Persistent and the Stevie Awards recognize leaders advancing AI, cloud, data, and software engineering innovation

Finalists in five categories sponsored by Persistent, a leading global technology company, have been announced in the 2026 Stevie® Awards for Technology Excellence. Persistent’s AI Waymakers Awards recognize technology leaders whose work is helping shape the future of AI, cloud and data, software engineering, and business transformation.

The Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence are an international competition recognizing outstanding achievements across the technology industry. Through its sponsorship, Persistent shines a spotlight on the individuals driving technological innovation and helping organizations translate emerging technologies into business impact.

The Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award placements among the finalists will be revealed during the awards ceremony on October 28, 2026, in Paris, France.

Meet the Finalists in Persistent’s AI Waymakers Awards

The finalists in the five categories sponsored by Persistent are:

AI Automation Leader of the Year

• Tom Birnie, Transformation Director, BT Business
• Prem Lakshminarayanan, Director, Global Identity & Access Management Operations, Ahold Delhaize
• Raj Jampa, CTO, Myriad Genetics

AI Strategy Vanguard Award

• Alice Guehennec, CIO, Sodexo
• Vikash Singh, Director of Engineering, IAM, Ahold Delhaize
• Nayaki Nayyar, CEO, Siteimprove
• Andrew Henderson, CTO, OneAdvanced

Cloud and Data Visionary of the Year

• Graham McMillan, CTO, Redgate
• Pankaj Mistry, CIO & CISO, Enlivio Health
• Antonio Abisaad, Group Chief Data Officer, Sodexo
• Maria Garcia de la Hera, Chief Data Officer, Atradius

Software Engineering Trailblazer of the Year

• Keshav Santi, Group VP Identity Access Management Products, Ahold Delhaize
• Michael Carlberg Lax, Head of Engineering and MD Sweden, Infovista
• Jon Hayman, VP, Engineering Manager, Redgate

Trusted AI Transformation Advisor

• Brian Farrelly, Director - GM Ireland, Peru Consulting
• Marcus Luebcke, Strategic IT & Digital Sourcing, Inverto, a BCG Company
• Melanie Humphries, CEO, Horizon Seven Consulting Ltd
• Ant Drake, Partner and President, EMEA, Information Services Group

Celebrating the People Shaping the Future of Technology

Persistent’s sponsorship of the AI Waymakers Awards reflects the importance of recognizing the people behind technological progress. From advancing AI strategy and automation to building cloud and data capabilities and leading software engineering initiatives, these finalists represent a range of expertise helping organizations navigate an increasingly technology-driven world.

Winners to Be Revealed in Paris

The technology community will learn which finalists earn Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award placements at the October 28 ceremony in Paris. The event will bring together honorees from several Stevie Awards programs to celebrate achievements in business, technology, and the workplace.

Congratulations to all the finalists in Persistent’s AI Waymakers Awards. Their recognition highlights the talent, vision, and leadership driving innovation across today’s technology landscape.

Learn more: Explore Persistent’s AI Waymakers Awards finalists.

On Wednesday, October 28 we will stage a joint awards ceremony for winners of the 12th German Stevie® Awards and The 23rd International Business Awards®, the 11th Stevie Awards for Great Employers, and the third Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence at the Pullman Paris Montparnasse in Paris, France.  More than 700 executives from around the world will attend to witness the acceptance speeches of winners from a variety of industries and nations.

There are two ceremonies on October 28 that will each be broadcast live:
The Luncheon Ceremony
The Evening Ceremony

Here is the list of organizations that will be represented at Wednesday's event:

2Connect Hungary, Budapest, Hungary

4T Consultants Pty Ltd, Emerald, Queensland, Australia

8x8, Campbell, CA USA

Abi Marquez, Taguig, Philippines

Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Acosta Group, Jacksonville, FL USA

AD Ports Group, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

AI Techno Center GmbH, Boppard, Germany

Ak Portföy (Ak Asset Management), İstanbul, Türkiye

Akrete Communications, Inc., Evanston, IL

Alexion AstraZeneca Rare Disease, İstanbul, Türkiye

Allianz Holding eins GmbH, Vienna, Austria

Allianz, Munich, Germany

Alpla Group, Istanbul, Turkiye

Altudo LLC, Newark, NJ USA

Arnold Umformtechnik, Forchtenberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

AS WATSON, Milan, Italy

ASCENTIUM GLOBAL SERVICES HOLDINGS, Singapore

Asiacell Communications PJSC, Baghdad, Iraq

AstraZeneca Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan

AstraZeneca, Cambridge, United Kingdom

Ata Express Elektronik İlt. Tan. Paz. Dağ. San. Ve Tic. A.Ş., İstanbul, Türkiye

Atos, Bezons, France

ATÜ Duty Free, İstanbul, Türkiye

Australian Multicultural Women's Alliance, Sydney, Australia

Avrasya Tüneli İşletme İnşaat Ve Yatırım A.Ş., İstanbul, Türkiye

Award Writing Services, Bali, Indonesia

Bank Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia

Bases Conversion And Development Authority, Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines

