Maggie Gallagher

Recent Posts

Stevie Awards Extends 22nd American Business Awards Final Entry Deadline

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Thu, Mar 07, 2024 @ 09:00 AM

The Nation’s Top Honors for Workplace Achievement Will Accept Final Nominations Through April 3

The Stevie® Awards, organizer of The American Business Awards®, announced today that the final entry deadline for the 22nd annual competition has been extended through April 3. The original final deadline was March 6. No additional late fees will be charged. Entries submitted through the new deadline will not be penalized in any way in the judging process.

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The American Business Awards are widely considered 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 2024 awards will honor achievements since the beginning of 2022. Entry details are available at http://www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.

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

More than 250 professionals nationwide will participate in the judging process through mid-April. The Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie® Award winners will be announced on April 25 and celebrated during a gala event in New York City at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on June 11.

Every new product or service nominated in The 2024 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 26 and conclude on May 24.

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.

Create or log in to your existing American Business Awards entry account to submit  nominations here: https://stevieawards.com/aba

Topics: American business awards

Stevie® Awards Announce Finalists in 18th Annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Wed, Mar 06, 2024 @ 09:00 AM

Finalists in the 18th annual Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service, an international competition recognizing excellence in customer service, contact centers, business development, and sales, were announced today.    

A diverse group of organizations and individuals worldwide have been recognized in awards categories for sales executives, solution providers, contact centers, new products and services, and more. 

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Organizations with five or more Finalist nominations include Allianz Services Pvt Ltd (Trivandrum, Kerala, India), Avetta (Lehi, UT, USA), Blackhawk Network (Pleasanton CA, USA), Capital Rx (New York, NY, USA), CivicPlus (Manhattan, KS USA), Datasite (Minneapolis, MN, USA), DHL Express Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam), DHL Express Worldwide (BD) Pvt. Ltd., Dhaka, Bangladesh (Dhaka, Bangladesh, India), Element Electronics (Winnsboro, SC, USA), IBM (Armonk, NY, USA), Inspiro (Makati City, Philippines), Intuit (Ontario, Canada), Loveholidays (London, United Kingdom), OpenGov (San Francisco, CA, USA), Purpol Marketing Limited (Chippenham, United Kingdom), QNB Finansbank (Istanbul, Turkey), Qualitest Group (Bridgewater, NJ, USA), Sales Partnerships, Inc. (Broomfield, CO), SAP (worldwide), Support Services Group, Inc. (Waco, TX, USA), Toco Warranty (Los Angeles, CA, USA), TransPerfect Translations (New York, NY, USA), UPMC Health Plan (Pittsburgh, PA, USA), ValueSelling Associates Inc. (Carlsbad, CA, USA), VIZIO Inc. (Irvine, CA, USA), VMware (Broadcom) (Palo Alto, CA, USA), Voya Financial (New York, NY, USA).

For a full list of Finalists by category, visit www.StevieAwards.com/Sales.

All Finalist nominations ultimately will be named Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners. The placements will be revealed during a gala banquet on Friday, April 12 at The Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tickets are now on sale.

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

More than 2,300 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were evaluated in this year’s competition. Finalists were determined by the average scores of more than 175 professionals worldwide in seven specialized judging committees. 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 Sales Director of the Year to Sales Training Practice of the Year, and Achievement in Sales Automation; and categories to recognize new products and services and solution providers, among others.

All nominated customer service departments that are Finalists will be included in voting for the People’s Choice Stevie® Awards for Favorite Customer Service. Beginning today through March 29, the general public may vote for their favorite providers of customer service in the People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Customer Service. Voting is open at http://peopleschoice.stevieawards.com. The nominee with the most votes in each category will receive a special crystal People's Choice Stevie Award. Winners of the People’s Choice Stevie Awards in multiple industries will be honored at the awards gala in Las Vegas on April 12.

Nominations for a special prize, the Sales Partnerships Ethics in Sales Award, remain open through April 1. There are no entry fees to submit nominations in this category. The award will recognize outstanding examples of ethical sales practices since the beginning of July 2022. Winners will also be announced and recognized at the April 12 ceremony. 

Topics: stevie awards for sales and customer service

The Final Entry Deadline for the 11th Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards Has Been Extended

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Thu, Feb 29, 2024 @ 09:00 AM

The Stevie® Awards, organizer of the world's premier business awards programs, announced that they have revised the schedule for the 2024 (11th annual) Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards.

