Stevie Awards Announce Best of the IBA Awards

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Thu, Aug 27, 2015 @ 09:31 AM

The Stevie® Awards have announced the winners of the Best of the IBA Awards in The 2015 (12th Annual) International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition.

Nominees in the 2015 IBAs were not able to apply for the Best of the IBA Awards directly. Winners were determined by a points system based on the total number of awards won in the IBAs with a Gold Stevie win counting for three points, a Silver Stevie for two points, and a Bronze Stevie win for one-and-a-half points. 

StevieAwardTrophyThis year's Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners in The International Business Awards were announced on August 13. The winners of the Best of the IBA Awards will be presented with Grand Stevie Award trophies at The 12th Annual International Business Awards banquet at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Toronto, Canada on October 23. 

Winners of the Grand Stevie Awards are:

Organization of the Year: With a total of 72 award points earned by Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie-winning entries submitted by DHL offices in 22 nations, Deutsche Post DHL is the winner of the Grand Stevie Award trophy for Organization of the Year.

Public Relations Agency of the Year: With a total of 69 points earned by Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie-winning entries submitted by their agencies and offices in China, Europe, India and Singapore, Weber Shandwick is the winner of the Grand Stevie Award trophy for Public Relations Agency of the Year

Marketing Agency of the Year:  Will a total of 64.5 points earned by Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie-winning entries worldwide, MSLGROUP is the winner of the Grand Stevie Award trophy for Marketing Agency of the Year.

Interactive Services Agency of the Year:  With 39 points, Plasenta Conversation Agency, of Istanbul, Turkey, is the winner of the Grand Stevie Award trophy for Interactive Services Agency of the Year for the second year in a row.

Top 10: Among all other organizations honored in the 2015 IBAs, these are the top Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie winners and thus will also be presented with Grand Stevie Award trophies:

1. Ooredoo, Doha, Qatar (55.5 points)
2. LLORENTE & CUENCA, Madrid, Spain (48.5)
3. CallidusCloud, Pleasanton, CA, USA (45)
4. HANAROADCOM, Seoul, South Korea (37)
5. Fareportal, New York, NY, USA (35)
6. (Three-way tie at 29.5 points)
            -Accenture, Chicago, IL,  USA
            - iFinance Canada, Toronto, Canada
            - boogy the event company, Istanbul, Turkey

9. (two-way tie at 28 points)
            - Cisco Systems, worldwide
            - PJ Lhuillier Group of Companies, Manila, Philippines

“These 14 organizations have demonstrated that they understand the value of seeking public recognition for the achievements of their executive teams and their employees, by nominating them for Stevie Awards in a wide variety of categories,” said Michael Gallagher, president and founder of the Stevie Awards. “Many of their nominations have been applauded and highly-rated by the judges, and we’re pleased to be able to honor them with Grand Stevie Award trophies.”

The International Business Awards feature a wide variety of categories to recognize achievement in every facet of work life, including management awards, new product awards, marketing awards, PR awards, customer service awards, website awards, and more.

Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award placements in the 2015 IBAs were determined by the average scores of more than 200 professionals worldwide in the three-month judging process.

For more information about The International Business Awards, including a complete list of all Stevie Award winners in the 2015 competition, visit www.StevieAwards.com/IBA.

12th Annual International Business Awards Announce Stevie Award Winners From Across the Globe

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Thu, Aug 13, 2015 @ 09:34 AM

High-achieving organizations and executives around the world have been recognized as Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie® Award winners in The 12th Annual International Business Awards, the world's only international, all-encompassing business awards program.

Nicknamed the Stevies from the Greek word "crowned," the awards will be presented at a gala event on Friday, 23 October at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Toronto, Canada. Tickets for the event are on sale now at www.StevieAwards.com/IBA.

IBAFORMARKET2-1Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie winners were selected from more than 3,700 nominations received from organizations and individuals in more than 60 nations. All organizations worldwide are eligible to compete in The International Business Awards, and can submit entries in a wide range of categories, including management awards, company of the year awards, marketing awards, public relations awards, customer service awards, human resources awards, new product awards, IT awards, web site awards, and more. 

More than 200 executives worldwide participated in the judging process this year to determine the Stevie winners.

The top Gold Stevie Award winners this year are MSLGROUP worldwide, with 10; Weber Shandwick worldwide with eight; Accenture (USA) and LLORENTE & CUENCA (Spain) with six; CallidusCloud (USA), DHL Express globally, Dubai Statistics Center (United Arab Emirates), Hanaroadcom (South Korea), and the PJ Lhuillier Group of Companies (Philippines) with five; and boogy the event company (Turkey), Kale Group (Turkey), Plasenta Conversation Agency (Turkey), and Strategic Public Relations Group (Hong Kong) with four Gold Stevie wins each.