BELBİM, İstanbul, Türkiye

BeNeering GmbH, Bottrop, North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany

Benifex

Besler, İstanbul, Türkiye

BEVALDIA OE, Athens, Greece

Beyond the Valley LLP, Lahore, Pakistan

BOTAS, Ankara, Türkiye

Boyner Buyuk Magazacilik, İstanbul, Türkiye

Brandfizz Employer Branding, Budapest, Hungary

Brasilprev Seguros e Previdência SA, São Paulo, Brazil

Briars Group, Warrington, Cheshire, United Kingdom

BusinessArt, Unkel, RLP, Germany

CBRE GWS, Dallas, TX USA

CeCe Digital T/A My Medical Website, London, United Kingdom

Celebi Aviation Holding, İstanbul, Türkiye

Cengiz Holding,  İstanbul, Türkiye

Checkout.com, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

Çimko, Narlı, Türkiye

Cisco CX Product Management, Durham, NC USA

Congresservice Alpin Convention GmbH, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bayern , Germany

Construction Industry Council, Hong Kong

CoreView, Milan, Italy

Culture Cuppa, London, United Kingdom

Dagi, İstanbul, Türkiye

Daiichi Sankyo Türkiye, İstanbul, Türkiye

Danone, London, United Kingdom

Dawn's Pizzazz (DPZ ), Danbury, CT USA

Dejero, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Deliverance AI, London, United Kingdom

Department of Information and Communications Technology, Quezon City, Philippines

DHL Express,  İstanbul, Türkiye

DHL Global Forwarding Management GmbH, Bonn, Germany

DHL Global Forwarding, Bonn, Germany

DHL Group, Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

DocuWare Corporation, Beacon, NY USA

Doğuş Otomotiv Servis Ve Ticaret A.Ş., Kocaeli, Türkiye

Dräger Türkiye,  İstanbul, Türkiye

Dubai Harbour Marinas LLC, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Ebebek, İstanbul, Türkiye

EDF, London, United Kingdom

Editvideo.io, Newark, DE USA

EFFX AI, New York, NY USA

Empowered Living Care, Sydney, Australia

EPAM Systems, Inc., Newtown, PA USA

Eren Enerji, Zonguldak, Çatalağzı, Türkiye

Erisim Customer Services, İstanbul, Türkiye

Etihad Airways Group, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Filinvest Land Inc, Mandaluyong City, Philippines

FloWater, Denver, CO USA

Fundación Grupo London Supply, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina

Future Beauty, Dalovice, Czech Republic

Galvatore Plating & Equipment, Cologne, Germany

GCash, Bonafacio Global City, Taguig, Philippines

George Capital Finance Solutions, Sydney, Australia

George Mason University Korea, Incheon, Korea

GLORIA HOTELS & RESORTS - OZALTIN TOURISM GROUP, ANTALYA, Türkiye

Graham Shapiro Design, Wilmslow, Cheshire, United Kingdom

Granite Telecommunications, LLC, Quincy, MA USA

Green Rock Foundation, Dilijan, Tavush, Armenia

GTech, İstanbul, Türkiye

Halkbank, İstanbul, Türkiye

Hayya, Doha, Qatar

HCLTech, Santa Clara, CA, USA

HELLENiQ ENERGY Holdings SA, Athens, Greece

HeyMo® The Experience Design Company, İstanbul, Türkiye

Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Dubai, UAE

Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund), Makati City, Philippines

IBM Institute For Business Value, Singapore

Infercom, Luxembourg

InLife (Insular Life Assurance Co., Ltd.), Muntinlupa City, Philippines

Korea Western Power Company, Taean-gun, Korea

KUKA Hungária Kft., Taksony, Hungary

Kuwait Finance House, Safat, Kuwait

L&T Technology Services, Mumbai, India

LEARNING JUST MADE BETTER INC., Makati City, Philippines

Lenovo International Services Support (ISS) - Latin America Spanish, Bogota, Colombia

Leobit, Austin, TX USA

Lexin Solutions, Brisbane, Australia

Lidl Bulgaria, Sofia, Bulgaria

Limak Cement, Ankara,  Türkiye

LLYC, Madrid, Spain

LTM, Mumbai, India

MALAYSIAN RUBBER COUNCIL, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

Merck, Darmstadt, Germany

Micheldever Tyre Services, Winchester, United Kingdom

MicroHealth, Vienna, VA, USA

MissionSquare, Washington, DC, USA

MKE (Makine ve Kimya Endüstrisi), Ankara, Türkiye

Mneuro Academy, Sofia, Bulgaria

ModMed, Boca Raton, FL USA

Motability Operations, London, United Kingdom

MR İşletme Hizmetleri Danışmanlığı A.Ş., İstanbul, Türkiye

MSD

Multinet Up, İstanbul, Türkiye

Multisys Technologies Corporation, Paranaque, Philippines

Naish Partners, Santa Barbara, CA USA

National Ilan University, Yilan City, Taiwan

New Image International, Auckland, New Zealand

Nicole Schmitz Leadership Coaching, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Oksijen Events, İstanbul, Beşiktaş, Türkiye