Entrants now have until March 22 to submit nominations in the 2024 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards. The original final entry deadline was February 28. The judging process will extend through March 28. The Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners will be announced on April 10. Winners will be celebrated during an awards banquet on May 24 at Shangri-La The Fort Hotel in Manila, Philippines.

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The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards is the only business awards program to recognize innovation throughout the entire Asia-Pacific region. The competition is open to all organizations across 29 markets of the Asia-Pacific region: large and small, for-profit and non-profit, public and private.

The awards focus on recognizing innovation in all its forms, wherever it is achieved in the workplace. Entries will be accepted in English in the following awards category groups:

There are many new and revised features of the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards for 2024:

  • Two entirely new category groups have been added this year to recognize Individual Professionals who have demonstrated exceptional innovation in their respective industries, and to recognize innovative achievements in both resource and environmental Sustainability.

  • Other new categories include the Award for Most Innovative Customer Service Department/Team of the Year, Award for Most Innovative Contact Center of the Year, and Award for Most Innovative HR Department/Team of the Year.

  • There is a new ability for entrants to create sub-accounts in their entry accounts so that multiple colleagues can collaborate on the creation of nominations, or review them before submission.

The public voting component that was added to the program in 2023, the People’s Choice Stevie® Awards for Favorite Companies, will return in 2024. All organizations that are honored with Gold, Silver, or Bronze Stevie Award trophies in the Company/Organization categories will automatically be included in People's Choice voting. People's Choice winners will receive a special People's Choice Stevie Award trophy allowing for honorees in the Company/Organization categories to have the opportunity to receive a second award, as voted by the general public worldwide. Voting for the People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Companies will open on April 10 and go through April 30.

Juries featuring more than 150 professionals throughout the region will participate in the judging process to determine the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie winners.

Some of the Asia-Pacific region’s most innovative organizations have won Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards in the past five years including A.S. Watson Group, AIA Group Limited, ABS-CBN Corporation, Alpine Group, Ambiq, Ayala Land Inc., Cisco Systems, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, COMCO Southeast Asia, DHL Asia Pacific Shared Services, DHL Japan, EventsAIR, Freelancer.com, Fuji Television Network, Inc., FPT Corporation, Globe Telecom Inc., Google, Hana Financial Group, Hong Kong Tourism Board, HP Inc., IBM, Indian Oil Corporation, Ltd, KB Kookmin Card, KT, Megaworld Corporation, Meralco, Metro Pacific Health Tech (mWell), Metro Pacific Water, Newport World Resorts (Travellers International Hotel Group, Inc.), Ooredoo, PT Petrokimia Gresik, PT Pupuk Indonesia, Seegene Medical Foundation, Shell companies in the Philippines, Shanghai Disney Resort, Singtel, SM Supermalls, Tata Consultancy Services, Telkom Indonesia, TNG Holdings Vietnam, Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank), VNPT Vinaphone Corporation, Viettel, Wharf China Estates Limited, and Wolters Kluwer Asia Pacific.

The name Stevie is taken from the name Stephen, which is derived from the Greek for "crowned".

adobo magazine is the official Creative Media Partner of the 2024 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards.

PR Newswire Asia is the official news release distribution partner of the 2024 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards.

Topics: Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards

Call for Entries Issued for The 21st Annual International Business Awards®

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Thu, Feb 22, 2024 @ 09:00 AM

New Technology Solution Awards Categories for Artificial Intelligence  

The Stevie® Awards are now accepting nominations for The 21st annual International Business Awards®, the world's premier business awards competition, attracting nominations from organizations in over 70 nations and territories each year.

The International Business Awards

Request the Entry Kit

All individuals and organizations worldwide—public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small—may submit nominations to The International Business Awards. The early-bird entry deadline, with reduced entry fees, is 10 April. The final entry deadline is 8 May, but late entries will be accepted through 12 June with payment of a late fee. Entry details are available at www.StevieAwards.com/IBA

Juries featuring more than 150 executives worldwide will determine the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners. Winners will be announced on 14 August and celebrated at a gala banquet in Europe this October (date and location to be confirmed). 