Winners of three Gold Stevie Awards include the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (United Arab Emirates), Agiliance Inc. (USA), Bahrain National Gas Company (Bahrain), Cisco Systems (USA), Dubai Police H.Q (United Arab Emirates), Ooredoo (Qatar), PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Indonesia), Roshan, (Afghanistan), RSA Insurance (Canada), the Seegene Medical Foundation (South Korea), TangoMe (USA), Thai Life Insurance Plc. (Thailand), Veeam (USA), and WNS Global Services Pvt. Ltd. (India).

A complete list of all 2015 Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners by category is available on our website.

"We are pleased to once again honor many of the world’s best organizations, professionals, and their achievements," said Michael Gallagher, president and founder of the Stevie Awards. "This year we’ve seen that organizations around the world, and especially in emerging markets, are becoming much more skilled at summarizing and evoking their achievements in award nominations. I know it has been a delight for the judges to read and comment on these stories of success, and we look forward to honoring on stage the Stevie winners who join us in Toronto on 23 October."

During the week of 24 August the winners of the Best of the IBA Awards, five best-of-competition prizes, will be announced. Winners will be determined by a tally of the total number of Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevies won by organizations, and will be presented with Grand Stevie Award trophies in Toronto.

Not Just A Trend: Stevie Awards Judge Shares Why Businesses Should Care

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Wed, Aug 12, 2015 @ 02:34 PM

Floor Wijburg, Co-founder of Yes We Care, is a member of The 2015 International Business Awards Final Judging Committee for the Company/Organization Awards categories. We talked to her about her experience as a Stevie Awards judge, and about Yes We Care, which provides international labels for companies that are doing good for others.

Floor Wijburg believes in the power of doing good business in an economy where businesses will not only be measured based on their economic value, but also on the value they add to society.

1508WeCare2

She was able to spare some time from running the organization she co-founded, Yes We Care, based in The Netherlands and New York, to answer some questions about judging in The 2015 International Business Awards; how businesses can become more philanthropic; and what Yes We Care is doing to help add to the value of this.

An Inspirational Experience

“I very much enjoy being able to participate as a judge for The International Business Awards,” Floor told us. “It’s inspiring to learn in-depth about all the participating businesses, the work they do, and the passion they put in to it. Besides this, I focus in particular on the corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the sustainability of their endeavors.”

“It gives me great pleasure to see all the wonderful efforts businesses around the world are putting in to this process,” Floor continued. “If I can help in evaluating these businesses and rewarding good practices in this way, I’m more than happy to give my time as a Stevie Awards judge. My wish is that more businesses around the world will participate, and increase their contribution to CSR each year!”

Sharing Insights and Expertise

When asked if she had any advice to people who might be interested in being a Stevie Awards judge in the future, Floor said “My advice would be: go ahead and do it! It’s a highly rewarding process to be able to participate as a judge. Don’t underestimate the time you’ll need to put in, however. Thorough evaluation requires you to weigh a lot of factors when judging the entries. There’s no room for half work. But … is there ever in business? So my recommendation is: apply and share your insights and expertise as a judge.”

Not Just A Trend
Floor also has good advice for businesses about becoming more philanthropic. “Doing good deeds is not just a trend anymore: it’s a force that will shape the world of business in the future. On the other hand, 99% of businesses don’t have the time to set up a detailed structure for their philanthropic activities. What they want is to do good because they like to do so, because they feel it’s the right thing to do, or because they know it enhances their business. At Yes We Care, we understand this. That’s why we have designed an easy and effective system that gives businesses everything they need to maximize their doing good without having to lose focus on their core business.

Maximizing Impact

1508WeCare3The big question for most businesses is not how to do good, but how to sustain, grow, and maximize their impact. As Floor explains: “That’s why we want to make sure businesses get the tools and optics they need, so they can clearly see the structure of their good activities and optimize their impact. The Yes We Care license is a business tool designed to support businesses in their efforts to do good things. We quickly and easily identify the doing-good activities and convert these activities into numbers that anyone can instantly grasp. We provide businesses with optics to maximize their impact in society, and to highlight these good activities for their customers, employees, and stakeholders.”

Three Good Reasons To Care

The Yes We Care license leverages the power of doing good with three main features:

PROMOTION: 90% Of Consumers Switch Brands

A staggering 90% of consumers would switch brands to one that is associated with a good cause, given similar price or quality. Most companies lack time to show their good deeds actively, however, and thereby reduce their impact. The Yes We Care label provides businesses with a new dimension that will elevate a company’s reputation and its success.