One Step GPS, San Fernando, CA USA

ONEBPO, Ilolilo City, Phillipines

Orbitel International Corp, New Taipei, Taiwan

Partner.Co, Midvale, UT USA

Persistent Systems

PetPlanner Business Solutions GmbH, Mainz, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany

Petronect - Procurement Negocios SA, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Philip Morris International, Lausanne, Switzerland

PJP Investments Group LLC, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

pladis TR, İstanbul, Türkiye

Prime Development, İstanbul, Türkiye

PT Permata Graha Nusantara, Jakarta, Indonesia

PT Perusahaan Gas Negara Tbk, Jakarta, Indonesia

PU Prime, Mahe, Seychelles

Purpol Marketing, Chippenham, Wiltshire, United Kingdom

Q Media 360 Advertising Corp., Bonifacio Global City, Philippines

QNB Bank A.S., İstanbul, Türkiye

QNB Türkiye, İstanbul, Türkiye

Qurio, Singapore

Rabb IT Solutions GmbH, Katzenelnbogen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany

RankingCoach, Cologne, Germany

RE:STACK, Twyford, Berkshire, United Kingdom

Reggie Firedrill, Wilmslow, Cheshire, United Kingdom

Reputation House Marketing Management LLC, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Resolute Software, Sofia, Bulgaria

SABC Pension Fund & SABC Medical Scheme, Auckland Park, Johannesburg, South Africa

Saman Bank, Tehran, Iran

Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Scottish Power, Glasgow, Scotland

St John's Co-Cathedral Foundation, Valletta, Malta

Staff Domain, Homebush, NSW, Australia

Starburst Edutech, Seoul, South Korea

Strategic Public Relations Group, Hong Kong

SUN HOPE Co.,Ltd., Chiba, Japan

SweetScience Marketing, Chesterbrook, PA USA

Synergy Market Research + Strategic Consultancy, Makati City, Philippines

Tam Finans, İstanbul, Türkiye

Tape Zoomie, Perth, Australia

Tata Consultancy Services, Mumbai, India

Tata Consultancy Services, Stockholm, Sweden

Telemach Croatia, Zagreb, Croatia

The Development Bureau Of The HKSARG And The Construction Industry Council and Above the Line, Hong Kong

The Dr Z Functional Medicine Academy LLC, Sheridan, WY USA

The Sales Institute Australia, Perth, Australia

The Stories And Wisdom Company®, Seattle, WA

Tomo Nagami Consulting, Clamart, Haut de Seine, France

Torchy's Tacos, Austin, TX USA

Transport General Authority, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Tripadvisor, London, United Kingdom

Turkcell İletişim Hizmetleri A.Ş., İstanbul, Türkiye

Turkish Airlines, İstanbul, Türkiye

Turkish Association for the Study of Obesity, İstanbul, Türkiye

Türkiye Kalkınma Ve Yatırım Bankası, İstanbul, Türkiye

TURKIYE SİGORTA A.S., İstanbul, Türkiye

UnitedHealthcare, Minnetonka, MN USA

University City Of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

Unzer Group GmbH, Berlin, Germany

ValueLabs, Hyderabad, India

Versalis, Milan, Italy

Viettel Cambodia Pte., Ltd. Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Viettel Global Investment Joint Stock Company (Viettel Global), Hanoi, Vietnam

Viettel Mozambique (Movitel), Maputo, Mozambique

Viettel Peru (Bitel), Lima, Peru

Viettel Tanzania PLC (Halotel), Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

W B Griffiths & Son Ltd, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, United Kingdom

Women Talk Tech, Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Worldwide Broker Network, Wilmington, Delaware

XtremeLabs LLC, McLean, VA USA

YASO, London, United Kingdom

YKK AP America Inc., Atlanta, GA USA

Zachry Corporation, San Antonio, Texas, USA

ZİRAAT KATILIM BANKASI,  İstanbul, Türkiye

Learn more about all nine of the Stevie Awards programs at www.StevieAwards.com. 

IBM Named Organization of the Year; T-Mobile Engineer Earns Highest-Rated Nomination

Two Grand (“best of show”) Stevie Award winners have been announced in the third annual Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence. The annual competition honors outstanding achievements by individuals, teams, and organizations shaping the future of technology across every industry.

The Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence are an international business awards competition that is open to all organizations and individuals worldwide. The competition’s Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie winners in the various categories were announced in July and are listed at Tech.StevieAwards.com.

