30 million members and client network since 2011. Previously, she was vice president of operations and customer service for Priceline, where she led sales and service for the dot com and its affiliate partner network for a decade-plus.

Lisa is an Advisory Board member with Execs In The Know, a founding and exclusive community of women executives at leading travel brands, and a strategy advisor with SOCAP International, the customer care industry’s membership association. She is a past recipient of the Gold Stevie Award® for Customer Service Executive of the Year from The American Business Awards, and the Travelzoo service team is the recipient of numerous excellence awards from the British Travel Awards and Stevie Awards®, including the People's Choice Award for Favorite Customer Service.

Sales Achievements & Sales Distinction Awards Judging Committee
Chair: Tunde Hubina, Vice President of Client Services, Startek, Miami, Florida, United States

Tunde Hubina is a visionary leader in customer experience and sales, with over 20 years of expertise spanning the Telecommunications, Healthcare, and Automotive industries. As Vice President of Client Services at Startek, Tunde drives strategic account growth and manages relationships with Fortune 500 clients.

Known for blending operational excellence with cutting-edge innovations, Tunde excels in devising and executing strategies to lead large-scale transformation programs, redefine employee engagement, elevate customer experiences, and deliver measurable business impact.

Sales Individual & Sales Team Awards
Chair: Zeki Yuksekbilgili, Founder & Trainer, Yuksekbilgili Training and Consulting Services, Istanbul, Türkiye

Zeki Yuksekbilgili, an accomplished individual, holds a doctorate degree in Business Management. He is widely recognized as the visionary behind Yuksekbilgili Training Co., one of Türkiye's largest training companies. Moreover, he serves as a distinguished lecturer at Istanbul Gelisim University.

His teachings primarily revolve around Marketing Management, Sales Management, and Research Methodology. With an extensive professional background spanning over 20 years, Zeki Yuksekbilgili has successfully delivered training programs to over 50,000 individuals across more than 500 companies in the past decade. Additionally, he has authored 20 books on marketing management, sales, and training.

Solution Provider, Solutions & Implementation Awards Judging Committee 
Chair: Paul McGee, VP Employee & Customer Success, Toco Warranty, West Hills, California, United States

Paul McGee is a business strategist with an artist’s passion specializing in customer experience, brand management, and employee retention. A 12-time judge and 2-time chairperson for the Stevie Awards, Paul brings over 25 years of management expertise spanning strategy, operations, and marketing. His executive leadership has shaped high-performing organizational cultures and driven exceptional customer outcomes.

Paul holds an MBA and three bachelor’s degrees from Boise State University, including Teaching and Theatre Arts, and is also a licensed real estate and insurance agent. An accomplished actor and director, Paul serves on the Board of Governors at Theatre 68 in NYC and LA. He draws parallels between the stage and the boardroom, believing that empowered teams—like actors free to express creativity—are the key to successful businesses.

Paul resides in Pasadena, CA, with his wife, twins, and their dog, Rocky, and is passionate about applying his award-winning strategies to elevate businesses, brands, and employee performance.

DP DHL Wins Grand Stevie Award for 13th Consecutive Year

The Stevie® Awards have announced the winners of Grand Stevie Award trophies in the 19th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, recognized as the world's top honors for achievement in business development, customer service, and sales.

Nominees in the 2025 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service were not able to apply for Grand Stevie Awards directly. These are “best of show” honors. Winners were determined by a points system based on the total number of awards won in the program, with a Gold Stevie win counting for three points, a Silver Stevie win for two points, and a Bronze Stevie win for 1.5 points.

This year's Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners in the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service were announced on March 6. All winners will be celebrated during an awards ceremony on April 10 in New York City.

Winners of the Grand Stevie Awards in the 2025 competition are:

1. DP DHL, worldwide, with 91.5 award points earned by Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award wins by DHL affiliates in 17 nations, is the most honored organization in the 2025 competition. This is the 13th year in a row in which the multinational package delivery and supply chain management company, headquartered in Bonn, Germany, has won a Grand Stevie in the program. They have placed first on the list of most honored organizations 11 years out of 13.