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

There are many new and revised features of The International Business Awards for 2024:

  • There are a variety of new Technology Solution Categories for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Solutions, split into subcategories for Financial, Generative (audio, graphics, text, video), Healthcare, and other solutions. There are additional new technology categories for Cybersecurity, Digital Asset Management, Digital Employee Experience, and Knowledge Center/Help Sites. 
  • There are many new Event Categories for Cause & Green Events including CSR Experience, Employee Giving & Volunteerism, Inclusive Events, and other Brand Experiences/Events by type including Gamified Experience, Pop-Up Experience, and Immersive Experience. 

Stevie Award winners in the 2023 IBAs included Ayala Land Inc. (Philippines), Anexa BPO (Mexico), Empire Eagle Food (Taiwan), EY Global Services Limited (USA), IBM Corporation (Worldwide), LLYC (Spain), Ooredoo Group (Qatar), Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabia), TalkLife (United Kingdom), Turkish Aerospace (Turkey), HALKBANK (Turkey), The Dubai Digital Authority (United Arab Emirates), Viettel Group (Vietnam), and many more. 

Request the Entry Kit

The early-bird entry deadline for The 21st International Business Awards is 10 April. Entry fees are discounted through this date.

Topics: International business awards

Two Grand Stevie® Award Winners Announced in the 2024 Middle East & North Africa Stevie® Awards

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Wed, Feb 07, 2024 @ 05:00 AM

DHL Group and INFLOW Network will be celebrated at an awards gala on 2 March. A Third Grand Stevie Winner to be announced at ceremony.

The Stevie® Awards have announced two Grand Stevie Award winners in the fifth annual Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards. Grand Stevie winners will be presented their awards at a gala banquet at the Mövenpick Resort Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates on Saturday, 2 March.

The Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, sponsored by the Ras Al Khaimah Chamber of Commerce & Industry, is an international business awards competition 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.

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This year more than 1,000 nominations were considered in the judging process by more than 150 professionals, whose average ratings determined the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners announced earlier in January. For a complete list of the 2024 Stevie Award winners, visit https://MENA.StevieAwards.com.

In addition to the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Awards, the organization with the most award points from the most nations (total number of points conferred by total Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie wins across the world) and the highest-scoring nomination are awarded the Grand Stevie Awards, which cannot be applied for directly. A third Grand Stevie winner, the Premier Grand winner who has the highest number of award points in the competition, will be announced at the award ceremony.

The Grand Stevie Award winners are:

ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR (MULTINATIONAL): DHL Group earned 45 award points on behalf of its operations in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. They won 10 Gold, three Silver, and six Bronze Stevie Awards in categories including Customer Service Department of the Year, Achievement in Customer Satisfaction, Achievement in Growth, Conferences & Meetings - Healthcare & Wellness Event, and Best Business Technology Pivot, among others. DHL Express is a division of the German logistics company DHL Group, providing international express mail services. DHL Global Forwarding is a division of DHL Group that provides freight forwarding and supply chain solutions to businesses worldwide.

HIGHEST-RATED NOMINATION OF THE YEAR: The entry “UEFA Champions League Final Istanbul 2023 - Football on the Bosphorus,” submitted by the INFLOW Network, USA, received the highest average score from Stevie Awards judges (9.14 out of 10) in this year’s competition. The nomination won the Gold Stevie for Most Innovative Advertising or Marketing Agency of the Year. INFLOW Network is a global company specializing in influencer marketing, digital advertising, social media management, digital strategy, and content, working with different nations worldwide including the Middle East. INFLOW Network focuses on influencer collaborations to help brands reach their target audiences. It also helps brands manage their digital assets and create social media campaigns to reach their target audiences effectively.

“We are thrilled to announce the 2024 Grand Stevie Award winners. DHL Group and INFLOW Network embody the breadth and quality of nominations we welcomed to the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards in 2024,” said Maggie Miller, President of the Stevie Awards. “As businesses adapt and grow, the judges were impressed by how creative, resourceful, and skilled the Grand Stevie winners have been in moving their organizations forward over the last two years. We look forward to celebrating Grand Stevie Award winners at the gala on 2 March.”

Complete information about the 2 March awards banquet in Ras Al Khaimah is available at https://stevieawards.com/mena/tickets

If you, as a press representative, are interested in covering the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards award ceremony on 2 March in Ras al Khaimah, UAE, please contact us at help+MENA@stevieawards.com.

The sixth edition of the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards will open for entries in September 2024.