Most Honored Organization: IBM, including IBM Manufacturing Solutions Pte. Ltd., is the most honored organization in the competition, with 18.5 award points earned through three Gold, one Silver, and five Bronze Stevie wins. (To determine the Organization of the Year winner, each Gold Stevie Award earns three points, each Silver win earns two points, and each Bronze earns 1.5 points.) A judge of one of IBM’s Gold Stevie-winning nominations shared, "This is a strong entry that goes beyond the standard DevOps implementation. The team has built a well-thought-out approach to a real scaling problem, and the supporting material backs up their claims. The ability to dynamically determine test execution at runtime and significantly reduce unnecessary test runs is genuinely innovative."

This marks the 20th Grand Stevie Award won by IBM, across all nine Stevie Awards programs in the past 25 years, but the first in the Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence.

Highest-Rated Nomination: The Grand Stevie Award for the Highest-Rated Nomination of the Year, with an average score of 9.63 out of a possible 10, goes to Harikishore Allu Balan, Principal Systems Architect at T-Mobile, whose nomination won the Gold Stevie for Employee of the Year - Information Technology – Telecommunications. T-Mobile USA, Inc. is the second-largest wireless carrier in the United States, serving over 118 million subscribers across more than 50 nationwide data centers. One judge commented on Harikishore's winning nomination, Pioneering America's Cloud-Native 5G Voice Infrastructure: “Harikishore's work on T-Mobile’s cloud-native 5G voice infrastructure is a stellar example of technical mastery translating directly into massive commercial and operational impact.”

Winners will be honored at a red-carpet awards event on Wednesday, October 28 at the Pullman Paris Montparnasse in Paris, France. The event will also celebrate winners in the 2026 editions of the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, The International Business Awards®, and the German Stevie Awards. The presentations will be streamed live worldwide, and tickets are now on sale.

More than 700 nominations from organizations in 37 nations and territories were evaluated this year by 180 technology and business professionals serving as judges. Winners were selected based on the average scores assigned during the independent judging process.

Some of the other organizations with Gold, Silver or Bronze-winning nominations include:

• Allianz Technology
• Apple
• Bank Indonesia
• Dubai Roads and Transport Authority
• Ernst & Young (EY)
• GCash
• Google
• JPMorgan Chase
• Lenovo
• Microsoft
• Oracle
• Saudi Aramco
• Standard Bank
• Walmart

The Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence recognize achievements across 23 technology sectors, including:

• Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations Technology
• Aerospace Technology
• Agricultural Technology
• Architectural Technology
• Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Assistive Technology
• Biotechnology
• Business Technology
• Communications Technology
• Construction & Civil Engineering Technology
• Educational Technology
• Energy Technology
• Entertainment Technology
• Financial Technology (FinTech)
• Government Technology
• Green & Clean Technology
• Healthcare Technology
• Information Technology
• Manufacturing Technology
• Marine Technology
• Retail & E-Commerce Technology
• Sports, Fitness & Recreation Technology
• Transportation & Mobility Technology

Nominations for the 2027 edition of the Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence will open in March. The entry kit may be requested at https://Tech.StevieAwards.com.

Celebrating the Organizations and Innovators Shaping the Future of Technology

The winners of the 2026 Stevie® Awards for Technology Excellence have officially been announced.

Now in its third year, the Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence recognize the individuals, teams, products, and organizations driving innovation across the global technology landscape. From artificial intelligence and cybersecurity to healthcare, finance, manufacturing, education, retail, and government technology, the awards honor excellence in every major area of technology.

This year's competition attracted more than 700 nominations from organizations in 37 nations and territories, reflecting the growing impact of technology innovation across industries worldwide.

More than 180 technology and business professionals from around the world participated in the judging process, evaluating nominations through independent scoring to determine this year's Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie® Award winners.

Top Award-Winning Organizations

Several organizations earned multiple Stevie Awards for their achievements in 2026. Leading this year's competition are:

IBM (Singapore and USA) — 9 Stevie Awards
Architecht (Istanbul, Türkiye) — 6 Stevie Awards
ValueLabs (India and USA) — 6 Stevie Awards
Asiacell (Baghdad, Iraq) — 5 Stevie Awards
Dubai Digital Authority (Dubai, United Arab Emirates) — 5 Stevie Awards
Epsilon3 (El Segundo, California, USA) — 5 Stevie Awards

Notable Gold winners include:

Cisco Systems, USA: Three Gold Stevie Awards in the categories Technical Innovation Of The Year - Information Technology, New Product Of The Year - Information Technology - Telecommunications, and Technology Team Of The Year - Information Technology - Software Development

Octopus Energy, UK: Three Gold Stevie Awards in the categories Company Of The Year - Energy Technology, New Product Of The Year - Energy Technology, and Technical Innovation Of The Year - Energy Technology

Plume, USA: Three Gold Stevie Awards in the categories Executive Of The Year: Dan Herscovici, New Product Of The Year - Communication Technology, and New Product Of The Year - Communication Technology

Ernst & Young, USA: Technology Team Of The Year - Information Technology - Platform Engineering

Doktar Technologies, Netherlands: Two Gold Stevie Awards for Technical Innovation Of The Year - Agricultural Technology and Technology Breakthrough Of The Year - Agricultural Technology

GCash, Philippines: Technology Breakthrough Of The Year - Financial Technology

MacPaw, Ukraine: Technology Team Of The Year - Information Technology - Cybersecurity

T-Mobile, USA: Employee Of The Year - Information Technology - Telecommunications, Harikishore Allu Balan

Walmart, USA: Employee Of The Year - Financial Technology, Ambika Saklani Bhardwaj

What Do the Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence Recognize?

The Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence celebrate innovation across 23 technology disciplines, including:

Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Information Technology
Business Technology
Financial Technology (FinTech)
Healthcare Technology
Green & Clean Technology
Communications Technology
Biotechnology
Aerospace Technology
Manufacturing Technology
Retail & E-Commerce Technology
Government Technology
Transportation & Mobility Technology

...along with ten additional technology sectors that recognize excellence across today's rapidly evolving technology ecosystem. There are categories within each sector that recognize individuals, entire organizations, new products, technology innovations, management teams, and more.

Whether developing breakthrough software, improving customer experiences with AI, advancing medical technology, or modernizing infrastructure, winners represent organizations using technology to solve meaningful challenges and create lasting impact.

Celebrating the Winners in Paris

Winners will be recognized during a red-carpet awards ceremony on October 28, 2026, at the Pullman Paris Montparnasse in Paris, France.

The event will celebrate winners from four Stevie Awards programs:

Stevie® Awards for Technology Excellence
Stevie® Awards for Great Employers
The International Business Awards®
German Stevie® Awards

The ceremony will also be broadcast live, allowing colleagues, clients, friends, and family around the world to join the celebration.

A Word from the Stevie Awards

"We congratulate all of the winners in the third annual Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence for their outstanding achievements," said Maggie Miller, President of the Stevie Awards.

"Technology continues to reshape every industry, and this year's winners demonstrate how innovation can improve organizations, strengthen communities, and create new opportunities around the world. We look forward to celebrating their accomplishments together in Paris this October."

About the Stevie® Awards for Technology Excellence

The Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence honor innovation in the workplace across every industry. The competition recognizes organizations of all sizes—including startups, nonprofits, government agencies, and multinational corporations—as well as the individuals and teams behind their success.

The program is one of nine Stevie Awards competitions, which together receive more than 12,000 nominations each year from organizations in more than 70 nations and territories.

Learn more about the Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence, view this year's winners, or find information about entering future competitions by visiting Tech.StevieAwards.com.

Asiacell Communications is a major provider of mobile telecommunications and digital services in Iraq, serving nearly 20 million customers across all 19 governorates. Since its founding in 1999, the company has consistently pioneered innovation in the country’s telecom sector. Today, its 4G network reaches the majority of Iraq’s population.

Over the past two years, Asiacell has strengthened its position as a digital leader through significant investments in artificial intelligence, cloud-native infrastructure, and customer experience. These efforts are helping transform not only the company’s operations but also the broader telecommunications landscape in Iraq.

AI-powered Customer Support Platform
One of Asiacell’s most notable achievements was the launch of LAILA, an AI-powered customer support platform. Introduced in 2024, the intelligent chatbot assists customers across mobile, web, and social media channels, handling thousands of inquiries each day. Building on that success, Asiacell introduced LAITH in 2025, an enterprise-grade AI assistant designed to support employees by streamlining access to information and standardizing workflows throughout the organization.

The company also completed a major modernization of its Business Support System (BSS), implementing a cloud-native, AI-enabled platform that now manages services for nearly 20 million customers. The upgrade was completed without service disruption, supported by one of Iraq’s most advanced telecom infrastructures, including 22 data centers, four of which are Tier III-certified by the Uptime Institute. Asiacell’s network currently includes more than 8,300 towers, with plans to add 1,000 more.

Beyond its commercial achievements, Asiacell continues to play an important role in Iraq’s development through initiatives supporting digital education, entrepreneurship, humanitarian relief, and youth development. Hundreds of corporate social responsibility programs have helped expand digital access and create opportunities for communities throughout the country.

Asiacell Communications PJSC won a Silver Stevie Award for Company of the Year - Information Technology - Telecommunications and two Bronze Stevie Awards for Technical Innovation of the Year - Artificial Intelligence and New Service of the Year - Artificial Intelligence in the 2025 Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence.

Interested in entering for 2026?

Informativ provides fraud prevention, compliance, and credit solutions for the automotive and consumer finance industries across the United States. The company’s software is designed to help auto dealers and lenders streamline finance qualification processes, maintain regulatory compliance, and reduce risk through automation and integrated technology solutions.


Unifying Compliance, Credit, and Fraud Prevention
Since 2023, Informativ has undergone a significant transformation to simplify and modernize compliance and risk management for automotive retailers. Following a strategic rebrand, the company unified several existing platforms under the Informativ name, bringing together tools focused on identity verification, credit management, and fraud prevention into a more cohesive ecosystem.