RESULTS: When Businesses Know Better, They Can Do Better

Measuring and monitoring the impact of a business is essential to its long-term health. The people at Yes We Care know which ratios and calculations are most vital, and focus on those areas to provide direct insights. For most businesses, it is extremely rewarding to see their good activities translated to the value they add for society, stated in a value everyone can grasp.

CONNECTION: Connected By Doing Good

Yes We Care gives businesses the tools and services they need to meet personal philanthropy goals in their business and to connect with a professional community so they can share knowledge and build new relationships. It enables them to build a bigger professional network.

In summation, Floor tells us: “Candidly, we can say that Yes We Care will change the perceived value of businesses, as well as the total amount of value that will be added by businesses to society.”

About Floor Wijburg:

Floor Wijburg is co-founder and CEO of Yes We Care. Driven by the desire to create a better world, Floor is intent on making an impact. Through her theoretical knowledge and practical experience, she knows how to encourage people and businesses to be socially involved. She frequently appears in the media, where she is interviewed on topics such as corporate social responsibility and civil society. She gives international presentations on topics like CSR and Social Involvement. As a judge for The Sustainability Award in 28 cities, she and members of the specialized committee judge companies for the local impact, economic profitability, and the social change they establish.

About Yes We Care:

Yes We Care is the international label for companies who are doing good for others. Yes We Care offers consumers and businesses across the world insight into three important areas of doing good: Who, what, and where. As the only organization in the world with this mission, Yes We Care is a pioneer in the field of letting the best companies join forces worldwide in doing good and feeling good. It gives them the opportunity to show the world they really care. For more information, go to www.yeswecare.com.

Winners Announced in People's Choice Stevie® Awards for Favorite New Products

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Tue, Aug 11, 2015 @ 10:00 AM

CD2 Learning and Infor are the top winners in the 2015 People's Choice Stevie® Awards for Favorite New Products, a feature of The American Business Awards, the U.S.A.’s top business awards program, which are now in their 13th year.

The nationwide public vote was conducted this summer, with the highest number of votes deciding the winners in a variety of product categories. More than 16,000 votes were cast. To win, a category’s leading vote-getter had to have received at least 100 votes.

Peoples-Choice-Winner-Small-1CD2 Learning, the Overland Park, Kansas –based developer of a cloud-based learning architecture, and Infor, an industry-specific solution provider of UX designs in New York, won People’s Choice Stevie Awards in two categories. LanguageLine Solutions' eLanguage Proficiency Test collected the most votes of any nominee.

The crystal People’s Choice Stevie Awards will be presented to winners at The American Business Awards’ new product and tech awards banquet on Friday, September 11 at the Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco. Tickets for the event are now on sale. There, the winners of peer-adjudicated Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Awards will also be announced and presented their awards. More than 250 nominees and their guests are expected to attend.

All new products and services recognized as Finalists in the new product awards categories of this year’s American Business Awards were eligible to be included in voting for the people’s choice awards.

The winners of the 2015 People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products are:

Business-to-Business Products: DMEautomotive's Driver Connect 3.0
Business-to-Business Services: LanguageLine Solutions' eLanguage Proficiency Test
Computer/Peripheral/Hardware: Votacall Viper
Content - Other Solutions: CD2 Learning's Content Driven Delivery
Content - Sales & Marketing: Digital Air Strike's Review Surge 4.0
Content - Search Technology: Thomson Reuters' Intuitive Search on Thomson Reuters Checkpoint®
Content Integration Solution: Brainshark Sales Accelerator
Education - Other: Bloomz App
Health & Pharmaceutical: Exact Sciences' Cologuard
Software - Big Data:  PROS Cameleon CPQ
Software - Biz Intelligence InsightSoftware.com's Hubble
Software - Cloud Application/Service: Infor CloudSuite
Software - Content Management: CD2 Learning's Content Management Solution
Software - Governance/Risk: RSA Archer GRC
Software - Human Capital Management: Infor Talent Science
Software - Lead Generation:  ReachLocal's ReachEdge Lead Conversion Software
Software - Learning/Workforce Development: Articulate Storyline 2
Software - Marketing/Public Relations: QuickPivot Program Palette
Software - Mobile: SYSPRO Espresso Mobile Solution
Software - Other: WaveMaker
Software - Project/Systems Management: Opmantek's Network Management and IT Audit Software
Software - Relationship Management: InMoment's Active Listening Suite
Software - Security/Data Protection: DigiCert's Certificate Monitoring
Software - Social Business: Infor Ming.le Mobile
Telecommunications – Service: Broadview Networks' MyOfficeSuite