Topics: Middle East Stevie Awards

Stevie® Awards Introduces Identity Verification Tool

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Tue, Feb 06, 2024 @ 11:47 PM

We are excited to announce a significant step forward in ensuring the continued integrity of the Stevie® Awards programs—the introduction of our proprietary identity verification tool. This tool will be instrumental in determining the authenticity of selected program entrants and potential judges with customized identity verification software.

Why This Matters:

Each year, the eight (soon to be nine) Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 nominations from organizations of all types and sizes in more than 70 nations. During the judging period of all competitions, each entry is reviewed and rated by no fewer than five judges. More than 1,000 professionals worldwide participate in Stevie Awards judging each year. Many judges are invited by Stevie Awards staff, while others apply to judge through an open application form for evaluation.

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We are committed to providing our community with the assurance that both Stevie Awards applicants and judges are qualified individuals who truly represent themselves and their organizations. Maintaining the integrity of the Stevie Awards evaluation and judging processes is of utmost importance to us. This multi-faceted identity verification tool serves as a robust solution to uphold the standards of excellence we stand for.

Key Features of the Identity Verification Tool

Work Email Address Alternatives: For selected entrants who are unable to provide a work email address or who hail from smaller organizations that may not be easily verified online, our tool steps in to facilitate the verification process.

Streamlined Verification for Smaller Organizations: Recognizing the unique challenges faced by smaller organizations, the tool offers a seamless verification process, eliminating hurdles that may arise from limited online visibility.

Documented Proof of Legitimacy: In cases where additional verification is required, selected entrants and potential judges may be requested to upload documented proof of the organization’s incorporation or registration. This includes a copy of the organization’s current business license, ensuring that the Stevie Awards are recognizing and celebrating legitimate businesses.

Official ID Upload: Entrants and judges whom we believe need to be verified will be prompted to upload an official form of identification, such as a the image of a driver's license or a passport photo page. The identity verification tool utilizes facial recognition technology to conduct a face-matching check, ensuring the accuracy and legitimacy of each participant.

How to Use the Tool:

Entrants and potential judges whom we assess should complete the process will find the tool user-friendly, guiding them through the verification process step by step. Not all entrants or judge applicants will be prompted to use this tool. The Stevie Awards team is available to help anyone who finds themselves needing assistance with the identity verification process.

Questions? Email us at Help@Stevieawards.com.

Final Entry Deadline Extended in the 18th Annual Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Thu, Jan 25, 2024 @ 09:15 AM

Business Development, Customer Service, and Sales Achievements, Professionals, and More May Now Be Nominated Through February 21

The Stevie® Awards, organizer of the world's premier business awards programs, has extended the final entry deadline for the 2024 (18th annual) Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Entry kits and complete details about the competition are available at http://www.StevieAwards.com/Sales.

The original final entry deadline was January 24, but, by popular demand, entrants may now submit nominations through February 21. Finalists will be announced March 5, and the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners will be revealed during an awards ceremony on April 12 in Las Vegas.

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Eligible nominees 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 2024 awards will recognize achievements since July 1, 2021.

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, which include:

  • Sales Individual categories such as Senior Sales Executive of the Year and Sales Representative of the Year
    ● Sales Team categories like Global Sales Team of the Year and Online Sales Team of the Year
    ● Sales Achievement categories such as Sales Turnaround of the Year and Sales Training or Coaching Program of the Year
    ● Sales Distinction categories in 14 industry groupings
    ● Customer Service and Contact Center Individual categories such as Front-Line Customer Service Professional of the Year and Customer Service Leader of the Year
    ● Customer Service and Contact Center Team categories like Contact Center of the Year and Back Office Customer Service Team of the Year
    ● Customer Service and Contact Center Achievement categories such as e-Commerce Customer Service Award and Award for Innovation in Customer Service
    ● Customer Service Department categories in 12 industry groupings
    ● Customer Service Success categories in five industry groupings
    ● New Product and Service categories like Best New Business Intelligence Solution and Best New Marketing Solution
    ● Solution Provider categories such as Sales Consulting Practice of the Year and Incentive, Rewards, or Recognition Provider of the Year
    ● Business Development categories such as Business Development Professional of the Year and Business Development Achievement of the Year - Hospitality & Leisure
    ● Thought Leadership categories such as Best Use of Thought Leadership in Sales, Best Use of Thought Leadership in Business Development, and Best Use of Thought Leadership in Customer Service

Winners of the 2023 edition of the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service included AT&T, Banco Popular Dominicano, Care.com, Cisco Systems, Cvent Inc., DHL Express Worldwide, Dubai Airports, Easyship, Enerjisa Enerji, GoHealth, HP, IBM, Michael Kors, Modern Campus, Nasdaq Governance Solutions, Pan American Energy, PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk, SAP, SoftPro, Splunk, Support Services Group, ValueSelling Associates, VIZIO Inc., Vodafone Turkey, and many more.

