The early-bird entry deadline for The 2013 (10th Annual) International Business Awards is 10 April. Take advantage of discounted entry fees for those entries submitted by 10 April, request your entry kit here.

Recognized as the world’s premier business awards program, The International Business Awards honors all facets of the workplace, our award categories include: annual report awards, app awards, company/organization awards, customer service awards, human resources awards, information technology awards, management awards, marketing awards, new product awards, public relations awards, support awards, and website awards, among others. See all corporate awards categories.

Nominations should cite achievements during our eligibility period: January 2012 through 12 June 2013, the last day that late entries will be accepted. There is no eligibility timeframe for web site entries - it does not matter when the web sites were first published.

If you can't make the 10 April early-bird deadline, 15 May is the entry deadline, and late entries will be accepted through 12 June with the payment of a late fee per entry. Results will be announced on 14 August. 

Because the 2013 awards banquet will take place on 14 October in Barcelona, Spain, all organizations in Spain may submitted an unlimited number of entries to the IBAs free of charge this year. Organizations in Spain should submit the promotion code "Barcelona" where indicated in the online entry process to have their entry fees waived. Entry details are available at www.stevieawards.com/iba.

Don't hesitate to contact us with your questions about how to participate in The 2013 International Business Awards.

David Seligman, chairman and CEO of Best Doctors, Inc., in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, won the Gold Stevie® Award for Executive of the Year in Health Products & Services at The 2012 International Business Awards, presented in Seoul, South Korea, last October. (The entry kit for The 2013 (10th Annual) International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition, is now available. Request your entry kit today.) Here we look at how Seligman’s business philosophy and vision have shaped his company’s success.

Founded in 1989 by Harvard Medical School physicians and serving over 30 million members worldwide, Best Doctors works to help people get the right diagnosis and treatment. In a world in which published studies indicate from 15-28% of patients are misdiagnosed—translating into needless suffering and billions of wasted health care dollars annually—a growing number of companies and insurers are choosing Best Doctors’ diagnostic accuracy services and offerings.

Saving Lives Around The World
Under the leadership of David Seligman, its chairman and CEO, Best Doctors has made noteworthy progress recently in the areas of revenue growth, market expansion, and customer acquisition—progress made all the more impressive having been achieved during a shaky global economy. But if you were to ask David Seligman what he thought was the Company’s most notable achievement, he’d point to the lives that have been impacted by Best Doctors’ unique services.

Best Doctors has become a recognized global leader in combating misdiagnosis and the many quality problems of health care systems throughout the world. Through the efforts of Seligman and his team to deliver the right diagnoses and treatment for its members, the company reported in late 2011 it had corrected or refined diagnoses in 29 percent of cases in the US, and corrected or improved treatment in nearly 60 percent of cases, resulting in considerably improved patient outcomes and cost savings. 

Company Achievements
When the management awards winner joined Best Doctors, the company had just a handful of dedicated employees and operated out of a small office in Boston. Almost 17 years later, through his leadership, Best Doctors has:

• Crossed the $150 million revenue threshold in 2012, from $94 million in 2010
• Grown its workforce to over 500 employees globally
• Increased its member count to more than 30 million people in every major region of the world

Seligman’s work has played a key role in efforts to deliver a measurable patient-outcome difference in thousands of lives each year, and in providing a common-sense model for how health care at its best could work around the world.

Groundbreaking Products
Seligman has overseen the delivery of several groundbreaking health products to the global health care market.  Among them is InterConsultation™, which enables a case to be examined by a leading expert in that condition, allowing members and their treating physicians to be absolutely sure they have the right diagnosis and get the right treatment.

InterConsultation is an offering that has literally saved lives by giving members the correct diagnosis the first time around, or by correcting a previously incorrect diagnosis or treatment plan.

In 2012, Best Doctors, Inc. developed some unique web tools that it anticipates will help usher in a new age of expert physician collaboration. Their site will serve as a hub for a variety of resources, including a Physician-Only portal where experts will collaborate on patient cases, and Clinical Curbside, a physician-facing blog addressing diagnostic accuracy.

“These new tools will enable physicians to be even better diagnosticians,” said Seligman. “BestDoctors.com is providing patients, doctors, and employers the peace of mind that comes with knowing the best medical minds in the right specialty areas are working together on their health cases.  Health plans are also served and can now access diagnostic support and independent second opinions for their network providers, thereby contributing to improved health outcomes and reduced costs. Whether you are a patient, employer or health plan, everybody wants the right health solutions.”

The Importance of the Right Diagnosis
Seligman has led the launch of a number of global insurance products, giving members the peace of mind that they will have the best possible care in the world should they need it.

Says Seligman: “The human toll of misdiagnosis is tremendous. It deprives patients of needed care and exposes them to the side effects of inappropriate treatment. It generates untold expenses from incorrect treatment, and can often mean deadly consequences when a condition goes undiagnosed and progresses in severity.”

Seligman continues to lead efforts to make better health care a reality for everyone, no matter where they live.  On receiving the Stevie Award, Seligman commented: “Our team worldwide was deeply honored by this recognition from the International Business Awards. We think these awards speak to our innovative work to change and improve the health care paradigm by offering a truly patient-centric experience. Our mission is focused on taking the ‘guesswork’ out of health care by getting people the right information and correct answers, and we know that focus is what is resonating so strongly with our members around the world.” 

Seligman and his team at Best Doctors believe that the right diagnosis provided the first time around—together with quality, more customized patient care—should be the rule and not the exception. 

About David Seligman:
David Seligman serves as chairman and CEO of Boston-based Best Doctors, Inc., and has led the company’s growth strategy since 1997. Seligman has 23 years of broad management and strategic experience in the healthcare sector including market development, mergers and acquisitions, and performance turnarounds. Prior to joining Best Doctors in 1997, he was a Director of Operations and Corporate Development at Fresenius Medical Care.

Seligman graduated valedictorian from Thunderbird School of Global Management with a Masters degree, and from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in Economics.

