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.

On Tuesday, September 16 close to 300 executives from around the world will converge on New York's Marriott Marquis for our celebration of winners in the 10th annual Stevie® Awards for Great Employers and second annual Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence.

Stevie winners (Grand, Gold, Silver, and Bronze) in both programs were announced last month.

The Stevie Awards for Great Employers is an international business awards competition that's open to all organizations worldwide. The program recognizes the world's best organizations to work for, and the HR teams, professionals, achievements, new products, and suppliers that help to create and drive great places to work.  The Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence celebrate 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.

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

4C1H Employee Experience, Istanbul, Türkiye
Abdulrhman Alqarni, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
ACMobility, Taguig City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Akraya, San Francisco, CA
Allianz SE, Munich, Germany
Apexon, Princeton, NJ
Asiacell Communications PJSC, Baghdad, Iraq
AstraZeneca Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Authenticom Inc., La Crosse, WI
Automated Business Designs, Chicago, IL
Avetta, Lehi, UT
Benifex, Southampton, United Kingdom
BioBrain Insights LLC, Wilmington, DE
Blancco Technology Group, Woburn, MA
Blü Creative Digital Technologies, Miami, FL
Boosteroid, Austin, TX
Brandfizz Employer Branding Ltd / KUKA Hungaria / GrandVision Hungary, Budapest, Hungary
BRP, Quebec, Canada
Busy Bees North America, Toronto, Canada
Capital One, McLean, VA
Cisco, Research Triangle Park, NC
Cisco, San Jose, CA
CITIUSTECH INC., Bengaluru, India
Cloud Hikers, Brighton, United Kingdom
Cogent Data Solutions LLC, Orlando, FL
Cognizant Technology Solutions, Carmel, IN
Community First Health Plans, San Antonio, TX
Cruise LLC, San Francisco, CA
CSAA Insurance Group, Avondale, AZ
CVS Health, Woonsocket, RI
Dagi, Istanbul, Türkiye
Deep Genomics, Toronto, Canada
DHL Global Forwarding, Freight, Bonn, Germany
Discover Financial Services, Riverwoods, IL
Eastern Province Municipality, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
eMoney Advisor, Radnor, PA
Encora, Santa Clara, CA
EREN ENERJİ, Zonguldak, Türkiye
ERGON INC, Flowood, MS
Estée Lauder Companies, Shelton, CT
Exiger, New York, NY
Fidelity Investments, Westlake. TX
FILINVEST DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Philippines
FILINVEST LAND, INC., Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, Philippines
foodpanda, Taipei, Taiwan
Fortinet, Inc., Sunrise, FL
FTI Technology, Seattle, WA
GFT, Stuttgart, Germany
Globe Telecom, Metro Manila, Philippines
GLOBO Language Solutions, Philadelphia, PA
Glytec, LLC, Boston, MA
Golden Hour, Spring, TX
Gov2Biz Inc, San Antonio, TX
IBM Manufacturing Solutions Pte Ltd, Singapore
IBM, Armonk, NY
IEEE, San Jose, CA
IPG Health Medical Communications, Cheshire, United Kingdom
ITHENA, Richmond, VA
Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Philadelphia, PA
Jenzabar, Boston, MA
King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Korcomptenz Inc, Parsippany, NJ
Lexi AI, Boston, MA
LG Electronics, Lake Hiawatha, NJ
Limak Cement, Ankara, Türkiye
LPL Financial, San Diego, CA
Mega Metal, İstanbul, Türkiye
Ministry of Municipalities & Housing - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia
Modeshift, Boston, MA
ModMed, Boca Raton, FL
Neolytica - A QPharma Company, Bridgewater Township, NJ
NUPCO, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Parexel, Raleigh, NC
PayMore, Long Island, NY
Pegasus Airlines, İstanbul, Türkiye
Premier NX, Providence, NJ
PROCESSMAKER, INC, Durham, NC
Quinnox Inc., Chicago, IL
Red Education, Sydney, Australia
Reputation House, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
ResultsCX, Delhi, India
Revature, Reston, VA
Riyadh Municipality, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Electricity Regulatory Authority, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Savant Labs, San Mateo, CA
Scrum Alliance, Westminster, CO
Skai, New York, NY
SunExpress Airlines, Antalya, Türkiye
Tata Consultancy Services, Edison, NJ
The Machine and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE), İstanbul, Türkiye
ThoughtData, Acton, MA
Toshiba America Business Solutions, Lake Forest, CA
Trace3, Irvine, CA
Trane Technologies, La Crosse, WI
Türk Havacılık ve Uzay Sanayii A. Ş., Ankara, Türkiye
Turkish Airlines Inc., Istanbul, Türkiye
Turkish Technic, İstanbul, Türkiye
Türkiye Kalkınma ve Yatırım Bankası, İstanbul, Türkiye
Turner Industries, Baton Rouge, LA
ValueLabs, Hyderabad, India
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Versalis, Rome, Italy
Walmart, Bentonville, AR
Wells Fargo, Charlotte, NC
Welspun Transformation Services Limited, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Zenutna Holdings Corporation, Makati City, Philippines
Zubie, Bloomington, MN

