Watsons honored as Organization of the Year

The Stevie® Awards, organizer of the world’s premier business awards programs, announced the winners of five Grand Stevie® Award trophies in the 11th annual Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards, the only awards program to recognize innovation in the workplace throughout the Asia-Pacific region. 

Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners in various categories were announced on 10 April. Those awards were determined by the average scores of more than 150 executives worldwide acting as judges. The 2024 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards have recognized organizations in 25 markets including Australia, Cambodia, mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Estonia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. 

The Grand (“best of show”) Stevie Award trophy is awarded to only a handful of organizations in each of the nine Stevie Awards competitions. In the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, one Grand Stevie Award is presented to the most honored organization, and one each to the highest-scoring nomination from the four markets that submitted the most nominations.

The 2024 Grand Stevie Award for Most Honored Organization of the Year goes to Watsons, headquartered in Hong Kong, with 72.5 award points. This award could not be applied for directly. The award is determined by a points system based on the total number of awards won in the competition, with a Gold Stevie win counting for 3 points, a Silver Stevie for 2 points, and a Bronze Stevie counting for 1.5.

The Grand Stevie Awards presented to the highest-scoring nomination from each of the four markets that submitted the most nominations to the competition are:

From Australia: Farmbot Monitoring Solutions, of Roseville, New South Wales, for their “Farmbot Pump Control – Innovating Water Management for Agriculture” nomination, a Gold Stevie Award winner for Innovation in Digital Transformation, with an average score of 9.00/10.

From China: Beijing apm, nominated by Brand Head, winner of a Gold Stevie for their nomination “A ‘healing’ mall other than a ‘shopping" mall’ for Innovation in Consumer Events (8.86/10).

From India: IntouchCX, Hyderabad, for their Most Innovative Customer Service Team nomination, a Gold Stevie winner in that category, average score 8.67.

From the Philippines: Shell companies in the Philippines (SciP), Taguig City, for their nomination “Empowering farmers, enriching communities: the transformative impact of Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc.,” which won a Gold Stevie for Innovation in Community Relations or Public Service Communications, with an average score of 9.33/10.

Winners in the 2024 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards will be celebrated during an awards banquet on 24 May at Shangri-La The Fort Hotel in Manila, Philippines. Tickets for the awards banquet are on sale now.

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

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

Telkom Indonesia honored as Organization of the Year

The Stevie® Awards, organizer of the world’s premier business awards programs, announced the winners of five Grand Stevie Award trophies in its ninth annual Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards. The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are the only awards to recognize innovation in the workplace throughout the entire 29-nation Asia-Pacific region. All organizations in the region are eligible to submit nominations to the competition.

Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners in the various categories were announced on 21 April. Those awards were determined by the average scores of more than 100 executives worldwide acting as judges in March and April. Winners will be celebrated during a virtual awards ceremony on Wednesday, 29 June at 2:00 pm KST. Registration for the event is now on sale.

The 2022 Grand Stevie® Award for Organization of the Year goes to Telkom Indonesia, with 61.5 award points. Telkom Indonesia has won the Grand Stevie for Organization of the Year for the fifth time in the nine-year history of the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards. The organization won for stellar nominations submitted on behalf of itself and subsidiaries Admedika, Infomedia, Metra Digital Media, Nutech Integrasi, and Telkomsigma. “Telkom Indonesia could offer a master class on how to prepare well-researched, well-written, and compelling nominations,” said Stevie Awards president Maggie Miller.

This award could not be applied for directly. The award is determined by a points system based on the total number of awards won in the competition, with a Gold Stevie win counting for 3 points, a Silver Stevie for 2 points, and a Bronze Stevie counting for 1.5.

Grand Stevie Awards are also presented to the highest-rated nomination from the four nations that submitted the most nominations to the competition:

From Australia: the Silver Stevie-winning nomination for Award for Innovative Management in Business Product & Service Industries - Up to 100 Employees, of their CEO, Amreeta Abbott, by Annature, Camp Hill, QLD. 

From China: the Gold Stevie-winning nomination for Award for Innovation in Brand Development entitled “The Ring is building a genuine ‘Urban Nature Community’,” submitted by Brand Head (Beijing) Consulting Limited Liability Company on behalf of Hong Kong Land (Chongqing) Asset Management Company Limited, Beijing.