About Best Doctors:
Best Doctors works with the best five percent of doctors, ranked by impartial peer review, to help people get the right diagnosis and right treatment. Gallup® has audited and certified Best Doctors, Inc.’s database of physicians, and its companion Best Doctors in America® List, as using the highest industry standards survey methodology and processes. The global health solutions company, which has grown to over 30 million members worldwide, uses state-of-the-art technology capabilities to deliver improved health outcomes while reducing costs. Best Doctors seamlessly integrates its trusted health services with large self-insured employers, insurers, and other groups in every major region of the world. The company also designs and implements international insurance programs that help people be sure they get the right health solutions. For further information, visit www.bestdoctors.com.

It's official: The 2013 (10th Annual) International Business Awards will take place on Monday, October 14 at the W Hotel in Barcelona, Spain. On the beach.

Recognized as the world’s premier business awards program, The International Business Awards honors all facets of the workplace, our award categories include: annual report awards, app awards, company/organization awards, customer service awards, human resources awards, information technology awards, management awards, marketing awards, new product awards, public relations awards, support awards, and website awards, among others. See all corporate awards categories.

Entries for the 2013 competition open in late January, join our mailing list and the entry kit will be emailed to you once it becomes available. All individuals and organizations worldwide – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small – may submit nominations.

More than 350 entrepreneurs, executives, and their guests from around the world attended the 2012 IBA gala celebrated on Monday, October 15th, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Seoul, South Korea. Watch the October 15th International Business Awards presentations here.

Will you be joining us on October 14 in Spain?

Chris Robinson, Managing Director of Boost Marketing, a UK-based international business awards entry consultancy, uses research to argue that simply entering the Stevie® Awards, the world's premier business awards program, can provide such substantial benefits that literally everyone who goes to the trouble of putting together a well-researched award submission is a winner. Here Chris discusses his findings.

If I were to ask you: “Who benefits the most from entering the Stevie Awards?” you would be justified in answering: “The winners, of course.” You might even think it a ridiculous question.

Is it a ridiculous question, though?  In my job at Boost Marketing, I help companies enter awards, and I often hear the line: “I only want to enter if I’m going to win.” I find this a frustrating sentiment, because it is based on a flawed assumption: that the only people who benefit from The Stevie Awards are the winners.

Crafting a strong award submission requires a substantial amount of research, evidence gathering, and writing. Furthermore, attending an awards presentation consumes even more time and budget. So how can you possibly justify all this when there is a significant likelihood you may not actually win?

An obvious answer is that even a small chance of winning a prestigious award is a chance worth taking. But this again assumes that only winners benefit. So are there other benefits—benefits you can enjoy even if you fail to win?

To answer this question, my company surveyed some awards finalists before the winners were announced (to ensure people were still open-minded). We were delighted that, when prompted, 70% of them could name specific benefits that they experienced by simply entering the awards.

The benefits people listed were extremely varied, but three of them were clear winners in terms of popularity:

1. The submission process improved evaluation (the measuring of a company or organization’s success to provide evidence in its award entry);
2. It demonstrated the company or organization’s commitment to excellence; and
3. It motivated employees.

Improved Evaluation
The most popular benefit, that of improved evaluation, might seem odd to those who have not recently taken a shot at winning an award. To help illustrate this, I would like to share a story.

One recent Stevie Award winner, whose business had been established for over a decade, had always resisted running a customer survey because she feared the customers would use it as a stick to beat her. Eventually, she ran a survey in order to prove to the awards judges just how customer-focused her business was. When she finally saw the scores and comments, she became quite emotional: The survey showed that her customers had an extraordinary affection for her and her business.

Without that quick and inexpensive survey, the business owner would never have known just how much her customers appreciated her business, nor would her business have won the award without the confirmed approval ratings. In other words, she was a winner before she actually won the Stevie Award.

The simple process of putting your business and its achievements under the microscope for an award submission can be extremely beneficial. Measuring a company’s outstanding achievements can give employees pride in their work, increase internal credibility, and boost confidence and morale. Employees can discover whether their perception of what they do, day in and day out, bears up under scrutiny.

This process requires courage, but it can be worthwhile if used properly. Lessons learned can lead businesses to raise the bar and make further improvements.

Commitment to Excellence
CEOs will often use awards as key performance indicators. I have seen this in a broad range of industries including automotive, banking, insurance, and training.  Is this just an exercise in Public Relations? Well, maybe a little, but the main reason why CEOs tout these awards is because they want their businesses—and the departments in them—to aim for more than just best practice.  They want their employees to focus on being the best.

These days there is a big difference between simply achieving best practice and being the best in an industry.  It’s the difference between being the leader, and being in the pack trying to catch up. CEOs know that a credible award like a Stevie is a true measure of success.

The Positive Effect of Competition
When one department wins an award, other departments see the attention and praise heaped upon their colleagues and want similar recognition. This has an extremely positive effect. 

People also soon realize that you cannot win an award simply by writing a great entry. Judges are too smart for this. It is not good enough just to sound outstanding.  Awards are for those who actually are outstanding. A badly written, badly evidenced award submission prevents the judges from learning just how good a company really is.

Awards are rather like Olympic medals in that they discourage people from settling for best practice and encourage them to raise their game and to leave their competition in the dust.

Motivation
Motivation goes to the very heart of why The Stevie Awards are so important. Look more closely at the crystal pyramid held aloft by the 16” tall, 24-karat gold-plated Stevie Award trophy and you will discover another reason to enter these awards: The pyramid represents the Hierarchy of Needs, developed in the 1960s by psychologist Abraham Maslow, who observed that after basic needs are met, human beings seek the esteem of their peers.

Maslow was referring to individuals, but the principle applies just as well to teams, departments, and whole businesses. This is why The Stevie Awards recognize all of these categories in their business competitions.

Do you need to win an award to gain recognition from your peers? Of course not.  But to have a peer tell you or your team: “I am so impressed by you that I want to enter you into an international awards program,” and to follow that up by writing a glowing award submission, will have a positive effect on the self esteem and motivation of your employees, win or lose.