The 2024 competition will be judged by more than 150 professionals around the world. 

Interested in submitting 2024 nominations?

Request the Entry Kit

 

Topics: Steve Awards for Sales and Customer Service

Judging Chairs Named in the 2024 Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Tue, Dec 19, 2023 @ 03:05 PM

The Stevie® Awards are delighted to announce the seven distinguished professionals who will chair the judging committees of the 2024 (18th 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.

Stevie Award finalists will be determined at the end of the judging period in February. Results of Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Awards will be announced at the 18th annual awards ceremony in Las Vegas on April 12.  

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 will be 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:

Customer Service & Contact Center Achievement Awards
Chair: Neal Topf, President, Callzilla, Miramar, Florida, United States

24 sascs csa chair Neil topfNeal Topf is the President and Co-Founder of Callzilla, an outsourced contact center provider. Inspired by Annette Franz’s Built to Win tome on how to truly serve customers, Neal has learned the importance of shaping Callzilla to be Employee Centric, Customer Centric, and Client Centric. Neal’s passions are taking apart and solving modern Customer Experience puzzles through the lenses of the employee, customers, and clients, including how the intersection of humans and artificial intelligence can be leveraged to remove friction, to improve speed of response and resolution rates and truly place each of these at the center of the enterprise. 

Neal serves on the Executive Board of the Society of Consumer Professionals (SOCAP) where he enjoys the role of governance of a leading CX industry association. A graduate of the HEC Paris MBA program, Neal studied entrepreneurship and general management. Prior to his MBA studies in Paris, Neal worked for 4 years in the international division of MCI, the great telecom challenger of the 80’s and 90’s, which was a career changing opportunity. Neal now resides in South Florida where he tries to incrementally improve his golf game. And in his spare time, he wonders if the Washington Commanders, his lifelong favorite football team, will ever return to prominence? 

Customer Service Department & Customer Service Success Awards
Chair: Sarah Sajedi, CO-founder, CEO & CTO, ERA Environmental Management Solutions, Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada

24 sascs csd chair sajediSarah Sajedi is an award-winning environmental expert and one of the co-founders of ERA Environmental Management Solutions. Over the past 28 years as the company’s CTO and CEO, Sarah has had to carve out a place for herself in a competitive and largely male-dominated industry. Through her business acumen, degree in Chemistry/Biochemistry, and determination, Sarah has established herself as an authority on environmental performance and compliance solutions across the automotive, aerospace, chemicals, metal, and general manufacturing industries, among countless others.

Sarah’s leadership philosophy is simple: investing in the education and growth of employees promotes innovation and a stronger company. By fostering emerging talent from a diverse workforce, Sarah has grown ERA from a small firm into Canada’s most successful environmental management solution provider, successfully winning out Fortune 100 and 500 companies against multimillion-dollar U.S. competitors. Sarah is a passionate advocate for higher education. She believes education is empowering - that is why she currently sponsors three scholarships for higher education and is working toward establishing a foundation to provide financial aid and university access. She believes in helping others, particularly young female entrepreneurs, by providing a means to obtain higher education and independence, which is vital for their continued success.  Voluntarism is also an essential part of Sarah’s leadership. She works with Angels of Mercy to provide food, clothing, and a listening ear to Montreal’s homeless population, and through the Helping Hands organization she provides clothing and education to children in developing nations. It’s important for her to be able to work hands-on with those in need.

Under her leadership, ERA has been named one of the most admired companies to watch (2018), one of Canada’s top SMEs by the Globe and Mail (2019) and Corporate Vision (2021), one of the top 10 automotive solution providers (2021), the most innovative EHS&Q compliance platform (2022), the Canadian Sustainable Business of the Year (2022), and the Gold Stevie Award winner in the Customer Service (Technology Industries category) at the 2023 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.  Sarah herself has been named a Woman of Influence by RBC, the Silver Stevie Award winner at the 2013 Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the recipient of the national Sara Kirke Award for Leadership in Technology.