A major milestone came in February 2024 with the launch of Total Solution, a platform integrating identity verification, credit controls, and FTC Safeguards Rule compliance into a single workflow. The launch addressed growing pressure on dealers to strengthen data security and compliance processes while maintaining operational efficiency and customer experience.

By consolidating multiple compliance and risk-management functions into a single platform, Informativ sought to address a longstanding challenge in the automotive technology sector, where dealers often rely on disconnected systems for fraud prevention, compliance oversight, and financing workflows.

Supporting Evolving Industry Demands
The company has expanded its capabilities through acquisitions and integrations, increasing both technical functionality and customer reach. These efforts contributed to broader market penetration and accelerated product development while supporting partnerships with lenders, credit bureaus, and dealer technology providers.

Operational growth has accompanied these initiatives. Informativ earned a place on the 2024 Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies and was recognized as a Great Place to Work-certified employer based on employee feedback.

As regulatory requirements continue to evolve across automotive retail and consumer finance, Informativ has focused on building tools that allow dealers to proactively manage compliance obligations while reducing friction within the financing process. The company’s emphasis on integrated workflows and automation reflects broader industry demand for more scalable and efficient technology solutions.

Informativ earned a Bronze Stevie® Award for Company of the Year – Financial Technologies in the 2025 Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence.

Interested in entering for 2026?

Bongo was created to address a practical challenge in higher education. A professor at Colorado State University needed a more effective way to assess communication skills in entrepreneurship and business communications courses. After finding that existing tools did not adequately measure how students communicated and applied knowledge, he developed a new solution focused on video-based assessment and feedback.

That solution became Bongo, a platform designed to evaluate not only what learners know, but how effectively they can communicate and demonstrate skills in real-world scenarios.

Initially adopted by colleges and universities, Bongo helped educators assess soft skills through video assignments and structured feedback. As demand for scalable coaching and performance evaluation grew beyond academia, the platform expanded into corporate learning and enterprise training.

Scaling Coaching and Skill Verification
Today, Bongo supports enterprise organizations across sales, partner enablement, and customer success functions by helping teams reinforce learning and verify skills at scale. Learners record video responses that demonstrate their understanding and application of key concepts, enabling organizations to assess practical performance rather than relying solely on traditional testing methods.

The platform combines AI-powered analysis with human-reviewed feedback to help organizations identify strengths, reinforce learning objectives, and support ongoing professional development. A key advancement within the platform is Bongo’s AI Score technology, which automates the evaluation of learner-recorded videos while generating detailed feedback aligned with organization-specific requirements.

Advancing AI-Driven Performance Evaluation
Bongo’s AI Score operates through a multi-step process designed to produce tailored, scalable assessments. Organizations first upload training materials and learning content into the platform, allowing Bongo to generate customized questions and success criteria based on specific business objectives and skill requirements.

Learners then record video responses demonstrating their understanding and application of those concepts in practical scenarios. Using a combination of predefined evaluation criteria, publicly available large-language models, and Bongo’s proprietary algorithms, the platform automatically scores learner performance and provides detailed explanations for each evaluation.

The system is designed to provide actionable feedback with minimal human intervention, helping organizations scale coaching and assessment programs more efficiently.

Addressing Security and AI Bias Concerns
One of the primary challenges facing organizations adopting AI-driven evaluation systems is how to securely use sensitive company information without exposing proprietary data to public AI models.

To address this concern, Bongo developed a patent-pending process that allows learner performance to be evaluated against confidential organizational data while preventing that data from being exposed to public large-language models. This approach enables organizations to use advanced AI capabilities while maintaining control over sensitive information.

The company also developed consensus algorithms to reduce bias and response inconsistencies in AI-generated evaluations. By structuring interactions with large-language models as multi-part conversations and combining them with proprietary evaluation methods, Bongo aims to improve the fairness, consistency, and reliability of assessment outcomes.

As organizations continue to search for scalable ways to measure communication, performance, and applied skills, Bongo’s technology reflects a growing interest in AI-supported learning systems that balance automation, personalization, and data security.

Bongo earned a Gold Stevie® Award for Technical Innovation of the Year – Educational Technology in the 2025 Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence.

Interested in entering for 2026?

The Stevie^® Awards, organizers of the world’s premier business awards, have announced a final deadline extension in the newest Stevie Awards program, the Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence.

The original final entry deadline was June 11, but entries will now be accepted through July 8. Entries through the extended final entry deadline will not be penalized in any way. Entry details are available at Tech.StevieAwards.com.

This new Stevie Awards program celebrates the remarkable accomplishments of individuals, teams, and organizations shaping the future of technology across all industry sectors.

Individuals and organizations worldwide are eligible to enter - public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. The program will recognize the world’s best technology professionals, organizations, achievements, products, and services since the beginning of 2024.

Michael Gallagher, founder and Executive Chairman of the Stevie Awards, shared his enthusiasm for the latest Stevie Awards competition and the extended entry timeline:

"Due to popular demand, we've extended the final entry deadline to July 8, giving individuals and organizations additional time to craft their nominations. We look forward to honoring the remarkable accomplishments of technology innovators from around the world in the 2026 Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence."