2. IBM, worldwide (71.5 award points). IBM has won a Grand Stevie Award in the program for the ninth consecutive year.

3. Sales Partnerships, Broomfield, Colorado USA (48 points). Sales Partnerships has won a Grand Stevie Award for the eighth consecutive year, as well as in 2016.

4. Intuit (34 points) earned by Intuit Canada, Toronto, Ontario, and Intuit Mailchimp, Atlanta, Georgia USA.

5. ValueSelling Associates, Carlsbad, California USA (33 points). ValueSelling also won Grand Stevies in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

More than 2,100 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry, in 45 nations and territories, were evaluated in this year's competition. Winners were determined by the average scores of more than 170 professionals worldwide on seven specialized juries.

The 2026 awards will begin accepting nominations this July. Those interested in participating may request the entry kit at www.StevieAwards.com/Sales.

Sponsors of the 2025 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service include The Brooks Group, Sales Partnerships, Support Services Group, and ValueSelling Associates.

Each year, the Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service recognizes the world’s most innovative and effective achievements in customer contact, business development, and service excellence. In 2025, we received 2,100 of nominations from organizations in more than 45 nations, all showcasing the evolving strategies, technologies, and human-centered practices transforming the customer experience.

Winners were announced on March 6 and will be honored at a ceremony in New York City on April 10, 2025.

Behind every Stevie Award is a panel of expert judges who bring deep industry knowledge and thoughtful analysis to the evaluation process. One of those judges is Greg Salvato, CEO of TouchPoint One, who generously volunteered his time and expertise to review 100+ entries across a range of customer service categories this year.

We’re honored to share Greg’s reflections from his experience on the judging panel — observations that go beyond scoring and offer valuable takeaways for any organization committed to delivering exceptional customer service. From the role of AI to the power of internal storytelling, Greg highlights the trends and traits that distinguish truly outstanding teams in today’s competitive CX landscape.

Thank you, Greg, for your thoughtful insights and continued support of the Stevie Awards community!

__________________________________________________________________________________________

✨Over the past several weeks, I had the privilege of evaluating 100 nominations from customer service teams across industries and the globe. My purview was a mere fraction of the several hundred entries submitted, but I thought it worth sharing at least a few of the key observations that stuck out for me that might help you meet your CX objectives in 2025 and beyond. 🚀

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀:

🤖 𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿 — 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲. AI was in the house, but rarely as the centerpiece. The best entries used automation to enhance, not replace, human expertise.

💪 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 (𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗹𝘆). Instead, it was about elevating service, reducing friction, and making agents more effective. The best teams weren’t shrinking but rather expanding capabilities.

💲 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿! Some teams proved that contact centers aren’t just about issue resolution but driving sales, retention, and loyalty. Really appreciated these stories as they showed a clear path for an evolved, expanded agent and CX organization role.

🤝 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 = 𝗖𝗫 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀. The most impactful teams invested in training, leadership development, and employee engagement, proving that great CX starts from within.

🔎 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗽 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 “𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱” 𝗮𝗻𝗱 “𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁” 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆. Some teams had incredible results but failed to tell their story effectively. The best entries were doing great work - and articulating their impact clearly. I make this point not just in the context of awards, but because the stories you tell internally (you are telling them, right?) are what equip, align, engage, and inspire your CX team - the rocket fuel for lasting success. 🚀

Every judge brings their own perspective, of course, so what stood out to me might be perceived differently by others. But if these 100 entries are any indication, the best customer service teams are building sustainable, human-centered strategies that drive real impact.