From India: the Gold Stevie-winning nomination for Award for Innovation in Customer Service Management, Planning & Practice > Computer Industries, submitted by Cisco Systems (I) Pvt. Ltd, Bengaluru, Karnataka, entitled “Project Life of PI  – Facilitating seamless Cisco Prime Infrastructure to Cisco DNA Center migration.”

From the Philippines: “Project Shelter: Shell Helps 800,000 Filipinos in Pandemic Response,” the Silver Stevie-winning nomination for Most Valuable Corporate Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic submitted by Shell companies in the Philippines, Taguig, Metro Manila.

The 2022 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards have recognized organizations in 20 nations including Australia, Belarus, Cambodia, China including Hong Kong and Macao, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Nigeria, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and Vietnam. More than 900 nominations about innovative achievements in the 29-nation APAC region were considered by the judges this year.

This is the first time that two Silver Stevie-winning nominations have earned Grand Stevies in the same year.

“So many of the nominations we received this year address how organizations and people have met the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, so it makes sense that several of our 2022 Grand Stevie Awards will go to nominations that recognize those efforts” said Stevies president Maggie Miller. “We commend all of this year’s Stevie Award winners for their achievements, and we look forward to celebrating them on 29 June.”

Details about the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards and the 29 June awards ceremony are available at http://Asia.Stevieawards.com. 

Sponsors and partners of the 2022 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards include adobo magazine and PR Newswire Asia.

The Stevie® Awards, organizer of the world’s premier business awards programs, announced the winners of five Grand Stevie® Award trophies in its seventh annual Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards. The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are the only awards to recognize innovation in the workplace throughout the entire 29-nation in Asia-Pacific region. All organizations in the region are eligible to submit nominations.

Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners in the various categories were announced on 8 July. Those awards were determined by the average scores of more than 100 executives worldwide acting as judges in May and June. Winners will be celebrated during a virtual awards ceremony on Tuesday, 22 September at 2 pm, KST. Tickets for the event are now on sale.

The 2020 Grand Stevie® Award for Organization of the Year goes to SM Prime Holdings, the Philippines, owner of SM Supermalls and Shopping Center Management, which earned 56.5 points from three Gold, 11 Silver, and 17 Bronze Stevie wins. SM Supermalls also won this honor in 2019.

Grand Stevie winners also include those with the highest-scoring nominations in the four nations that submitted the most nominations:

Australia: OnAIR by EventsAIR - the Virtual/Hybrid Event Solution, Gold Stevie winner for Award for the Innovation in Technology Development > Computer Industries          

China: Application of IoT Technology to Demand Control Ventilation in Carpark at Three Garden Road, Hong Kong, Gold Stevie-winning nomination for Award for Innovation in Technology Management, Planning & Implementation > All Other Industries submitted by Great Eagle Holdings Limited

Philippines: CultureCX Fuels Employee and Client Success, TTEC's Gold Stevie Award-winning nomination for Award for the Innovative Use of Technology in Human Resources > All Other Industries

South Korea: Kyoung Gu Kang, Team Leader, D.TRIBE, Gold Stevie winner for Most Innovative Marketing or Advertising Professional of the Year

The 2020 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards have recognized organizations in 20 nations including Australia, China including Hong Kong and Macao, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. More than 1000 nominations about innovative achievements in the 29-nation of the APAC region were considered by the judges this year.

“Though 2020 has had more challenging times than anyone expected, the Grand Stevie Awards winners prove that through determination, resiliency, and innovation that it’s still possible to succeed during rough times” said Maggie Gallagher, President of the Stevie Awards. “We commend this year’s Stevie Award winners for their achievements, and we look forward to celebrating them on 22 September.”

Details about the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards and the 22 September awards ceremony, and the list of Stevie Award winners, are available at http://Asia.Stevieawards.com.

Sponsors and partners of the 2020 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards include adobo magazine and PR Newswire Asia.

With the ongoing economic impacts of the Great Recession, astronomical student debt, COVID-19, rising housing costs, and myriad other financial factors, retirement looks a lot different today than it used to. Gone are the days of finding a job, staying with the company for 40 years, and retiring with a handshake and a gold watch. Pensions and 401(k)s are increasingly hard to come by. Plus, with often insurmountably expensive real estate costs, fewer people are entering the realty market. As a result, many people don’t have valuable homes to supplement their retirement nest eggs.