Conclusion
Whether you are confident about entering one of The Stevie Awards competitions or not, understand that while winning one of these handsome trophies is enormously beneficial, so too is the process that you have to go through just to put together an entry. It will focus and sharpen the awareness of what you are doing right; it will provide a catalyst for continuing improvement and motivation; and it will help satisfy that basic business and human need: appreciation and respect.

The Stevie Awards are now conferring Silver and Bronze Awards in addition to the main Gold Stevie Award, meaning that you are three times more likely to be a winner.

About Chris Robinson:
Chris Robinson is Managing Director of Boost Marketing, the world’s first award-entry consultancy, which now has a team of 15 award-entry consultants based around the world. Since the company was founded in 2006, Boost Marketing consultants have helped over 200 businesses win over 400 awards.

Awards to Be Presented at Gala Ceremony on October 15 in Seoul, South Korea

Fairfax, VA – September 26, 2012 – More than 30,000 votes were cast in the 2012 People's Choice Stevie® Awards for Favorite Companies, part of The 9th Annual International Business Awards, the world’s top business awards program. 

The worldwide public vote was conducted over the past three weeks, with the highest number of votes deciding the winners of crystal People’s Choice Stevie Awards in 20 categories.  The big winner this year is International Armoring Corporation of Centerville, Utah, USA, which won in three categories.  Other winners include ActionCOACH, Delta Air Lines, FreeConferenceCall.com, LifeLock, Samsung Electronics, Shinhan Card, and Unilever, among others.

The complete list of People’s Choice Stevie Award winners is available at www.StevieAwards.com/IBA.

Nicknamed the Stevie® for the Greek word “crowned,” the awards will be presented to winners at The International Business Awards banquet on Monday, October 15 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Seoul, South Korea.  Tickets for the event are now on sale.  More than 250 nominees and their guests are expected to attend.

All organizations honored in the 34 industry-specific Company of the Year categories of this year’s International Business Awards were eligible to be included in voting for the people’s choice awards.

About the Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.  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 www.StevieAwards.com.

Sponsors and partners of The 2012 International Business Awards include Competence Call Center and the Korea Business Communicators Association.

Friday, 21 September, is the last day to vote in the Second Annual People's Choice Stevie® Awards for Favorite Companies, as part of The International Business Awards, the world’s premier business awards program.

Voting will close at 11:59PM on 21 September; vote now at http://peopleschoice.stevieawards.com.

This is a worldwide vote in which the general public will get to choose one favorite company in more than 30 categories including:

• Advertising, Marketing, & Public Relations
• Consumer Products
• Electronics
• Internet/New Media
• Non-Profit or Government Organizations

All organizations honored with Gold, Silver or Bronze Stevie Award in the IBAs' 34 Company of the Year categories are automatically 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 of the Year categories to have the opportunity to receive a second award, as voted by the general public.

2011 winners were celebrated at the International Business Awards gala in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. Past winners include Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, ActionCOACH, Beiersdorf AG, and Türk Telekom, among others. 2011 results are summarized, at http://blog.stevieawards.com/blog/bid/62803/Winners-Announced-in-People-s-Choice-Stevie-Awards-for-Favorite-Companies.

Winners of the crystal People's Choice Stevie Awards will be celebrated at the International Business Awards gala on Monday, 15 October at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Seoul, South Korea.

Which companies will you be voting for in this year's People's Choice Stevie® Awards for Favorite Companies?

The Stevie® Awards are pleased to announce the winners of the Best of the IBA Awards in The 2012 International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition. This new addition to the IBAs' repertory of awards includes five best-of-competition prizes that are awarded to the organizations that submitted the best body of work to the competition, in their own name or in the names of one or more clients. 

These awards cannot be applied for directly. Winners were determined by a points system based on the total number of awards won in the IBAs, with a Gold Stevie Award win counting for 3 points, each Silver Stevie Award for 2 points, and each Bronze Stevie win counting for 1.5 points. 

Congratulations to the winners of the first Best of the IBA Awards:

Organization of the Year: Quality Systems, Inc., Irvine, CA, USA.  With 52 total points, Quality Systems is the most honored organization in the 2012 IBAs.

Public Relations Agency of the Year: Weber Shandwick, worldwide.  Weber Shandwick offices around the world won a total of 34.5 points for nominations in their own name or in the names of their clients.

Marketing Agency of the Year: Slack and Company, Chicago, IL, USA.  Slack earned 22.5 points, tops among all marketing services agencies in this year's IBAs.

Interactive Services Agency of the Year: eWIDEPLUS, South Korea.  With 13.5 points, eWIDEPLUS is the most honored of this year's field of interactive agency contestants.

Top 10: After the winners of the above prizes, the following organizations earned the most award points in the 2012 IBAs:

1. LifeLock, Tempe, AZ, USA (47)
2. Accenture, worldwide (31)
3. MWW, East Rutherford, NJ, USA (30)
4. VerticalResponse, San Francisco, CA, USA (26)
5. Türk Telekom, Istanbul, Turkey (25.5)
6. iolo technologies, Los Angeles, CA, USA (23.5)
7. Burson-Marsteller, worldwide (22)
8. MSLGROUP, worldwide (20.5)
9. Akbank, Istanbul, Turkey (20)
10. PetRays, The Woodlands, TX, USA (20)

Best of the IBA winners have been granted the exclusive right to use a unique Best of the 2012 IBAs logo.

Learn more about the Best of the IBA Awards.

Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners in The 2012 International Business Awards were announced last week.  Here's a summary of the results.

The following professionals participated in the preliminary judging of The 2012 International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition. 2012 IBA winners were announced on August 15; see the complete list of 2012 winners here. The 9th Annual International Business Awards will be celebrated in Seoul, South Korea at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Monday, 15 October. We thank our judges for their time, insights, and support.