If you’re leading or supporting a customer service function, I hope these notes give you something useful and maybe even help you take things to the next level. If you have a customer contact success story to tell, and/or might like to be a judge, I can’t recommend program and staff more highly. 😁

The Stevie® Awards, organizer of the world’s premier business awards programs, has announced that ValueSelling Associates will sponsor the 2025 (19th annual) Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service for the 18th consecutive year.

ValueSelling has been a sponsor of the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service since 2009. ValueSelling Associates are again sponsoring the Sales Individual Categories, which include Woman of the Year in Sales, Senior Sales Executive of the Year, Virtual and Pre-Sales Professional of the Year, Sales Representative of the Year, and Sales Training or Education Professional of the Year, among others.

Complete details on the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service are available at StevieAwards.com/Sales. 

Winners were announced in the 2025 competition on March 6. More than 2,100 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry, in 45 nations and territories, were evaluated in this year’s competition. Winners were determined by the average scores of more than 170 professionals worldwide on seven specialized juries.

Eligible nominees for this competition include departments, teams, and professionals from around the world who work in customer service, contact centers, business development, and sales. New products and services and solution providers used by those professionals are also eligible. The 2025 awards recognized achievements since July 1, 2023. Explore the full list of categories.

ValueSelling Associates is the creator of the ValueSelling Framework®, the sales methodology, training and toolset that aligns your revenue engine with a common language to enable sales professionals to compete on value, not price, and saves time in all selling scenarios. Since 1991, ValueSelling Associates has helped thousands of sales professionals realize immediate revenue growth and achieve results they never thought possible. They offer bespoke training to FORTUNE 1000, mid-sized, and start-up companies to drive sales results.

“Maggie Miller, President of the Stevie Awards, shared, ‘ValueSelling has been a loyal supporter of the competition since its early years, playing a key role in the program’s impressive development. We’re thrilled to join forces with ValueSelling once again as we shine a spotlight on exceptional sales professionals and organizations around the world. The Stevie Awards depends on committed partners like ValueSelling who understand the value of celebrating excellence in the workplace.’”

President and Chief Executive Officer of ValueSelling Associates, Julie Thomas, said, “The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service is an excellent platform for recognizing the accomplishments of our customers and business partners. We look forward to celebrating those sales professionals who found ways to connect, secure new business, and propel their companies forward in this tough selling environment.”

Winners will be celebrated during an awards banquet on April 10 in New York, NY USA.

View full details for the 19th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service at StevieAwards.com/Sales.

About ValueSelling Associates
ValueSelling Associates, a leading global sales training company, offers a practical methodology for selling on value, not price. The ValueSelling Framework® is a proven formula that simplifies complex B2B sales, and the Vortex Prospecting™ program provides a repeatable process that increases connections and conversions to the revenue pipeline. Once trained on the ValueSelling method, organizations grow revenue and increase productivity. Since 1991, thousands of professionals around the world have chosen ValueSelling Associates for customized training, reinforcement, and coaching to drive sales results. Learn more at ValueSelling Associates, Inc.

The Stevie® Awards, organizer of The American Business Awards®, announced today that the final entry deadline for the 23rd annual competition has been extended through April 3. No additional late fees will be charged. Entries submitted through the new deadline will not be penalized in any way in the judging process.

“We’ve received so many requests for individual deadline extensions that we’ve decided to extend the deadline for everyone,” said Stevie Awards President Maggie Miller. The original final deadline was March 5.

The American Business Awards are widely considered to be the premier business awards program in the U.S.A. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations— public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large, and small. The 2025 awards will honor achievements since the beginning of 2023. Entry details are available at http://www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.

The American Business Awards recognize achievement in every facet of the workplace. Categories include:

• Achievement Categories
• App Categories
• Company / Organization Categories
• Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, & Public Relations Categories
• Customer Service Categories
• Entrepreneur Categories
• Event Categories
• Human Resources Categories
• Management Categories
• Marketing Categories
• New Product & Product Management Categories
• Podcast Categories (New for 2025)
• Publication Categories
• Social Media Categories
• Support Categories
• Sustainability Categories
• Technology Categories
• Thought Leadership Categories
• Video Categories
• Web Achievement Categories

More than 200 professionals nationwide will participate in the judging process through mid-April. The Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie® Award winners will be announced on April 24 and celebrated during a gala event in New York City on June 10.