Customer Service & Contact Center Individual & Team Awards
Chair: Kimberley Hayes, Global Chief Experience Officer, MONAT Global Corp, Doral, FL, United States

24 sascs csit chair hayesKimberley Hayes is a distinguished professional with over 25 years of extensive experience in managing Customer Care operations on a global scale. Her leadership journey has taken her from the corporate landscapes of the USA, Canada, and the European Union to the bustling markets of Asia. Kimberley is renowned for her exceptional expertise in customer experience (CX) management and a distinguished career marked by remarkable achievements. Throughout her illustrious career, Kimberley has proven herself as a seasoned executive who consistently delivers exceptional results. Her unwavering commitment to success is a driving force that has set her apart in the industry. Kimberley is known for her strategic approach to customer care operations, making her a visionary leader who excels in crafting innovative and effective solutions to complex challenges.

In 2023, Kimberley Hayes received a prestigious Silver Stevie Award in the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, a testament to her excellence in customer care where she was honored as "Women of the Year in Customer Service," underscoring her extraordinary contributions and leadership. Furthermore, Kimberley is no stranger to the dynamic world of start-ups. Her entrepreneurial spirit and adaptability have allowed her to excel in nurturing and growing early-stage companies. This experience has equipped her with a profound understanding of the fast-paced, ever-evolving nature of the business world.

Kimberley's track record extends beyond accolades, as she has successfully built and managed organizations of over 500 seats, showcasing her remarkable ability to scale operations while maintaining a focus on quality and excellence. Her wealth of experience, exceptional results, and relentless determination position Kimberley Hayes as a leading figure in the customer care and CX industry. Her commitment to delivering unparalleled customer experiences, combined with her extensive global experience and expertise in start-ups, make her a true luminary in the field. With a career that epitomizes excellence, Kimberley continues to be a driving force in shaping the future of customer care and CX management.  

New Product & Service Awards
Chair: Dennis Reno, Chief Customer Officer, Cyara, Almeda, California, United States

24 sascs np chair renoDennis Reno joined Cyara in 2020 and most recently has been a member of the executive leadership team as Chief Customer Officer and is focused on delivering world-class customer experiences for a global customer base.  Dennis has a rich background managing Customer Experience and Customer Success functions among leading tech firms in Silicon Valley and at companies such as Microsoft, Oracle, Proofpoint, BEA Systems, and Continental Airlines.

On being appointed Chair, Dennis commented: “I have had the honor of being a judge for the Stevie Awards for many years and each time I participate I have the pleasure of making new friends and contacts among my fellow judges and gain the unique ability to learn so much about other businesses and industries that deliver world-class service and support.”  

Sales Achievements & Sales Distinction Awards
Chair: Oğuz Kartal, Chief Transformation Officer, Karaca Zuccaciye A.S., Sisli, Istanbul, Turkey

24 sascs sasd char kartalOğuz is a Chief Digital Transformation Officer with more than 15 years of experience working alongside Telecom, Retail, Finance, and Technology industries. During this time, Oguz has worked with top companies in Turkey, Dubai, Qatar, and Kuwait. Having worked for top telecom and finance companies, Oguz has a unique set of capabilities for leading the strategic vision and business development for companies to leverage digital capabilities and digital channels as well as to build and differentiate the brand through a better digital experience for everyone.

Sales Individual & Sales Team Awards
Chair:  Mario Martinez Jr., Founder & CEO, Vengreso, Inc., Walnut Creek, California, United States

24 sascs sit chair martinez-whiteMario is the CEO and Co-founder of Vengreso - the creators of FlyMSG, the AI All-inOne Productivity Assistant helping professionals save 1-hour a day in lost productivity by storing, organizing, typing, and writing for you. He spent 106 consecutive quarters in B2B Sales, Marketing, and Executive Leadership roles, growing hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue annually. 

In 2023, he was named Most Influential CEO in the Software Solutions category by CEO Monthly, and he was also named to the #1 spot in the Top 10 Most Influential Business Leaders by Beyond Magazine in 2021. Most notably, he was one of 20 sales influencers invited to appear in the Salesforce.com documentary film “The Story of Sales”. He was named one of the Top 10 Sales Influencers by The Modern Sales Magazine, Top 25 Most Influential Inside Sales Professionals, Selling Power Magazine’s Top Sales Training and Coaching Consultant, and was recognized as one of the top Social Media Leaders by The Social Shake Up. 