Husam Abdallah, Sr. Specialist Strategy & Excellence, Dubai Airport Free Zone, Dubai, UAE          
Tsvika Abramovitch, Vice President, HR, Hadera Paper, Hadera, Israel   
Yesim Aksu, VP & Head of HR, Ericsson Region Middle East, Istanbul, Turkey
Allyson Stewart Allen, Director, International Marketing Partners, London, UK
James Alfred, Chairman & Chief Executive, Maltecorp Sdn Bhd, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia          
Ahmad  Alhai, Business Relationship Management Analyst, ADCO, Abu Dhabi,  UAE      
Selcuk Alimdar, Distance Learning and Projects Manager, Avea, Istanbul, Turkey
Stewart Andrews, Creative Director, Noodlebox Design, LLC, Washington, DC, USA             
Ani Atanasova, CEO, Pixelhunters, Dubai, UAE  
Ann Badmus, President, Badmus Law Firm, Dallas, TX, USA         
Lisa Ball Moskal, Professor, ASU, Jonesboro, AR, USA    
Victoria Barnett, Sr Marketing Exec, Royal College of Nursing, London, UK           
Maxim Behar, CEO, M3 Communications Group, Inc., Sofia, Bulgaria       
Erin Bolton, VP Strategic Services, Pivot Communications, Salt Lake City, UT, USA               
Israel Bonequi, Creative Director, Birds Nest Foundation, Montreal, Canada       
Kathleen Boylan, Senior Vice President, Public Communications, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA   
Adrian Brady, CEO, Eulogy!, London, UK               
Jock Breitwieser, Director Global Public Relations, Dell SonicWALL, Inc., San Jose, CA, USA                     
Oana Bulexa, Head of PR Department, The Practice, Bucharest, Romania             
Jorge Cachinero, Director Senior, Llorente & Cuenca, Madrid,  Spain      
Benito Castro, Spain Blog, Evento Blog España, Madrid, Spain
Rachel Deutsch, Principal and Creative Director, The Design Channel, Washington, DC, USA                     
Zhenya Dmitrijeva, Web Designer, Foxtons, London, UK              
Cho Donggyul, Head of Group, Cheil Worldwide, Seoul,  South Korea    
Alexander Dourchev, CEO, All Channels Communication, Sofia, Bulgaria
Gayle Duncan, Partner, Executive Options, Seattle, WA, USA              
Stacey Edmonds, Head of Films & Digital, Be Learning, Moore Park, Australia      
Rochelle Ekanayake, MrPierce Studios International Asia (PVT) Ltd, Colombo, Sri Lanka               
Mahdi El Horchi, Consultant, Blue Ocean Consulting JLT, Dubai, UAE              
Timur ERTEN, Performance Reporting Specialist, Türk Telekom, Istanbul, Turkey               
Natasha Gangaramani, Director, Al Fara'a Properties, Al Fara'a Group, Dubai, UAE            
Kristina Garcia, Managing Director, German State of Hessen U.S. Office for Economic Development, New York, NY, USA               
Steve Gershik, Marketing Director, 28Marketing LLC, San Ramon, CA, USA          
Lauren Gertzman, Owner, Inside Minds, LLC, Washington, DC, USA                 
Edgar Green, Sr. Manager, IT Quality, Spirit Airlines, Miami, FL, USA        
Lisa Gregovich, Vice President - Customer Service, ePlan Services, INC, Denver, CO, USA              
Naresh Gupta, Associate Partner, IBM Global Business Services, Gurgaon, India
Robin Harris, Principal and Creative Director, Harris Design INC, Mclean, VA, USA       
Danita Harn, VP of Operations, Harn & Associates Bookkeeping Firm, Woodstock, GA, USA               
Deanna Hart, Operations Manager, IHG - InterContinental Hotels Group, Salt Lake City, UT, USA              
Brenton Hayden, President/CEO, Renters Warehouse, Golden Valley, MN, USA               
Randy Hines, Associate Professor, APR, Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, PA, USA 
Jamie K. Holt, President/CEO, JMK Notary And Services, Miami, FL, USA               
Young Il Hong, Professor of College of Design, Hongik University, Seoul, South Korea         
Susan Hudgins, Fourth Wall Events, New York, NY, USA                   
Peter Jares, et netera, Prague, Czech Republic               
Beverly Jensen, President/CEO, WomensMedicineBowl.com, Greeley, CO, USA              
Jane Johnson, Director of Content Development, Pivot Communications, Salt Lake City, UT, USA               
JP Jones, Owner, Paige1Media, Lawerenceburg, TN, USA            
Tae Hee Jung, Chief Director of International Cooperation, KBCA, Seoul, South Korea  
Anila Kalleshi, President, Kalleshi Center, Tirane, Albania              
Sinta Kaniawati, Director, Unilever Foundation, Unilever Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia  
Hakan Karamanli, Operation and Customer Service Manager, Garanti Teknoloji, Istanbul, Turkey               
Sabri Kart, Manager, Turkish Economy Bank, Istanbul,  Turkey  
Melanie Katschinski, Head of Consumer Marketing, Ogilvy Public Relations, Berlin, Germany      
Aslam Khan, President & CEO, Octaware Technologies, Mumbai,  India
Hak Jae Kim, Sr Mgr, Corporate Culture & PR Team, Korea South-East Power, Seoul, South Korea             
Hung Ki Kim, President, Korea Business Communicators Association, Seoul, South Korea            
Kyung Hwa Kim, CEO, Fieldguide Group, Seoul, South Korea       
Steve King, Executive Producer- Corporate Television, Screentime, Auckland, New Zealand               
Ron Klingensmith, Chief Creative Officer, Slack and Company, Chicago, IL, USA  
Jae Choon Ko, PR Team Manager, One Mount, Seoul, South Korea       
Vivek Kumar, Head Servicing - Professional Services, Adfactors PR, New Delhi, India
Wayne Kurie, Director, Projects and Strategy, Fuszion, Washington, DC, USA                
Ji Hyun Kwak, CEO, Communication on, Seoul, South Korea         
Ben Larkey, Sr. Corp. Environmental Manager, Sharp Electronics Corp, New York, NY, USA                    
Silk Lee, PR Team Leader, Samyang Holdings, Seoul, South Korea                   
Ju Hwak Lee , CEO, SIDM Co., Ltd, Seoul, South Korea     
Andreea Leonte, PR Director, McCann PR, Bucharest, Romania                
Montira Limpanarom, Executive Director, Sony Music Entertainment Operating (Thailand)Co.,Ltd, Samutprakarn,  Thailand               
Ke Je Tony Liu, Founder, Creative Chairman, aeiou, Shanghai, China             
Petro Lymar, Regional Business Development, Yandex, Odessa, Ukraine                         
Kanak Madrecha, Advisor-Corporate Excellence Division, Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, Dubai, UAE      