Every new product or service nominated in The 2025 American Business Awards will automatically be included in voting for the People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products, an annual feature of the ABAs in which the general public votes for their favorite new products. Voting will open on April 25.

The list of past Stevie Award winners in The American Business Awards reads like a who’s who of innovation and business success in the U.S.A. Explore the list of last year’s winners.

Sponsors of The 2025 American Business Awards include, HCLTech, Melissa Sones Consulting, and SoftPro.

Winners in the 19th annual Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service, recognized as the world's top customer service awards and sales awards, have been announced. A complete list of all 2025 Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners by category is available at www.StevieAwards.com/Sales.

Winners will be recognized during a gala banquet at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City on Thursday, April 10. Tickets are on sale now.

More than 2,100 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry, in 45 nations and territories, were evaluated in this year’s competition. Winners were determined by the average scores of more than 170 professionals worldwide on seven specialized juries. Entries were considered in more than 60 categories for customer service and contact center achievements, including Contact Center of the Year, Award for Innovation in Customer Service, and Customer Service Department of the Year; 60 categories for sales and business development achievements, ranging from Senior Sales Executive of the Year to Sales Training or Business Development Executive of the Year to Sales Department of the Year; and categories to recognize new products and services and solution providers, among others.

The top winner of Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Awards is DP DHL, worldwide with 39 Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award wins.

Other winners of six or more Stevie Awards include:

IBM, various locations (31), Sales Partnerships, Inc., Broomfield, CO USA (20), Support Services Group, Inc., Waco, TX USA (18), ValueSelling Associates Inc., Carlsbad, CA USA (15), Unitedhealthcare Provider Service Operations, Minneapolis, MN USA (13), TransPerfect Translations, New York, NY USA (12), UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA USA (12), Druva Inc., Santa Clara, CA USA (9), Intuit Canada, Toronto, ON Canada (9), Blackhawk Network, Pleasanton CA USA (8), GoHealth, Chicago, IL USA (8), Tata Consultancy Services, worldwide (8), Element TV Company, LP, Winnsboro, SC USA (6), Intuit Mailchimp, Atlanta, GA USA (6), Mplus, Zagreb, Croatia (6), and Nutun, Johannesburg, South Africa (6).

Winners in one special category, the Sales Partnerships Ethics in Sales Award, will be announced in early April. The deadline to submit nominations for this prize is March 21. This award recognizes organizations for best practices and achievements in demonstrating the highest ethical standards in the sales industry.

Five winners of Grand Stevie Award trophies, for the five most-honored organizations in the competition, will be announced the week of March 17.

All organizations worldwide are eligible to compete in the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service and may submit any number of nominations in a wide range of award categories for sales, customer service, solution providers, business development, solutions and implementations, and thought leadership.

Nominations for the 2026 edition of the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service will be accepted starting this July.  The entry kit may be requested at http://www.StevieAwards.com/Sales.

The awards are presented by the Stevie Awards, which organizes nine of the world’s leading business award programs including the prestigious International Business Awards® and American Business Awards®.

Stevie-winner Yedir is a technology-driven company operating in the food delivery sector in Türkiye with a unique focus on connecting local home chefs with nearby customers.

The platform offers fresh, homemade meals while enabling individuals, particularly those who have not previously participated in the delivery sector, to do so. By harnessing advanced technologies like AI, the Yedir App has created a solution that supports both customers and chefs, transforming the way food delivery services function.