The program features more than 250 categories across 23 technology-industry groupings, with a broader set of categories for Information Technology. Category groupings include:

• Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations Technology Categories
• Aerospace Technology Categories
• Agricultural Technology Categories
• Architectural Technology Categories
• Artificial Intelligence Categories
• Assistive Technology Categories
• Biotechnology Categories
• Business Technology Categories
• Communication Technology Categories
• Construction & Civil Engineering Technology Categories (New for 2026)
• Educational Technology Categories
• Energy Technology Categories
• Entertainment Technology Categories
• Financial Technology Categories
• Government Technology Categories
• Green & Clean Technology Categories
• Healthcare Technology Categories
• Information Technology Categories
• Manufacturing Technology Categories
• Marine Technology Categories
• Retail & E-Commerce Technology Categories (New for 2026)
• Sports, Fitness & Recreation Technology Categories (New for 2026)
• Transportation & Mobility Technology Categories

Each year, Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 nominations from organizations of all types and sizes in more than 70 nations and territories. Past Stevie Award winners include Cisco Systems, Inc., DP DHL, EY Global Services Limited, HCLTech, Google, IBM Corporation, LLYC, Meta, Procter & Gamble, Samsung, Toyota, Verizon, Viettel Group, and many others.

Juries featuring more than 100 executives worldwide will determine the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners. Winners will be publicly announced on July 23 and celebrated at a joint awards gala on October 28 in Paris, France, with winners of the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, The International Business Awards®, and the German Stevie Awards.

Founded in 1997, Blancco Technology Group develops secure data erasure and device diagnostics solutions designed to help organizations safely manage end-of-life IT assets. As companies face growing data privacy requirements and rising volumes of retired hardware, Blancco’s technology enables enterprises and IT asset disposition (ITAD) providers to securely remove data and prepare devices for reuse or resale.

From its early focus on certified data sanitization software, the company has expanded its capabilities to address broader operational and sustainability challenges tied to the lifecycle of IT equipment. Each year, tens of millions of Blancco erasures are performed worldwide, helping organizations protect sensitive information while allowing data storage assets to be redeployed or responsibly recycled.

Today, Blancco’s technology is used by enterprises, mobile industry stakeholders, recyclers, and ITAD providers that process large volumes of retired devices. The company’s diagnostic tools and erasure solutions help organizations securely transition devices into the secondary market while meeting increasingly strict privacy and compliance standards.

Linking Data Security With the Circular Economy
A defining feature of Blancco’s approach is its focus on combining data security with sustainability. As global electronic waste continues to grow, extending the usable life of IT equipment has become a priority for many organizations. Blancco’s solutions support this shift by enabling secure data removal while helping devices move safely into the circular economy rather than being destroyed or discarded.

The company continues to expand its technology portfolio, supported by more than 40 patented or patent-pending innovations. In November 2024, Blancco introduced Autopilot Detection, a feature designed to address a growing challenge for ITAD providers when processing enterprise devices enrolled in Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) systems, such as Microsoft Windows Autopilot and Intune.

Devices enrolled in these management systems can automatically reconnect to enterprise networks and resynchronize data even after initial erasure, creating a potential security risk if the device is intended for resale. Prior to the development of Autopilot Detection, identifying these enrollments often required manually powering on devices and inspecting them individually—an approach that slowed processing and introduced the risk of human error.

Automating Detection During the Erasure Process
Blancco Autopilot Detection was developed to automate this process. Integrated within the company’s flagship Blancco Drive Eraser software, the feature programmatically identifies and flags devices enrolled in UEM systems during the erasure workflow. This allows ITAD providers to detect potential risks in a single automated step rather than through manual inspection.

Industry trends highlight the significance of this challenge. Microsoft operating systems account for more than 70% of the global desktop OS market, and a substantial share of devices processed by ITAD providers are enrolled in enterprise management systems. By automating detection, Blancco’s technology reduces labor requirements, improves processing accuracy, and helps organizations protect sensitive data.

The operational benefits are measurable. Blancco reports that the automated detection process can reduce device processing time to roughly 2.5 minutes per asset, representing a significant improvement over previous manual workflows. For ITAD providers handling thousands of devices per week, this efficiency gain can shorten the time to bring refurbished devices back to market while reducing operational risk.

Continuing Product Expansion
Since the launch of Autopilot Detection, Blancco has continued expanding its capabilities. In 2025, the company acquired Key Deploy from Blair Technology Group and integrated it into its software platform as Blancco Asset Reimaging, allowing ITAD providers to reinstall the Windows operating system on sanitized devices as part of the preparation process for resale.

Blancco has also broadened its device support across the Apple ecosystem. Its erasure technology now supports Apple Watch®, AirPods®, iPhone®, iPad®, Mac® computers, and related accessories, reflecting the growing demand for secure processing of used consumer electronics entering secondary markets.

