Allyson Stewart-Allen Brings Cross-Cultural Marketing Expertise to Judging Committee

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Mon, Oct 16, 2017 @ 02:32 PM

British television viewers may recognize her as the one-time “Muse of Marketing” on Sky News or for her appearances on BBC’s version of The Apprentice. But countless business executives know her in a more personal light – as a trusted advisor who helps refine their marketing strategy and guide their expansion into new markets.

For the past three decades, the art of bridging cultural barriers has been Allyson Stewart-Allen’s passion. As the founder and CEO of International Marketing Partners, she’s helped more than 200 businesses leverage new opportunities in the United States and internationally.

Allyson headshot.jpgAs an American-born California native who has called the United Kingdom her home for nearly 30 years, Stewart-Allen brings first-hand experience to the international business challenges her clients face. “My goal is that, by helping people bridge cultural or organizational divides, they and their organizations are happier and more able to fulfill their purpose,” she says.

In addition to her work as a consultant, Stewart-Allen has also been active as a public speaker and as mentor for the Mayor of London’s International Business Programme. In addition, she co-wrote Working With Americans, a book designed to educate foreigners on America’s business culture.

This year, she’ll don another title – Judging Committee Chair of the Marketing Awards categories in The 2017 International Business Awards. It’s a role where she can draw on her expertise to not only select winning companies, but provide input that other entrants can draw on as the move forward.

The Stevie Awards are one of the few business competitions that are truly international, providing judges with a great opportunity to compare the achievements of businesses from a global, rather than local, perspective” she says.

An emphasis on ‘localization’

“I have always been fascinated by how businesses operate, particularly in the areas of leadership, sales and marketing,” saysStewart-Allen.

After attending the University of Southern California’s  Marshall School of Business as an undergrad in the early 1980s, she earned her MBA under the tutelage of Peter Drucker, one of the most influential business thinkers of the past half century.

She went on to work for multiple blue-chip advisory firms – PwC, PA Consulting Group and Hay Management Consultants – before establishing International Marketing Partners in 1991. There, she’s surrounded herself with a group of marketing and business development specialists who bring experience in a variety of industries.

Stewart-Allen and her team have counseled dozens of businesses, including the likes of Burberry, HSBC, NBC Universal and SAB Miller. Her firm provides market analysis as well as insights into foreign business cultures that companies can leverage to attain better returns on their marketing investment.

Allysonbbc intvw.jpg“I am a hands-on CEO, so I define what my clients require and work with the Board and their operational teams to meet the agreed objectives, which could mean running a workshop one day, talking to a CEO about the strategy for international growth, running leadership courses or undertaking market research,” she explains.

An improved understanding of overseas markets helps ensure that clients avoid a one-size-fits-all strategy that may not work in every corner of the globe. “As a result of more local approaches and effectiveness, my clients achieve increased brand loyalty, employee loyalty and stakeholder engagement,” Stewart-Allen notes.

In the age of social media, she says, the stakes are even higher when organizations step outside their comfort zone. “It can bring a company’s mistakes to the consumer’s attention within minutes and thereby detrimentally affect the company’s brand, reputation and ability to bounce back.”

Leading the panel of judges for the marketing awards is another avenue for Stewart-Allen to help companies get it right. “My goal is to help businesses operate profitably in an increasingly global environment, at a time when the future is hard to predict,” she says.

Topics: marketing awards, International business awards, Allyson Stewart-Allen, International Marketing Partners, Marketing Agency of the Year, ceo of the year, final judges, Stevie Awards Judge

Nominate Your HR All-Stars

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Tue, May 24, 2016 @ 03:31 PM

The Stevie® Awards is accepting entries for the first annual Stevie Awards for Great Employers, which will honor the world’s best companies to work for and the HR teams and professionals, HR achievements, new products and services, and suppliers that help to create and drive great workplaces.

The final entry deadline is June 8, but late entries will be accepted through July 20 with payment of a late fee. Entry details are available at www.StevieAwards.com/HR

Startup_Business_Team-1.jpgOther Stevie Awards programs such as The American Business Awards and The International Business Awards offer one human resource individual category, but the Stevie Awards for Great Employers now offers 15 categories for HR professionals.

Today we will highlight the HR Individual categories in the Stevie Awards for Great Employers.

REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT HERE.

These categories recognize the achievements of individual professionals since the beginning of 2015.