Founded in May 2023, Yedir quickly gained attention for its innovative approach. The platform launched its final, improved version in May 2024, bringing with it a host of features designed to enhance the customer experience. These include ingredient-based meal suggestions, optimized pricing for chefs, and personalized recommendations for customers. Yedir’s success stems from addressing an unmet need in the market—connecting customers with healthy, home-cooked meals while offering local chefs the opportunity to build and grow their businesses.

Since its launch, Yedir has experienced impressive growth. By May 2024, the app had expanded to onboard 152 home chefs across 18 cities in Türkiye, with a daily growth rate of 7%. This rapid expansion was fueled by a clear market demand and a non-advertising spread strategy that saw the app reach over 1,000 users.

The platform actively contributes to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including economic empowerment, food security, and gender equality. By offering home cooks, many of whom are women, a way to monetize their cooking skills, the app provides them with financial independence and professional development opportunities.

Moreover, Yedir ensures the health and safety of customers by adhering to stringent hygiene standards, collaborating with the Food Engineering and Gastronomy departments at İzmir University of Economics to provide training programs for chefs. This holistic approach not only improves the culinary landscape but also supports the broader goal of sustainable and inclusive growth.

In addition to its technical innovation and social impact, Yedir's success also lies in its ability to address challenges faced by home chefs. Many chefs were previously unaware of how to start and scale their businesses. Yedir created solutions that allowed these chefs to work within a flexible framework, choosing their own menus, days, and times to sell meals, which gave them more control over their business operations.

This business model, along with Yedir’s collaboration with local food companies and authorities, helped to establish home cooking as a recognized profession in Türkiye. The app’s allergen filters, calorie content display, and other health-conscious features ensure that the meals offered are safe, nutritious, and compliant with EU standards.

Yedir won a Bronze Stevie Award for Startup of the Year – Consumer Services Industries in The 2024 International Business Awards.

Interested in entering for 2025?

Stevie winners in these categories to be celebrated at April awards ceremony in New York City

Today the Stevie® Awards, organizer of the world's premier business awards programs, announced that The Brooks Group, a leading sales training and development company, is a sponsor of the Sales Team categories of the 2025 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Winners will be announced on March 6. Complete details about the competition are available at http://www.StevieAwards.com/Sales.

The Stevie Awards are the premier business honors for sales, customer service, solution provider, and call center professionals around the globe. The sales team categories recognize the members of individual teams within overall sales departments.

The Brooks Group is a leading sales training and development company dedicated to enhancing sales effectiveness for organizations across multiple industries. Since its founding in 1977, The Brooks Group has been recognized as a leader and innovator in the sales training and performance industry. The effectiveness of its training delivery and sales process methodology is proven by continued customer success and positive reviews. Its flagship program, IMPACT Selling®, empowers sales professionals and teams with confidence and skills to generate breakthrough results.

Larissa DiStefano, VP of Marketing at The Brooks Group, shared, “The Brooks Group has a long-standing commitment to individual seller development and the overall success of sales organizations. We're proud to sponsor the Stevie's sales team awards category, which recognizes significant achievements and sales excellence."

Sales Team categories include:

Account Management Team of the Year
Recognizing the sales management team of a specific client account for their achievements.

Global Sales Team of the Year
Recognizing sales teams whose industry, client, or other focus has a global scope.

National Sales Team of the Year
Recognizing sales teams whose industry, client, or other focus has a national scope.

Government Sales Team of the Year
Recognizing sales teams whose charge is selling to government clients.

Field Sales Team of the Year
Recognizing sales teams that obtain the majority of their business out of the office at face-to-face meetings with clients.

Inside or Telesales Team of the Year
Recognizing sales teams that obtain the majority of their business by telephone.

Online Sales Team of the Year
Recognizing sales teams that obtain the majority of their business via online or social media.