Together, these developments illustrate how Blancco continues to refine the infrastructure supporting the circular IT economy, helping enterprises protect data while extending the useful life of millions of devices worldwide.

Blancco won a Gold Stevie® Award for Technical Innovation of the Year – Information Technology in the 2025 Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence.

Interested in entering for 2026?

For the past two years, the Stevie® Awards team has been working tirelessly behind the scenes to create something we know you’ll love.

The system we built more than 20 years ago to manage and run most of our Stevie Awards programs has reached the end of its life.

After over two decades of operating under the same website, entry platforms, and judging systems, we are introducing a fully modernized, user-friendly website and upgraded platform for entrants and judges across all nine Stevie Awards programs!

This new system is fully operational for all 2026 programs, except the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, which will transition to the new platform in May.  

View the schedule in the table below:

The new system has many benefits for entrants, judges, and Stevie Awards administrators. Founder & Executive Chairman of the Stevie Awards, Michael Gallagher, announced:

"This milestone refresh has been a long time coming, and we are excited to announce that it's finally here.

From selecting categories to submitting entries, and managing nominations across multiple competitions, you will find that every step of the Stevie Awards nomination process has been upgraded from our former antiquated system." 

Stevie Awards President, Maggie Miller, added:

"Whether you’re a first-time entrant, a returning participant, or one of our dedicated judges, this overhaul is designed to make entering or judging the Stevie Awards a simpler, faster, and more intuitive experience."

Below, you will find a list of the top benefits that make the new Stevie Awards website and system better than ever. Among them are:

1. Single Sign-On Across All Stevie Awards Programs 🏆

Previously, to enter or judge multiple Stevie Awards programs, users were required to create separate logins for each competition. Now, through one Stevie Awards entry account, you will be able to submit nominations or apply to judge in any of our awards programs. No more multiple logins! As each program opens for 2026, it will open on the new system. For now, you can login to closed programs through the old platform. 

As shown below, if you are logged in to your entry account, it's easy to select a program from the dropdown menu.

2. Superior Performance👌

The new system is built on the latest and best available tools and services, and is significantly faster and easier to use than the current system. The new website is fully mobile-friendly, and entrants can now submit nominations on their phones or tablets if they choose to do so. The technology foundation allows us to continually add new features and enhancements, so the experience will keep improving year after year.

The only Stevie Awards system that will not be integrated into the new system is the official Stevie Awards Store, which will continue to run on Shopify. Our store is where winners purchase additional trophies, medallions, certificates, and commemorative items. 

3. One Account for Judges Across all Stevie Awards Programs 👨‍⚖️

Just as each entrant will now only need one account through which to enter any or all of our programs, judges can apply to judge one or more of them, and act as a judge for any of them under one login.

4. Archival Storage 💽

To date, for most of our competitions, we’ve had to clear out a prior year’s nominations from the system before we can open the next edition. The new system will store and make available to you all of your past nominations (submitted through the new platform).

5. Effortless Category Selection and Search 🔍

The new system includes a convenient “find-as-you-type” search feature for categories. Previously, entrants had to scroll through hundreds of options to locate the right one. Now, finding the right category for your achievement is quick and effortless.

 

6.  Billing and Payment Options that Give Entrants More Control and Convenience 💳

Our new platform will make it easier to find, modify, and pay your invoices, with more payment options.

For paying your entry fees, we now have advanced payment options, including a “pay later” option that will offer automatic reconciliation of invoices, and allows you to make edits to invoices. At checkout, you can choose how you'd like to pay, whether via card, bank account, bank transfer, Cash App Pay, Affirm, Klarna, pre-authorized debit, or Amazon Pay.

The option to choose to pay shipping fees will be completely integrated into the overall system as well.

7.  Fewer Technical Issues ⚠️

If you’ve recently had a problem logging into your entry or judging account, submitting nominations, or judging entries, you’ve experienced our former system’s growing unreliability. If you’ve been a longtime Stevie Awards participant, you may recall the occasional frustration of encountering 403 error messages when submitting nominations. (Thank you for your patience in putting up with the old system!)

These errors often occurred during high-traffic periods near final entry deadlines, after resetting a password, or even when certain symbols were included in a nomination. Now, entrants can submit nominations with confidence, without worrying about system errors or having to write them offline during down periods.

8. Mobile-Friendly Website 💻

We no longer have a separate mobile website, and the Stevie Awards site is fully mobile-friendly. Nominations can now be submitted from your mobile device or tablet if you choose. 

Join Us for a Live Workshop About Navigating the New Stevie Awards Platform 👇

Starting Thursday, October 23, we will be hosting regularly occurring live workshops to walk entrants through the ins and outs of the new system. Register Now to participate in the first workshop or click the button below.

While the new system is intuitive and user-friendly, we are striving to make this transition seamless for everyone, and these workshops are another opportunity to answer your questions as they arise.

We look forward to sharing the new Stevie Awards platform with you!

If you encounter a problem, please reach out to us at help@stevieawards.com, and we will help you accomplish what you need to do.