As a renowned sales influencer, Mario teaches marketing and sales professionals how to develop an engaging personal brand to attract today’s modern buyers using the digital sales ecosystem.  Mario is the host of the popular The Modern Selling Podcast. He’s been featured in Forbes, INC., Entrepreneur,  and was formerly a contributor to the Huffington Post. He’s a highly sought-after Keynote Speaker with brands such as LinkedIn, Cisco, and many more. He is also known to open a speech with a Salsa dance.  Follow him on YouTubeLinkedIn, on Twitter, or view his website at https://vengreso.com.


Solution Provider, Business Development & Thought Leadership Awards 
Chair: 
Vicki Brackett, Chief Knowledge Office, Knowledgely, Hollister, California, United States

24 sascs spbd chair brackettRecognized as a subject-matter expert on virtual/work-at-home environments and leadership development, Vicki Brackett has written for and been interviewed by ForbesFast CompanyFortune MagazineCIO MagazineCEOWorld,  HR News, Training MagazineICMI, Contact Center Pipeline, The Justin Brady Show,and a host of other publications and podcasts, on creative work-at-home, leadership development, and employee engagement strategies. Vicki has led customer service, technical support, and sales teams in a contact center environment for over two decades. She and her teams have helped organizations achieve exceptional operational excellence, increased sales, higher employee engagement, productivity, and retention with strong customer satisfaction - driving both top line revenue and bottom-line contribution.

Today, Vicki is the Chief Knowledge Officer, at Knowledgely, an organization that helps contact centers understand how their knowledge maturity is adding operational costs and increased mental stress to agents who are looking for the right answer to help a customer.  With a proven methodology, Knowledgely can help companies drive reduced new hire training times, increased agent productivity and employee/gig worker job satisfaction. Their systematic approach can offer new strategies to achieve better knowledge maturity behind self-service technologies that exceed customer expectations and drive down operational costs.

Vicki is also the author of ‘The Leadership Toolbox - Manage Less Achieve More,’ a book about her experience leading virtual/work-at-home and brick & mortar contact center organizations across industries ranging from consumer technology, education, automotive, cosmetics, nutrition and other consumer products and services. Her book showcases a set of leadership tools that have been vetted by thousands of employees and a systematic approach that can transform organizations into top performing business units, where employees and gig workers love coming to work, are highly engaged, and exceed customer expectations.

On being appointed a 2024 Chair, Vicki commented: “It’s an honor and privilege to be a Stevie Award Chairperson and Judge. The Stevie Awards recognize top performers in an industry that continues to respond to the changing business climate. We can learn from these award winners and take best practices back to teams across the globe. Congratulations to all the winners!”

Topics: Steve Awards for Sales and Customer Service

Winners of 2023 People's Choice Stevie® Awards for Favorite Companies Announced

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Thu, Sep 21, 2023 @ 10:00 AM

Winners were announced today in the 2023 People's Choice Stevie® Awards for Favorite Companies, an annual feature of The International Business Awards®, the world's only international, all-encompassing business awards program, now in its 20th year.

The worldwide, public vote was conducted from mid-August through 15 September, with the highest number of votes deciding the People's Choice winners in a variety of industries. More than 96,000 votes were cast. All Stevie Award winners in the Company/Organization of the Year categories in this year's International Business Awards (IBA) were eligible to be included in the vote.

Winners Announced in 2023 People’s Choice Stevie Awards For Favorite Companies

Winners of the crystal People's Choice Stevie Awards will be honored during the IBAs' awards banquet on Friday, 13 October at the Rome Cavalieri, a Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Rome, Italy. Tickets for the event are now on sale. The winners of peer-adjudicated Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Awards - selected from more than 3,700 nominations received from organizations in more than 61 nations - will also be recognized during the ceremony.