Connie Maina Nkatha, Kenya Wildlife Service, Nairobi, Kenya  
Margaret Manning, CEO, Reading Room, London, UK     
Ronaldo Manosa, CEO, TAYBURN, Istanbul, Turkey       
Mervat  Mansour, Quality Manager, Tawam Hospital, Al Ain, UAE              
Wessam Massoud, Program Delivery Manager, Abu Dhabi Systems & Information Center, Abu Dhabi,  UAE               
Elena Mateeva, Corporate Communications Expert, Sopharma JSCo, Sofia, Bulgaria        
Colin McKillop, Chief Executive Officer, Butcher Enterprises, Windsor, Canada   
Jennifer McQueen, Managing Partner, Ausnindo-Asia/Pacific, Hawthorn, Australia                
Ronald  Meske, President, Training Systems Design, Camarillo, CA, USA
Sharon Metzung, Publications & Graphics Manager, Lake Metroparks, Concord Township, OH, USA        
Karina Milani, Manager of Marketing & Public Relations, City of Henderson, Henderson, NV, USA            
Dana Miller, Digital Communications Specialist, MediaMind, London, UK               
Eliza Misiecka, GENESIS PR, Warsaw, Poland    
Hashik Mohammed, Management Consultant, Synergy Solutions, Kuwait City, Kuwait               
Simona Mollova, CEO, Investment JSPK, Sofia, Bulgaria
Rajesh Kumar Mudiakal, SAP Project Manager, CMC Limited, Mumbai, India            
Pat Mussieux, Founder, Wealthy Women Leaders, London, Canada       
Linda Myers, Global Partner, WorldWise, Baltimore, MD, USA   
Debra Naylor, President, Naylor Design, Washington, DC, USA  
Kum Ng, Founder, International Frameworkcooking Foundation, Madison, WI, USA               
Angela Nielsen, President, One Lily Creative Agency, Barstow, CA, USA
Esther Oh, Deputy Director, Commercial Services, CITIC PACIFIC MINING, Perth, Australia          
Mark O'Toole, Managing Director, Public Relations & Content Marketing, H|B, Newton, MA, USA            
Ufuk Ozgul, Research Associate, Yeditepe University, Istanbul,  Turkey
Ae Kyung Park, Editor in Chief, Today Newspaper, Seoul, South Korea   
Jong-Sun Park, CEO, BR Communication, Seoul, South Korea    
Young Sik Park, CEO, Advertising Institute Culture, Seoul, South Korea 
Abhay Patvardhan, Area Sales Manager, Al Gurg Paints LLC, Doha, Qatar              
Mia Petersen, CTO - Strategy, Marketing & Engagement, UBS, Stamford, CT, USA            
Donald Pillai, International Marketing Executive, Bumbo (Pty) Ltd, Rosslyn, South Africa               
Melanie Pope, Director, Australian Paramedic Support Foundation, Aspley Qld, Australia                    
Jesintha Rajaratnam, Partner, Joje India Consultants-Finance & HR FZC, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE           
V.S. Ramachandran, Sr. VP, Emarat, Dubai, UAE
Emma Real, Specialist, Corporate Communications, AECOM, Chicago, IL, USA     
Maja Recnik, Education Director, SPEM Communication Group, Ljubljana,  Slovenia        
Dennis Reno, Vice President, Customer Experience, Oracle, San Francisco, CA, USA
Gabby Rojchin, Principal and Creative Director, Street Sense, Bethesda, MD, USA                
Brillian S. K., Head Talent Engagement, AIL, Mumbai, India
Mohamed Amr Sadik, VP - Curriculum Development, INTEX, Cairo, Egypt                          
Gauri Sankar, Senior Manager - Retired, Canara Bank, Velachery, India  
Hande Sarantopoulos, Corporate Communications Manager, Coca-Cola Icecek, Istanbul, Turkey             
Susan Savage, General Manager, MICROS Fidelio Australia, South Turramurra, NSW, Australia               
Bong Bae Seog, Director, Korea Commercial Film Makers Union, Seoul, South Korea       
Paula Shannon, Chief Sales Officer, Senior VP, Lionbridge, Baie d'Urfe, Canada               
Juliet Shavit, President, SmartMark Communications, LLC, Newtown, PA, USA               
Jessica Shearer, Marketing Director, MWW Group, New York, NY, USA 
Paul Shearer, Executive Creative Director, HMDG, London, UK  
Keira Shein, Partner, WilkinsonShein Communications, Arlington, VA, USA          
Carol Sheldon, Sr. Vice President Global Customs, DHL Global Forwarding, West Columbia, SC, USA          
Garrick Sheldon, Assistant Project Manager, Rising Tide Interactive, Washington, DC, USA
Jung Hieh Shon, CEO, Hanaro Adcom, Seoul, South Korea          
Shreesha Shreesha, Manager, LeadFormix, Pleasanton, CA, USA             
Bo Simmons, President , Cool Blue Interactive, Atlanta, GA, USA              
Jonathan Simnett, Communications Consultant, Big Stick Communications, London, UK
Seema Singh, Business Excellence Manager, Al Fara'a Group, Abu Dhabi, UAE  
Nikolay Spasov, Recruitment and Health and Safety Specialist, Alpha Bank - Bulgaria Branch, Sofia, Bulgaria               
Caroline Storey-Sabetti, Executive Director, Business Solutions & Marketing, Staff Management | SMX, Chicago, IL, USA
Robert Sugar, Creative Director, Auras Design, Silver Spring, MD, USA                     
Heather Szymura, Logistics Coordinator, AutohausAZ, Tempe, AZ, USA             
Erika Taylor Montgomery, CEO-Chief Publicist, Three Girls Media & Marketing Inc., San Jose, CA, USA               
Jacqueline Teo, General Manager, Programme Management Office, FOXTEL, Putney, Australia
Han Tjan, VP, Corporate Communications, Daimler, New York, NY, USA
Mike Tobin, CEO, Telecity Group, London, UK    
Rosa Maria Torres Valdés, Public Relations Professor, University of Alicante-Spain, Alicante, Spain               
Savas Usta, HR Director, Turk Telekom A.S., Istanbul,  Turkey
Rosalinde van de Wall, Managing Director & Senior Partner, Fleishman-Hillard, Amsterdam,  The Netherlands               
Tusshard Varangaonkar, Director, Gharrkul Industries PVT. Ltd., Amravati, India    
Vinny Verdi, Producer, CUNY-TV, New York, NY, USA
David Vogin, Owner, 314 Design, Washington, DC, USA      
Angela Wende, Director of Marketing & Sales, CETRA Language Solutions, Elkins Park, PA, USA                  
Mara Woloshin, Principal, Woloshin Communications, Portland, OR, USA             
Timothy Yew, Director, Digital Innovation, BIG Digital / BIG Advertising Pte Ltd, Singapore, Singapore     
Hye Kyung Yim, Managing Director, sisainterview, Seoul, South Korea   
Joo Hyun Yoon, PR & Communication Team Manager, NuSkin Korea, Seoul, South Korea              
Julia Zamorska, VP of Corporate Communications, iolo technologies, Los Angeles, CA, USA          
Rebecca Zhao, Director/Designer, Z Studio, GuangZhou City, China