Sales Support Team of the Year
Recognizing teams that provide administrative, logistical, or resource support to sales organizations. This category is split into four separate categories:

a. Business Services Industries: recognizes sales support teams in business services industries such as advertising, consulting, marketing, public relations, recruiting, etc.
b. Other Service Industries: recognizes sales support teams in services industries such as financial services, healthcare, hospitality & leisure, legal, media & entertainment, real estate, retail, etc.
c. Technology Industries: recognizes sales support teams in technology industries such as computer software, computer services, computer hardware, internet/new media, and telecommunications.
d. All Other Industries: recognizes sales support teams in all industries not covered by the other Sales Support Team of the Year categories.

Winners of Stevie winners in Sales Team and all other categories will be announced on March 6, and the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners will be honored during an awards ceremony in New York City on April 10.

The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service feature more than 150 sales awards, customer service awards, business development awards, new product awards, thought leadership, and solution provider awards categories. Entrants may submit any number of nominations to any number of categories.

Winners of the 2024 edition of the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service included Allianz Services Pvt Ltd, Apexon, Ayala Land, Bank of America, Blackhawk Network, Cisco Systems, Delta Dental of Kansas, DP DHL, Everise, Hinduja Global Solutions, HP Inc., IBM Corporation, Lounge Group, Purpol Marketing Limited, Sales Partnerships, Inc., Samsung Electronics America, SAP, Splunk, Support Services Group, Tata Consultancy Services, Toco Warranty, UPMC Health Plan, VIZIO Inc., Watsons, and Weber Shandwick.

The 2025 competition was judged by more than 150 professionals around the world.

About the Stevie® Awards

Stevie Awards are conferred in nine programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards®, The International Business Awards®, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Each year more than 12,000 nominations from more than 70 nations are judged by more than 1,000 professionals in Stevies competitions. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com.

About The Brooks Group

We unlock sales potential. The Brooks Group is the leading sales training and development company empowering sales teams to generate breakthrough results. Notable clients include Airbus, Avita Medical, Bobcat, Hitachi Energy, Mack Trucks and Volvo Trucks, SANY Americas, Texas Instruments, and the United States Air Force. To learn more about our suite of ROI-driven sales training and development programs, best-in-class assessments, and industry-leading reinforcement tools, visit www.brooksgroup.com.  

Sponsors of the 2025 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service include The Brooks Group, Sales Partnerships, Support Services Group, and ValueSelling Associates.

On Saturday 22 February, winners of the 6th annual Middle East & North Africa Stevie® Awards were presented with Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Awards during a majestic ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. More than 300 guests from 68 winning organizations around the MENA region attended the ceremony.

The Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, sponsored by the Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) Chamber of Commerce, is the region's only awards program open to all organizations in 18 nations in the Middle East and North Africa. The focus of the awards is recognizing workplace innovation in all its forms.

This year more than 1,100 nominations were considered in the judging process by more than 118 professionals, whose average ratings determined the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners announced earlier in January. 

On Saturday, February 22, winners of the 6th annual Middle East & North Africa Stevie® Awards were presented with Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Awards during a majestic ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. More than 300 guests from 68 winning organizations around the MENA region attended the ceremony.

Grand Stevie Award Winners in the 2025 Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards 

In addition to honoring Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners, two Grand Stevie Award winners were presented with Grand Stevie Award trophies at the 22 February ceremony. Two winners of these Grand (“best in show”) Stevie Award trophies which are Mobile Communications Company from Iran and Professor Awad Al-Omari from Saudi Arabia.

Organization of the Year: with 47 award points, earned through seven Gold, seven Silver, and eight Bronze Stevie Award wins in various categories, Mobile Communications Company of Iran is the most honored organization in this year’s competition. Mobile Communications Company of Iran, commonly abbreviated as MCI and also known under its brand name Hamrah-e Avval, is the first and largest mobile operator in Iran. MCI has over 75 million active subscribers which makes it the biggest one in the Middle East. MCI service is available in 1,239 cities and over 70,000 kilometers of roads in Iran. They won seven Gold Stevie Awards in the categories Award for Innovation in Annual Reports, Award for Innovation in Human Resources Management, Planning & Practice - Telecommunications Industries, Award for Innovation in Training Videos, and more.