The winners of the 2023 People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Companies are:

Advertising, Marketing & PR: Otter PR
Apparel, Fashion & Beauty: Desiderate
Banking: Ziraat Participation Bank
Business or Professional Services: TaskUs
Computer Hardware & Services: AGM Infra Solutions - USA
Computer Software: MYBUSYBEE INC
Consumer Products & Services: Jasmine Norris Photography
Diversified Services: Purpol Marketing
Electronics: Dr. Phone Fix
Energy & Utilities: YEDAŞ
Financial Services: NJMPF
Food & Beverage: Empire Eagle Food Co., Ltd.
Health Products & Services: Golden Hour
Insurance: Thai Life Insurance Plc.
Manufacturing: Health Focus Manufacturers
Materials & Construction: ACE Consulting Company
Media & Entertainment: The Biz Dojo Inc.
Non-Profit or Government: Megaworld Foundation
Other Industries: ContractPodAI
Real Estate: AyalaLand Logistics Holdings Corp.
Telecommunications: Ooredoo Group
Transportation: Angkasa Pura Logistic

Entries for The 21st (2024) International Business Awards will be accepted starting in February. More information is available at http://www.StevieAwards.com/IBA.

Topics: International business awards

Finalists in 20th Stevie® Awards for Women in Business Announced

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Thu, Sep 21, 2023 @ 09:00 AM

World's Top Honors for Women Professionals to Be Presented in New York City on November 10

Finalists were announced today in the 20th annual Stevie® Awards for Women in Business, the world's top honors for women entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and the organizations they run.

Visit http://www.StevieAwards.com/Women for a complete list of Finalists by category.

SAWIB23 Winners Announced - Rectangle

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business are produced by the creators of the prestigious American Business Awards® and International Business Awards®, among other business awards programs. The Stevies are widely considered to be the world's premier honors for achievement in the workplace.

This year's Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award placements from among the Finalists will be revealed during an awards banquet at the Marriott Marquis in New York City on Friday, November 10. More than 400 women and their guests from around the world are expected to attend the presentations, which will be broadcast via Livestream.

More than 1,600 nominations were submitted this year by organizations and individuals for consideration in more than 100 categories including Executive of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Startup of the Year, Women Helping Women, and Women-Run Workplace of the Year.

Nominations were submitted by organizations in 26 nations including Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Netherlands, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, the United States.

Among the many extraordinary organizations and women who have been recognized as Finalists, the following stand out as those with three or more Finalist nominations:

IBM, various cities (18), Green Door Co, Sydney, Australia (11), Purpol Marketing Ltd, Chippenham, Wiltshire, United Kingdom (9), Everise, Plantation, FL USA (7), Personalised Support Systems, Australia (7), Annie Gibbins of Women's Biz Global, Australia (6), Ocean Rescue Alliance International, Apollo Beach, FL USA (5), Tavuun Welfare Association, Lahore, Pakistan (5), The Mach 1 Group, Austin, TX USA (5), Sarah Rusbatch, Grey Area Drinking Specialist, Australia (5), Lisa Watts of The Conversation Media Group, Australia (3), Be a Legend, Inc., Gilbert, AZ USA (4), BODEN Agency, Miami, FL USA (4), BookSmarts Accounting & Bookkeeping, Brooklyn, NY USA (4), DHL Global Forwarding, Freight, Bonn, Germany (4), How Many Elephants, Alresford, Hampshire, UK (4), Microsoft, Redmond, WA USA (4), Sleepm Global, Inc., Markham, ON Canada (4), Symplr, Boston, MA USA (4), The Alpha Enterprise, Cabuyao, Laguna, Philippines (4), Women Talk Tech, Ontario, Canada (4), Anjani Amriit, Sydney, Australia (3), Bug Bite Thing, Port St. Lucie, FL USA (3), C-Strategies Inc., Chicago IL USA (3), EngageSmart, Boston, MA USA (3), Everything Podcasts, Vancouver, Canada (3), Fix My Books Inc., Toronto, Canada (3), Katrina Wurm of Stress Free Super Mum, Australia (3), Lantern Partners, Sydney, Australia (3), Northern Real Estate Urban Ventures, Washington DC, USA (3), Pearl Interactive Network, Inc., Columbus, OH USA (3), Salesforce, San Francisco, CA USA (3), TELUS, Victoria, BC Canada (3), The Flora May Foundation, San Clemente, CA USA (3), SAP, various cities (3), and The Stardust Food Company, Bethesda, MD (3).

Finalists were determined by the average scores of more than 200 professionals around the world, organized in six juries. Their scores will also determine the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie placements from among the Finalists, to be announced on November 10.

Topics: stevie awards for women in business