Given these kinds of factors, it’s little surprise that the concept of “retirement” has shifted. In this landscape, one thing is clear: If financial services groups want to continue to stay relevant, they will need to change their approaches, advice, and outlook to match what financial wellness means to millennials and members of Generation Z.

Rethinking Retirement Age

In a 2018 study by Bankrate.com, millennials responded that they think 61 is the ideal age to retire. Despite this aspiration of early retirement, however, approximately two-thirds of millennials have nothing saved for retirement.

Because of increased debt and decreased financial opportunities, more people than ever are being forced to reevaluate what’s realistic when it comes to retirement. For many, this means bumping out that expected age of retirement. Some don’t even expect to retire at all, instead considering part-time jobs, second careers, or other money-making opportunities as they get into the later years of their lives.

Increased longevity further complicates the issue. Across the globe, people are living longer than ever, which seriously skews issues related to realistic retirement age, health insurance, and life insurance.

Rethinking Financial Wellness

Companies that provide financial planning and other money-management services are often viewed as symbolic of a bygone era. After all, someone who has nothing saved for retirement, doesn’t own a home, and is working on paying down $50,000 in student debt can feel as if these companies aren’t relevant to their financial realities.

That doesn’t need to be the case, though. These companies can still help younger clientele reach their financial goals; they just have to shift how they think about accomplishing this endeavor. John Hancock, which is based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, is one such company successfully refining its approach. 

“At John Hancock, we know it’s time to look beyond outdated concepts like ‘net assets’ and to build financial solutions that fit into customers’ whole lives—with easily accessible products that reflect their values, their approach to wellness, and their holistic well-being,” says Meghan Fackler, a thought leadership manager at John Hancock. “That’s why we’re redefining retirement, insurance, and investing for the modern generation of consumers to address both their health and wealth.”

To connect with this modern generation of consumers, one key is reframing the idea of financial wellness as the most important kind of wellness. Financial service providers are finding that the younger generation prizes a more holistic approach to well-being, and providing advice that resonates means tailoring to that mind-set.

Twine is an app that provides financial advice and automated money management to empower users to manage multiple savings goals with a partner – it’s a smarter way to collaborate and save for what matters. Twine is for people who might not have their own financial advisor but want to make better financial decisions to reach their goals, regardless of their income or age. The app simplifies saving for major milestones like down payments, weddings, and vacations by allowing users to collaborate and link accounts with others to stay on track. Twine is built, developed and powered entirely by innovative technology while leveraging the financial expertise of John Hancock.

“We believe good health and financial wellness are essential ingredients to overall well-being, and we want to help motivate people to make healthier
choices—for themselves and their future,” says Fackler.

With this goal in mind, John Hancock has had success especially with one initiative: a partnership with the Vitality Group, which can serve as a template for similar companies looking to connect with younger investors.

“In 2015, we started a new chapter in our 155-year history when we partnered with the Vitality Group to help our clients live longer, healthier lives,” says Feckler. “As the first life insurance company in the United States to offer a wellness-based rewards program, John Hancock life insurance with Vitality gives our customers the financial protection they need while also helping them earn savings on their premiums, shopping gift cards, and travel discounts for their everyday healthy habits, such as going for a walk, eating well, and getting a regular health check.”

John Hancock was recently honored with multiple Stevie® Awards in the 2020 American Business Awards®, earning the company a Grand Stevie® Award. This designation is reserved for the top 10 most-recognized organizations. 

The 2021 American Business Awards are not open for entries yet. The 2020 International Business Awards® are accepting nominations through July 28, 2020.

• Boehringer Ingelheim and Dubai Health Authority take top prizes
• To be presented for the first time at a virtual award ceremony on 25 August

The Stevie® Awards today announced the Grand Stevie Award winners in the first annual Middle East Stevie Awards.  The winners will be honored during a virtual award ceremony on 25 August. Registration for the virtual award ceremony is now ongoing.

The Middle East Stevie Awards, sponsored by the Ras Al Khaimah Chamber of Commerce & Industry, is an international business awards competition open to all organizations in 17 nations in the Middle East and North Africa. The focus of the awards is recognizing innovation in all its forms.  