The 2026 editions of both competitions will begin accepting nominations in March.  Learn more about both programs at www.StevieAwards.com. 

Amazon, including Amazon Web Services, and Lexi AI (Boston, MA) have won the Grand (“best of show”) Stevie® Award trophies in the second Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence. 

The Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence is an international business awards competition open to all organizations worldwide. The awards recognize the remarkable accomplishments of individuals, teams, and organizations shaping the future of technology across all industry sectors. The competition’s Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie winners in the various categories were announced last week and are listed at www.StevieAwards.com/Tech.  

This is the second year in a row that Amazon, including Amazon Web Services, has won the Grand Stevie for Organization of the Year in the competition, with 49 award points earned through three Gold, eight Silver, and 16 Bronze Stevie wins. To determine the Organization of the Year Grand winner, each Gold Stevie win counts for three points, each Silver Stevie for two points, and each Bronze Stevie win for one-and-a-half points.

The Grand Stevie Award for the Highest-Rated Nomination of the Year goes to Lexi AI, a Boston-based healthcare startup that helps people with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) navigate the healthcare system.

Founded in 2025, Lexi has gained traction with top institutions including Mass General Brigham, Mayo Clinic, and Lowell Community Health Center. The company has secured $100K in non-dilutive funding and won numerous other awards, including the HBS New Venture Competition Grand Prize, the iF Gold Design Award, and first place at the Longevity Venture Summit. In the Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence, the firm won a Gold Stevie for Best New Healthcare Technology Product, with an average score of 9.5 out of a possible 10.

Winners will be celebrated and presented with their Stevie Awards during a joint awards ceremony with the tenth annual Stevie Awards for Great Employers at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City on September 16. Tickets are now on sale. The presentations will be broadcast live.

More than 1,500 nominations from organizations in 35 nations and territories were evaluated in this year’s competition. Winners were determined by the average scores of more than 160 professionals worldwide, acting as judges. Some of the other organizations with winning nominations announced last week include Apple, Bank of America, Capital One, Cisco Systems, Dell, Doordash, Ford Motor Company, Google, IBM, Intuit, JPMorgan Chase, Meta, Microsoft Corporation, Salesforce, and Snowflake, among others.

The Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence recognize achievement in many facets of technology. Categories are grouped in 20 technology-industry sections:

• Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations Technology
• Aerospace Technology
• Agricultural Technology
• Architectural Technology
• Artificial Intelligence
• Assistive Technology
• Biotechnology
• Business Technology
• Communication Technology
• Educational Technology
• Energy Technology
• Entertainment Technology
• Financial Technology
• Government Technology
• Green and Clean Technology
• Healthcare Technology
• Information Technology
• Manufacturing Technology
• Marine Technology
• Transportation Technology

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

Winners to Be Celebrated at a Ceremony in New York on September 16

Winners in the 2025 (second annual) Stevie® Awards for Technology Excellence were announced today. The awards celebrate 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.

Among the organizations with multiple Stevie Award wins are Amazon / Amazon Web Services (27), Meta (19), Cisco (14), IBM (12), Microsoft (9), Walmart (8), JPMorganChase (7), Salesforce (7), Cognizant (6), Google (6), Gov2Biz Inc (6), Oracle (6), Alliant (5), Apple (5), BostonGene (5), Encora (5), and Epique Realty (5).

For a full list of winners by category, visit www.StevieAwards.com/Tech.

Winners will be celebrated during a gala awards banquet on Tuesday, September 16 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. Tickets are now on sale. The presentations will be broadcast live.