Business Awards Program to Celebrate Excellence Worldwide at Seoul Event

Fairfax, VA U.S.A. – August 15, 2012 – Organizations and individuals in more than 40 nations have been announced as Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie® Award winners in The Ninth 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 Monday, 15 October at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Seoul, South Korea. Tickets for the event are on sale now at www.StevieAwards.com/IBA.    

Winning 69 Gold Stevie Awards this year, organizations and individuals in the United States made the best showing.  Host nation South Korea came in second place with 59 Golds, while Turkey earned an impressive 19 Gold Stevies.  The United Kingdom earned 16 Gold followed by the United Arab Emirates with 11, Canada with 10 and India with eight.

Some notable Gold Stevie winners include Accenture (India and USA, four Gold), Advanced Bionics (USA, three Gold), AKBANK TAS (Turkey, three), Etisalat Group (United Arab Emirates, four), Kanyon (Turkey, four), iolo technologies (USA, three), Jack Morton Worldwide (USA, three), HANAROADCOM (South Korea, three), eWIDEPLUS (South Korea, four), LifeLock (USA, five), Quality Systems (USA, five), Shinhan Card (South Korea, four), and Slack and Company (USA, four).

A complete list of all 2012 Gold, Silver and Bronze International Stevie Award winners by category is available at www.StevieAwards.com/IBA.   

Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie winners were selected from more than 3,200 entries received from organizations and individuals in more than 50 nations.  All organizations worldwide are eligible to compete in The International Business Awards, and can nominate in a wide range of categories, including management awards, company/organization awards, marketing awards, public relations awards, customer service awards, human resources awards, new product awards, IT awards, web site awards, and more.  

Business professionals around the world participated in preliminary judging in May-July.  Their average scores determined the entries that were eligible to be considered in final judging, which was performed earlier this month by the members of 10 specialized committees.  In total, nearly 300 executives around the world participated in the judging process. 

For high-resolution photos of the Stevie Award or International Business Awards logo, visit http://www.stevieawards.com/pubs/iba/press/172_701_3120.cfm. Other information and resources for press are available at http://www.stevieawards.com/pubs/iba/press/172_701_3121.cfm. 

About the Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.  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/, and follow the Stevie Awards on Twitter @TheStevieAwards.   

The following professionals participated in the final judging of The 2012 International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition. Final judging is now over and 2012 winners will be announced tomorrow, August 15. The 9th Annual International Business Awards will be celebrated in Seoul, South Korea at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Monday, 15 October. We thank our judges for their time, insights, and support.