This year more than 500 nominations were considered in the judging process by more than 70 professionals, whose average ratings determined the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners announced earlier this year. For a complete list of the 2020 Stevie Award winners, visit https://stevieawards.com/mena/2020-stevie%C2%AE-award-winners

In addition to the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie awards, the top winner overall (total number of points conferred by total Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie wins) and the highest-scoring nomination win Grand Stevie Award trophies.

A German-based, family-owned company, Boehringer Ingelheim is considered one of the pharmaceutical industry’s top 20 companies. In the inaugural Middle East Stevie Awards, Boehringer Ingelheim will receive the Grand Stevie for Organization of the Year with 23.5 award points, earned for six Gold, two Silver, and one Bronze Stevie Award wins.

"We believe that digital technologies offer exciting new ways to help patients around the world.  Health is what we care about; digital technologies help us to provide it. New tools nourish our passion for innovation and help ideas grow.  We are focused on delivering international best practices, innovative medical trends, while also ramping up our research and development capabilities, to address the diverse needs of patients in the country and region "said Evren Özlü, General Manager & Head of HP, Turkey

Dubai Health Authority’s nomination of diagnostic and prognostic liquid biopsy biomarkers for asthma was awarded the Gold Stevie Award for Innovation in Medical or Dental, and because it received the highest overall average score from the judges, of all nominations submitted in the 2020 competition, will also receive the Grand Stevie Award for Highest-Rated Nomination of the Year.

In the inaugural Middle East Stevie Awards, Dubai Health Authority won four Gold and one Silver Stevies for their Smart Home Care and Smart Health Professional licensing initiatives, as well as their innovative new approaches to early detection, diagnoses and treatments for asthma, sepsis, and childhood developmental disabilities. 

Dr. Younis Kazim, CEO of Dubai Healthcare Corporation from Dubai Health Authority commented, commented on the win by saying: “Dubai Health Authority are pleased to add a distinguished set of new prizes to its collection of prestigious international awards. Recognition with a Grand Stevie Award is the result of the great efforts made by the authority’s team to promote innovation and introduce smart services to facilitate the customer’s journey, and their continuous offering of improvement projects for services provided to individual or institutional clients.

Usually the two Grand Stevie Award winners are announced live at the award ceremony. However, due to the current development of the COVID19 pandemic, the Stevie Awards had to cancel the in-person award ceremony that was to take place on 21 March at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. A virtual Stevie Awards ceremony will instead be offered on 25 August, 2020 in which the winners of the first Middle East Stevie Awards will be honored.

"We were very sad that the award ceremony could not take place in Ras Al Khaimah. It's always a very special moment to present the award winners with their awards," said Maggie Gallagher, president of the Stevie Awards. "That's why we are all the more pleased that we can now offer the winners of the Middle East Stevie Awards 2020 a virtual award ceremony in which our Stevie Award winners may be recognized and celebrated from the safety of their homes and offices.”

The Trophies for all winners will be shipped before the 25 August Ceremony so the winners can have their red-carpet pictures and record their acceptance speech holding their trophies. Orders should be made before 1 July 2020.

Complete information about the virtual awards ceremony is available at https://stevieawards.com/mena/2020-virtual-awards-ceremony-registration.

The virtual awards ceremony will feature digital versions of all of the things that people love about Stevie Awards events, including the networking, acceptance speeches, red carpet photographs, and red carpet interviews.   A series of informative webinars this summer will also be offered to virtual ceremony participants.

If you, as a representative of the press, is interested in participating in the virtual award ceremony of the Middle East Stevie Awards on 25 August at 2 p.m GMT., please contact us at help+MENA@stevieawards.com.

The submission phase of the second edition of the awards will begin in September 2020.

Interested in entering the 2021 Middle East Stevie Awards?

SM Supermalls Win As Most Honored Organization

The Stevie® Awards, organizer of the world’s premier business awards programs, announced the winners of six Grand Stevie® Award trophies in its sixth annual Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards. The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are the only awards to recognize innovation in the workplace throughout the entire 29-nation in Asia-Pacific region. All organizations in the region are eligible to submit nominations.

Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners in the various categories were announced on 22 April. Those awards were determined by the average scores of more than 100 executives worldwide earlier this year. Awards will be presented to winners during a gala event at the InterContinental Hotel in Singapore on Friday, 31 May. Tickets for the event are now on sale.

2019 Grand Stevie Award winners are:

Most Honored Organization: SM Supermalls of the Philippines are the winner with 67 award points. (Points are calculated with three points for each Gold Stevie win, two for each Silver win, and 1.5 points for each Bronze Stevie win.)

Most Honored Korean Organization, sponsored by BRComm: The Presidential Commission on Centennial Anniversary of March 1st Independence Movement and Korea Provisional Government

Highest-rated Nomination from China: Shanghai Hang Bond Property Development Co., Ltd.'s nomination for most innovative consumer event

Highest-rated Nomination from Indonesia: PT PETROKIMIA GRESIK's nomination for innovation in human resources management, planning, and practice

Highest-rated Nomination from Philippines: Philippines Urban Living Solutions Inc.'s nomination of MyTown for innovation in living, learning, and working environments

Highest-rated Nomination from South Korea: Daehong Communications' nomination for most innovative internal corporate event

The 2019 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards have recognized organizations in 17 markets including Australia, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Macao, mainland China, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the U.S.A., and Vietnam. More than 900 nominations about innovative achievements in the 29-nation APAC region were considered by the judges this year.

“Entries to the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards grew by more than 20% this year. That is a testament to the commitment to innovation we are seeing across a broad swath of organizations in the region,” said Michael Gallagher, founder and president of the Stevie Awards. “They realize that continuous innovation is, in the long run, the only reliable differentiator among competitors in the marketplace. We commend this year’s Stevie Award winners for their achievements, and we look forward to celebrating with them in Singapore on 31 May.”

Details about the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards and the list of Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners are available at http://Asia.Stevieawards.com.

About the Stevie® Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in seven programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards®, The International Business Awards®, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. 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.

Sponsors and partners of the 2019 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards include adobo magazine, PR Newswire Asia and BRComm.

Online marketing moves at the speed of light. Customers, prospects and partners can be the lifeblood of a business, which is a sentiment that TopSpot Internet Marketing has set their sights on to differentiate themselves from other search marketing firms. As they become one of the fastest growing firms in Houston, Texas, their focus on accountability, transparency, collaboration, education and delivering meaningful results helped them win the Interactive Agency of the Year Award in The 2016 American Business Awards.

Winners in The 2017 American Business Awards were recently announced. Interested in submitting nominations for 2018? Request your entry kit here.

15 Wins and Counting

TopSpot first submitted Stevie Awards nominations in 2015, winning 15 Stevie Awards including last year’s Grand Stevie Award for the 2016 Interactive Agency of the Year. The Grand Stevie Award is the highest honor.

“Winning multiple awards for our work on websites we’ve designed and developed and then going on to win the Grand Stevie Award for Interactive Agency of the Year further solidified the fact that our efforts are meeting and exceeding industry standards in addition to driving leads for our clients.”

At TopSpot, their focal point is delivering meaningful results for their clients.

“Our culture is built around a quality-focused approach, both in our work & our customer service. Our team takes tremendous pride in having a positive impact on our clients' businesses.”

Big Changes for 2017 and Beyond

TopSpot expects to see many changes in their industry. As mobile search continues to increase and with Google’s announcement of the mobile first index, more websites built and optimized for mobile devices will take precedence.

“We are also seeing a rise in voice search because of devices like Amazon Echo and Google Home. This is something we must take into consideration more and more when optimizing websites, making sure they are optimized for conversational searches.”

They also anticipate a greater importance on user experience with, “continued site speed monitoring, getting page load times down on all sites, which contributes to both user experience and organic rankings.”

It’s Not Just Digital Marketing

Director of SEO, John Varghese highlights a story about a client’s thankfulness that shouldn’t be overlooked, even when everything runs smoothly.

“He spoke to the entire company with a lot of thankfulness and communicated to us that we do more than just build websites, develop paid search campaigns or SEO, and that we helped him, his family, his employees and his employees families build their dreams. He went on to say that he was able to spend more time with his family and the charitable work he is involved in, employ more people, give raises, that his employees were able to send their kids to college, sometimes for the first time in their family history.” He said that, “Since that time we have an internal standard of asking if we are building dreams for our clients.”