Information to be submitted online for entries in these categories in the 2016 competition include:

a.  An essay of up to 625 words describing the nominated individual's achievement since the beginning of 2015.  Focus on achievements since that date.  Make reference, where appropriate, to supporting materials attached to your entry that support your claims.

b.  Summarize in up to 10 bullet points (up to 150 words) the chief accomplishments of the nominated individual since the beginning of 2015.

c.  Add to your entry up to 10 webpage links and up to 10 document uploads to support your case to the judges.  These might be press articles, press releases, videos, work samples, internal or external reviews, or employee feedback, for example. 

C01     People-Focused CEO of the Year   
Recognizing the top organizational executives who best demonstrate a commitment to making their organizations great employers.

C02     Chief Human Resources Officer of the Year        
Recognizing the achievements of organizations' top human resources executives.

C03     Chief Happiness Officer of the Year          
Recognizing the achievements of executives who focus on the happiness and wellbeing of organizations' employees.

C04     Chief Learning Officer of the Year
Recognizing the achievements of executives who focus on the training and skills- and knowledge-advancement of organizations' employees.

C05     Human Resources Executive of the Year  
Recognizing the achievements of HR executives at the VP level or higher.

C06     Benefits or Payroll Professional of the Year         
Recognizing the achievements of individual professionals in benefits or payroll administration.

C07     Compliance & Safety Professional of the Year     
Recognizing the achievements of individual professionals in the design and delivery of compliance and workplace safety programs.

C08     Employee Relations Professional of the Year       
Recognizing the achievements of individual employee relations professionals.

C09     Human Resources IT Professional of the Year     
Recognizing the achievements of individual professionals in HR systems development, installation, and maintenance.

C10     Human Resources Professional of the Year          
Recognizing the achievements of non-executive HR professionals.

C11     Internal Communications Professional of the Year         
Recognizing the achievements of individuals who specialize in internal communications.

C12     Learning or Training Professional of the Year    
Recognizing the achievements of individual professionals in training or corporate learning.

C13     Onboarding Professional of the Year        
Recognizing the achievements of individual professionals who work in new employee orientation and assimilation.

C14     Recruiting or Talent Acquisition Professional of the Year         
Recognizing the achievements of individual recruiters.

C15     Technical Recruiting Professional of the Year     
Recognizing the achievements of individual technical recruiters.

Topics: hr awards, human resources awards, human resource awards, ceo of the year, great employers

Management Awards Judges in The 2011 International Business Awards

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Wed, Aug 10, 2011 @ 12:30 PM

This week we've been recognizing the contributions of the more than 200 professionals worldwide who participated in the judging process for The 8th Annual International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards program, and today we acknowledge the participation of those on the Management Awards judging committee, which included

Allyson Stewart Allen, Director, International Marketing Partners, London, United Kingdom
Esther Oh, Deputy Director, Commercial Services, CITIC Pacific Mining Management Pty Ltd, South Perth, WA Australia
Valerie Ondes, CFO, High Frequency Economics, Valhalla, NY USA
Janine Popick, CEO & Founder, VerticalResponse, San Francisco, CA USA
Jacqueline Teo, General Manager, Programme Management Office, FOXTEL, Putney, Australia
Han Tjan, VP-Corporate Communications, Daimler, New York, NY USA

Yvonne HowieThe committee was chaired and formed by Yvonne Howie, CEO, The CEO Institute, Neutral Bay, NSW Australia.

The average scores of the members of this committee determined the 2011 Stevie Award winners in categories such as Management Team of the Year, Executive of the Year, and Chairman of the Year.  The full list of honorees in these categories is online, but some notable Stevie Award winners this year include:

  • The management team at iolo technologies, Los Angeles, CA USA
  • Fujio Cho, Chairman, Toyota Motor Corporation, Aichi, Japan
  • Catherine A. Lesjak, Chief Financial Officer and Executive VP, Hewlett-Packard Company, Palo Alto, CA USA
  • Mukesh D Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries Limited, Mumbai, India
  • Jose Ignacio Sanchez Galán, CEO, Iberdrola SA, Bilbao, Spain
  • Mugheer Al Khaili, Director General, Abu Dhabi Education Council, Abu Dhabi, UAE
The awards will be presented at the 2011 IBA awards presentations in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, 11 October. Tickets are now on sale.

What do you think of the list of honorees in the management categories this year?

Topics: International business awards, stevie awards, management awards, IBAs, executive of the year, best executive, ceo of the year