Hj Abdillah Suffian Bin Abdul Rahim, Vice President, AEU, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysa
Toshihisa Adachi, CEO, ITOCHU Technology Ventures, Inc., Tokyo, Japan
Syed Ahmed, General Manager - Marketing, Nissan Middle East, Dubai, UAE
Daniel Ahn, Professor, Hansei University, Seoul, South Korea
Ali Al Ahmed, Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Etisalat, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Mohamed  Al Hosani, Manager Administration, Bahrain National Gas Company, Manama, Bahrain
Mohammed Alkhozai, Director, Bahrain Management Society, Manama, Bahrein
Brent Almond, Creative Director, Design Nut, LLC, Washington, DC, USA
David  Armstrong, Director, Willis Group, England UK
Hala Badri, EVP, Brand & Communication, EITC-du, Dubai, UAE
Nagabhushan  Balaji, Head Internal Control, Legal & Compliance, Dubai First, Dubai, UAE
Bill Bates, Managing Director, Bates Consultancy, London, UK
Donald Batting, Senior Design Consultant, Northeast Geography BSC | Enterprise Support Services , Ernst & Young LLP, New York, NY, USA
Shaun Battleman, CEO, African Access Holdings (PtY) Ltd, Johannesburg, South Africa
Monika Biedrzycka, Managing Director, Momentum Worldwide, Warszawa, Poland
Suhail Bin Tarraf, CEO, Tanfeeth, LLC, Dubai, UAE
Gabriela Bobrowska, CMPA Leader and M&A, 3M Poland, Nadarzyn, Poland
Ghassan  Boujacli, Managing Director, Memac Ogilvy & Mather W.L.L., Manama, Bahrain
Howard Boville, Managing Director, Global Financial Services, BT, London, UK
Tim Bright, Partner, OneWorld Consulting, Istanbul, Turkey
Hugh Brown, Director, Monbro, London, UK
Jean Manuel Canga Valles, Executive Group Marketing Director, ME & Africa, Beiersdorf Brands(Nivea), Hamburg, Germany
Mike Carlin, CEO, Map Group, Cleveland, UK
CM Chan, Director, Sapptech, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Colin Chapman, Partner, CC&A Consulting LLP, London, UK
Bidhan Chaudhuri, CCO, Tanfeeth, LLC, Dubai, UAE
Steve Cheshire, Asst Director, TYS Managed Services, London, UK
Jin Mu Cho, Vice President, Korea Business Communicators Association, Seoul, South Korea
Chick Ciccarelli, CEO, Chick Ciccarelli, Inc / WebWizardsª, Valley Village, CA, USA
Nadine Cino, CEO, Tyga-Box Systems,Inc, New York, NY, USA
Tore Claesson, Director, Tio Agency, New York, NY, USA
Rene Co, General Manager, Greater China External Relations, Procter and Gamble Asia, Guangzhou, China
Jean-Marc  Codsi, VP Global Customer Experience Europe, eBay Inc, London, UK
Ross Collins, Director, James Ross Consulting, London, UK
Francesco  Comi, Operations Director, Nectar Italia, Milan, Italy
Hannah Cornick, Community Plans Manager, Tesco Plc, Cheshunt, UK
Kate Darcy-Hohenthal, Founder, The Birthday Club, Manchester, CT, USA
Eslam Darwish, Head of Marketing - Middle East & Africa, MasterCard Worldwide, Dubai, UAE
Robbie Dinglasan, New Media Director, Bullet Manila, Manila, Philippines
Richard Du Toit, CFO, Self Employed, Matsapa, South Africa
Jim Ducharme, Community Manager, GetResponse Email Marketing, Toronto, Canada
Eaton  Fallows, Program Director , British Telecom, Manchester, UK
Graeme Fenwick, Head of Customer Services, SKY, Newcastle, UK
Alan Gilleo, Chief Creative Officer, leapfroginteractive, Louisville, KY, USA
David  Gilman, President, Gilman Performance Systems, Brookfield, CT, USA
Natalya Gladkikh, General Director, Advertising Research Center Grand Prix, Mosco, Russia
Malgorzata Greszta, Managing Partner, CSR Consulting, Warszawa, Poland
Kim Haley Small, General Manager, Pepsico, Purchase, NY, USA
Adel  Hamad Abul Rahman Hamad, CEO, Gulf Aluminium Rolling Mill Company (GARMCO), Manama, Bahrain
Stacey Han, Senior Corporate Communications Specialist , FedEx, Seoul, South Korea
Josh Hardie, Head of UK Corporate Responsibility, Tesco Plc, Cheshunt, UK
Niena Etsuko Hino, CEO, Real Cosmopolitan, Inc., Tokyo, Japan
JongHee  Hong, Corporate Communications Director, LÕOreal Korea, Seoul, South Korea
Richard Hu, Senior Editor, China Advertising, Beijing, China
Karen Ingham, Director of Quality, Service, Virgin Media, London, UK
Toshiaki Ito, Independent Producer, Tokyo, Japan
Aleks Ivanovic, CEO & Founder, Webcom, Inc, Milwaukee, WI, USA
Faisal Janahi, Senior Manager, Independent Consultant, Riffa, Bahrain
Ineta Januyte, HR Manager, UAB Irdaiva, Vilnius, Lithuania
Monika Jasowska, Senior Head of  Brand Public Relations Department, Polpharma, Warsaw, Poland
Katarzyna Jedrzejewska, Journalist, Brief, Warszawa, Poland
Vicky Jewell, Corporate Communications, Everything Everywhere, London, UK
Sunil John, CEO, ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller, Dubai, UAE
Magdalena Juwko, Operating Director, Fundacja Amber, Warszawa, Poland
Yasuyo Kaneko, President, C'BON Cosmetics Co.,Ltd., Tokyo, Japan
Joe Kay, Senior Business Transformation Consultant, London, UK
Jin Woo Keum, Professor, College of Design, Kosin University, Busan, South Korea
Steve Keum, Creative Chairman, UK-Kiss, Seoul, South Korea
Mazin  Khoury, CEO, Middle East, AMEX, Manama, Bahrain
Taka Kimura, Designer, Kimono Designer, Tokyo, Japan
Albert Kong, Chairman/CEO, Asiawide Franchise Consultants Pte Ltd, North Bridge Centre, Singapore
Vikram Krishna, Head of Group Marketing, Emirates NBD, Dubai, UAE
Sunil  Kulwal, CEO & Managing Director, Aditya Birla Minerals Limited, Perth, Australia
Raje Kumar, Professor, Sunway University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Young Sul Kwon, Managing Director, Office of Future Strategy Editorial Bureau, The Korea Economic Daily, Seoul, South Korea
Phil Lander, Director, Research In Motion, Slough, UK