More than 1,500 nominations from organizations in 36 nations and territories were evaluated in this year’s competition. Winners were determined by the average scores of more than 160 professionals worldwide, acting as judges. The Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence recognize achievement in many facets of the workplace. Categories are grouped in 20 technology-industry sections:

• Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations Technology
• Aerospace Technology
• Agricultural Technology
• Architectural Technology
• Artificial Intelligence
• Assistive Technology
• Biotechnology
• Business Technology
• Communication Technology
• Educational Technology
• Energy Technology
• Entertainment Technology
• Financial Technology
• Government Technology
• Green and Clean Technology
• Healthcare Technology
• Information Technology
• Manufacturing Technology
• Marine Technology
• Transportation Technology

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

When Cathy Yang joined the PLDT Group—the Philippines’ largest integrated telecommunications firm—in July 2020, it was at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Connectivity was no longer a luxury but a lifeline. Yang was brought on to modernize PLDT’s communications strategy and lead a shift toward more purpose-driven, digitally focused storytelling.

Over the past four years, Yang has guided PLDT Group’s Corporate Communications team in aligning business goals with meaningful social impact, particularly in the areas of child protection, online safety, education, and digital inclusion. Under her leadership, the company’s communication strategies have elevated both internal engagement and public perception, while helping the company earn sustained recognition across multiple industries and platforms.

Using Communications to Drive Measurable Change
One of Yang’s most impactful contributions has been integrating child rights into PLDT’s corporate communications and business practices. Working with international organizations such as UNICEF, the Internet Watch Foundation, and International Justice Mission, PLDT Group developed strategies to address the growing issue of online child exploitation.

In 2023, PLDT was named a Leader in the Global Child Forum’s Business Benchmark on Children’s Rights—the only company in the Philippines to earn that distinction. The recognition came after Yang was invited in 2022 to represent both PLDT and the Philippines at the Global Child Forum in Stockholm, hosted by the King and Queen of Sweden. She remains the sole Southeast Asian representative included in the forum’s testimonial campaign.

Connecting Social Purpose with Brand and Business Value
PLDT’s corporate communications under Yang’s leadership has supported a wide range of business-aligned social initiatives. These include the expansion of the School-in-a-Bag digital classroom program, support for disaster resilience and livelihood initiatives, and digital literacy campaigns such as TNT SIM Registration.

The group also led #FarmSmart, a public relations program that used partnerships to help modernize agriculture and support farmers through tech solutions. These campaigns reflect a broader strategy that links PLDT’s business strengths (connectivity, technology) with its broader social commitments.

Yang and her team have maintained this focus even during periods of corporate challenge, including financial constraints and regulatory obligations. Notably, her team played a key role in coordinating public disclosures to the Philippine Stock Exchange while continuing to promote the company’s social impact initiatives.

A Winning Communications Strategy
Since 2021, PLDT Group has consistently earned top industry honors for communications and public relations, including four consecutive “Company of the Year” awards at both the Anvil and Quill Awards—prestigious recognitions in the Philippines' PR and communications sectors. Under Yang’s leadership, award submissions have expanded beyond her own team to include other divisions, demonstrating how strategic communications has become embedded throughout the company.

Yang’s communications work has also gained international recognition. During the pandemic, her team launched Realizations, a storytelling campaign that highlighted how PLDT’s connectivity solutions helped people navigate lockdowns and life changes. The campaign earned a Gold Stevie® Award for Innovation in Public Relations Videos at the 2021 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards.

Cathy Yang was honored with a Bronze Stevie Award for Communications, Investor Relations or PR Executive of the Year in the 2024 Stevie® Awards for Technology Excellence.

Interested in entering the 2025 program?

 

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 13, but entries will now be accepted through July 9. Entries through the extended final entry deadline will not be penalized in any way. Entry details are available at www.StevieAwards.com/tech.

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 2023. 

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 9, giving individuals and organizations additional time to craft their nominations. We look forward to honoring the groundbreaking work of technology innovators in the 2025 awards."

The program features more than 250 categories across 20 technology-industry groupings, with a broader set of categories for Information Technology. Category groupings include:

• Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations Technology
• Aerospace Technology
• Agricultural Technology
• Architectural Technology
• Artificial Intelligence
• Assistive Technology
• Biotechnology
• Business Technology
• Communication Technology
• Educational Technology
• Energy Technology
• Entertainment Technology
• Financial Technology
• Government Technology
• Green and Clean Technology
• Healthcare Technology
• Information Technology
• Manufacturing Technology
• Marine Technology
• Transportation Technology

Each year, Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 nominations from organizations of all types and sizes in more than 70 nations. Past Stevie Award winners include Cisco Systems, Inc., DP DHL, EY Global Services Limited, HCLTech, IBM Corporation, LLYC, 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 24 and celebrated at a joint awards gala with the tenth annual Stevie® Awards for Great Employers on September 16 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel, New York City.