Highest Rated Nomination of the Year: with an average score from the judges of 9.37 out a possible 10, the nomination of Prof. Awad Al-Omari for Most Innovative Leader of the Year, by Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia received the highest individual average score in the 2025 competition. The nomination also won the Gold Stevie in the Thought Leader of the Year category. Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group is the largest private healthcare provider in Saudi Arabia and the GCC region. Established in 1995, the group has grown to include 25 medical facilities across Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the UAE, with a total of over 1,900 beds​. HMG is recognized for its cutting-edge medical services, advanced technologies, and commitment to delivering high-quality services.

Maggie Miller, President of the Stevie Awards, commented that this year’s awards gala witnessed an unprecedented turnout. Tickets for the ceremony sold out, gathering together more than 300 guests from around the MENA region. The award attendees included dignitaries, industry leaders, officials, company owners, chairmen, boards of directors of government and private organizations, and executive directors— all pleased to be honored on stage.

The following organizations participated in the ceremony. Only winning organizations that attended the ceremony were recognized:

• Abu Dhabi Customs
• Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council
• Acceligize
• Adaptive TechSoft
• Al Dhafra Region Municipality (DRM)
• Al Jazeera Media Institute
• Al Yamamah Trading and Contracting Company
• Barns
• Black Coral Consulting
• Canon Eurasia Görüntüleme ve Ofis Sistemleri A.Ş.
• Capital 360 Event Experiences
• Commercial Bank International
• DAMAC Properties
• DANIELI Group
• Department of Community Development (DCD)
• DHL Express UAE
• Dr. Salem Alnar
• Dubai Culture & Arts Authority
• Dubai Holding Asset Management (DHAM) and TECOM Group
• Dubai Humanitarian
• EasyLoan Financing Broker
• Ebebek Mağazacılık A.Ş
• Ekol Logistics
• Emirates Health Services
• Esam Al Zarooni Advocates & Legal Consultants LLC
• ETIHAD Aviation Group
• Etihad Salam
• Fadia O Chaker Design SARL
• Federal Tax Authority
• First Abu Dhabi Bank
• General Civil Aviation Authority
• Golin MENA
• Government of Sharjah, Economic Development Department
• Gulf Agency Co. (Dubai) L.L.C/ GAC
• Gulf Marine Services
• GSTC
• Higher Colleges of Technology
• Inception Advertising Agency
• King Fahd Military Medical Complex
• Makers Public Relations Management Co LLC
• MetLife Gulf
• Ministry of Finance
• Ministry of Interior, Justice
• Ministry of Interior, Manama
• Mobile Communications Company of Iran - MCI
• Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Subaie and Sons Charitable Foundation
• Museum1185
• Netcore Cloud Pvt. Ltd
• Now Health International
• Ooredoo Fintech
• Public Prosecution of Dubai
• Public Works Authority, Ashghal
• QNET LTD
• Roads and Transport Authority
• ROSHN Group
• Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu
• Safana Charity Association for Health Services
• Saman Bank
• Saudi Aramco
• Saudi Arabia Railways
• Saudi Contractors Authority
• Saudi Entertainment Ventures (SEVEN)
• Sharjah Self Defense Sports Club
• Silal
• SOCAR TURKEY
• Sports Boulevard Foundation
• Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
• The Brain & Performance Centre, A DP World Company
• The Charitable Society for Orphan Care in Riyadh
• The Higher Colleges of Technology, Ras Al Khaimah
• The UAE Ministry of Investment
• Trustegic Chartered Accountants and Consultancy
• VUMI Global
• Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA)
• ZONE3000

See the full list of 2025 Middle East & North Africa Stevie Winners by category

View and download photos from the awards ceremony.

Individual Acceptance speeches and red-carpet interviews are available on the Stevie Awards YouTube channel.

About the 2025 Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards

The 2025 Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards have recognized organizations in 14 nations including Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates. More than 1,100 nominations in Arabic and English were evaluated in this year’s competition. Winners were determined by the average scores of 118 professionals worldwide, acting as judges on five juries to recognize innovative apps, achievements, entire organizations, public relations, customer service, human resources, individual professionals, live and virtual events, management, sustainability, technology, thought leadership, and more.

The 7th edition of the MENA Stevie Awards will open for entries in November 2025. Sign up here to request the 2026 entry kit when it becomes available.

Stevie-winner Beyond the Valley LLP (btvadventures), founded in 2022, is a premier provider of active adventures and cultural experiences in Pakistan’s stunning Karakoram region. Headquartered in Lahore, Pakistan, the company operates with a team of 10 employees and specializes in offering sustainable and responsible travel services.

Founded by Hina Umer and Umer Latif, Beyond the Valley emerged from their shared passion for travel and admiration for the serene beauty of the mountains. Despite Pakistan's awe-inspiring landscapes, the country remains an underexplored destination for many global travelers. The founders' vision was to create a company that not only provides exceptional travel experiences but also helps raise awareness about the unique cultural and natural treasures the Karakoram region offers.

Beyond the Valley seeks to change the narrative about Pakistan by promoting tourism in a way that respects both the environment and the local communities. By focusing on sustainability, the company strives to attract international visitors who are looking for responsible travel options in less discovered, yet remarkable regions of the world.

Support for Local Communities and Businesses
One of Beyond the Valley’s primary goals is to ensure that its tourism efforts benefit the local communities in the Karakoram region. The company employs local guides, transportation services, and support staff, including porters and cooks, from locally owned businesses. This approach not only enhances the authenticity of the trips but also creates direct economic opportunities for the people who call the Karakoram home.

The company employs two permanent guides (full-time) from local areas, Hunza and Skardu, respectively, which is a unique feature not found in any other organization in Pakistan, as guides are typically only employed part-time there. The guides receive regular salaries and benefits, ensuring they are well-compensated year-round, even during the off-season. These guides undergo ongoing training at the company's office, helping them stay prepared and knowledgeable about the region, its history, and its culture.

Through this holistic approach to tourism, Beyond the Valley has succeeded in providing a platform for local businesses to thrive. By integrating local products and services into their travel offerings, the company ensures that the economic benefits of tourism are shared broadly across the region.

Building Strong Partnerships and Gaining International Recognition
Since its inception, Beyond the Valley has made significant strides in expanding its reach within the global travel industry. In its first year, the company secured partnerships with leading travel companies. Clients from countries such as the UK, the USA, Austria, and Belgium have praised Beyond the Valley’s all-inclusive travel packages, awarding the company’s services with high ratings. Customers particularly highlight the hospitality of the local people and the authenticity of the experiences provided.

Beyond the Valley’s philosophy is not just about providing exceptional adventures, but also about creating lasting connections between travelers and local communities. The company’s emphasis on integrating cultural, educational, and experiential elements into each trip has contributed to its growing reputation as a responsible and impactful travel provider.

Looking Ahead: A Bright Future for Adventure Travel in Pakistan
Beyond the Valley is helping to reshape how adventure tourism is viewed in Pakistan. By focusing on sustainability, cultural exchange, and responsible tourism practices, the company is playing a key role in promoting the Karakoram region as an exceptional travel destination.

As the company continues to expand its reach and influence, it aims to help change the global perception of Pakistan and inspire more travelers to explore the natural wonders of the Karakoram region.

Beyond the Valley won a Bronze Stevie Award for Best Small Hospitality & Leisure Company of the Year in The 2024 International Business Awards®. They also won a People's Choice Stevie Award for Favorite Companies in the Hospitality and Leisure category.

Interested in entering for 2025?