Liesl Leary, Director of Marketing, SDL Language Technologies, Flatiron, CO, USA
Woo Hak Lee, Professor, Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea
Ong Chee  Leong, Manager, Bukit Bintang Branch, Malayan Banking Berhad, Bukit Bintang, Malaysia
Kelly  Leong, Hotel Manager, Sunway Hotel, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Waldemar Leszczynski, Managing Partner, Weber Shandwick, Warszawa, Poland
David Lim, Owner/Founder, Denise Wines Group, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Anne Lochoff, Executive Director, McCann, New York, NY, USA
Monwabisi Ludonga, Executive Director, AAICT, Johannesburg, South Africa
Joanna MacLeod, VP/GM EMEA Service Delivery, American Express Global Business Travel, London, UK
Abdul Malek, Chairman, Malaysian Franchise Association, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
John Martin, Executive Director, Original Boats, Cape Town, South Africa
Andrew McClure, CMO, ME GI, Zurich Insurance, Dubai, UAE
Alain Meric, SVP, Customer Experience Management, Etisalat, Dubai, UAE
Liam Monaghan, Managing Director, Luxury Country Cottages, Geneva, Switzerland
Guillermo Montano, President, Transactel, powered by TELUS, Guatemala City, Guatemala
Keith Morris, Executive Director, L'Agulhas Links, Johannesburg, South Africa
Mateli Mpuntsha, Managing Director, Edusolutions, Johannesburg, South Africa
Daria Murawska, Communications and Corporate Responsibility Senior Specialist, Tchibo Warszawa, Warszawa, Poland
Motomasa Murayama, Professor, Tokiwa University, Tokyo, Japan
Manabu Muta, President, Japan Management Consultants Assn., Tokyo, Japan
Tamara Nall, President & CEO, The Leading Niche, New York, NY, USA
Ovais Naqvi, Senior Vice President, Abraaj Capital Limited, Dubai, UAE
Craig Nelson, Cofounder, President & CEO, iCentera, Burnsville , MN, USA
Tung Nguyen-Khac, Managing Director, Vertigo Capital Consult GmbH & nexxter interactive GmbH, Munich, Germany
Rajiv Noronha, Head-Organizational Effectiveness (BPO), Tata Consultancy Services, Bangalore, India
Yasunori Okajima, Director, I.W. Technology Firm, Inc., Tokyo, Japan
Makiko Omokawa, President, Platinum Marketing Management Ltd., Tokyo, Japan
Richard Ong, CEO, Smart Reader, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Mirella Panek-Owsianska, CEO, Responsible Business Forum, Warszawa, Poland
ChanJu Park, Marketing Director, Dupont Korea, Seoul, South Korea
Katarzyna Pawlikowska, Managing Partner, Garden of Words, Warszawa, Poland
Stefan Pertz, Group Managing Director, Launchpad Sdn Bhd, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysa
Irena Pichola, Director, PwC Polska Sp. z o.o., Warszawa, Poland
Katarzyna Pilat, International Marketing Manger, InPost, Krakow, Poland
Aleksandra Piszczorowicz, Head of Marketing, Totalizator Sportowy Sp. z o.o., Warszawa, Poland
Roger Poulin, President, Malaysia Canada Business Council, Selangor, Malaysia
Markus Pounder, Senior Consultant, F & H Public Relations, Munich, Germany
Katarzyna Radecka, SD Manager, Kompania Piwowarska SA, Poznan, Poland
Mohamed Rashed, Director of Human Resources, Ahlia University, Manama, Bahrain
Amanda Rogaly, CEO, Kadoro Events & Communications, Gauteng, South Africa
Gavin Rogaly, Managing Director, Develop Office Auto, Johannesburg, South Africa
Beata Rozek, Head of CSR, Tesco Poland, Krakow, Poland
Sasan Saeidi, Managing Director, FP7, Dubai, UAE
Chino Saito, CEO, MOON CAKE LIMITED, Tokyo, Japan
Sabina Salamon, Head of Communications, Deutsche Bank Group Poland, Warszawa, Poland
Ian Semple, Head of Customer Excellence, Everything Everywhere, Darlington, County Durham, UK
Gautam  Sen Gupta, Managing Director, Brand Finance Middle East, Dubai, UAE
Naoya Shimizu, President, IFNet, Inc., Tokyo, Japan
Manjit Singh, Consultant, Manjit Singh Sachdev, Mohammad Radzi & Partners, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Gordon Smith, Chief Executive, The Bahrain Petroleum Company BSC (c), Sitra, Bahrain
Agata Stafiej-Bartosik, Manager, PwC Polska Sp. z o.o., Warszawa, Poland
Werner Steinoble, Managing Director, ARM, Randburg, South Africa
Gavin Storrier, Executive Director, Safezone, Johannesburg, South Africa
Leslie Stretch, President & CEO, CallidusClourd, Pleasanton, CA, USA
Julian Stubbs, Senior Lecturer, Marketing - Business School, The University of Greenwich, London, UK
Shawn Sullivan, Director of Marketing, BCBS of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Alan Tait, Managing Director, Pragma, Halfway House, South Africa
Masakazu Taniguchi, CEO, Japan Life Design Systems, Inc., Tokyo, Japan
Wim Torfs, Partner, McKinsey and Company International, Dubai, UAE
Tessa  Troubridge, Managing Director, Service Desk Institute, London, UK
Akihito Tsukioka, President, Digitized Information Ltd, Tokyo, Japan
Anyck Turgeon, EVP of Talent Promotion & Board Member, CADF, Austin, TX, USA
Rieko Ueda, President, Mothernet Inc., Osaka, Japan
Marten  van Pelt, President, Y&R Korea, Seoul, South Korea
Helmut von Fircks, CEO, F & H Public Relations, Munich, Germany
Fabian von Loewenfeld, CEO, First Class & More, Dubai, UAE
Ewelina Wasilewska, Communications and Corporate Responsibility Manager, Tchibo Warszawa, Warszawa, Poland
Scott Weeth, VP, Account Management & Business Solutions, Transactel, powered by TELUS, Guatemala City, Guatemala
Gerard Whelan, Managing Director, Nectar Italia, Milan, Italy
Gwn Wight, Director Client Service, ServiceSource Europe Limited, Sandyford, Dublin, Ireland
Katarzyna Wilczewska, Public Affairs Manager, Kompania Piwowarska SA, Poznan, Poland
Sakae Yoshii, CEO, Aozora Securities Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan