More than 450 finalists, judges, and their guests will converge on the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City this Friday evening, November 8 for the 21st annual Stevie® Awards for Women in Business, the world's top honors for female entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and the organizations they run.

Finalists in the 2024 awards were announced in September.  All finalists will be Gold, Silver, or Bronze Stevie Award recipients, and finalists' placements will be revealed during Friday's awards event.

HCLTech returns as a sponsor for the 2024 program, recognizing 16 outstanding women in technology in North America in four bespoke categories.

Finalists and their placements were determined by the average scores of more than 200 professionals around the world, acting as judges on seven juries.

WATCH THE LIVE BROADCAST OF FRIDAY'S PRESENTATIONS
Can't make it to New York for Friday's awards presentations? Watch the 2024 Stevie Awards for Women in Business Awards on Friday, November 8, live as they happen.
   The awards presentations will be broadcast on Vimeo via the Stevie Awards for Women in Business website from 7:00 pm ET. 

PROGRAM BOOK FOR NOVEMBER 8 AWARDS BANQUET NOW AVAILABLE
The program that all attendees of the awards banquet in New York will receive is now available in digital form. Download your copy here.

AN EASY WAY TO GET YOUR CEREMONY PHOTOGRAPHS
The Stevie Awards have partnered with ImageShield to make it easy for those who attend Friday's awards event to get their photographs. Each year our photographers take as many as 2,000 photographs at the event, and it can be a pain to look through them all to find only those that feature you. Attendees at Friday's event will be given materials featuring this QR code, which they can scan to

1. Register their mobile number
2. Have ImageShield AI scan their face
3. ImageShield AI will then search all of the photos for their face
4. ImageShield will send a text message to their mobile number with a link to a custom page featuring all of the photos in which they're featured

Attendees of Friday's event can pre-register for this free feature now by scanning this QR code.

LIST OF REGISTERED ORGANIZATIONS FOR FRIDAY'S EVENT
The following organizations have already purchased their tickets for Friday's 21st annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business.

as of November 4

2MamaBees, Pompano Beach, FL USA
AI Innovision LLC, Palm Bay, FL USA
aljazeera Media Institute, Doha, Qatar
Allied Health Admin & Consulting, Forster, NSW Australia
AMP Solutions LLC, Rocklin, CA USA
Anytime Counselling, Australia Wide
Aptiv, Troy, MI USA
Arts & Learning Conservatory, Laguna Beach, CA USA
Arts Equity Group, Northampton, MA USA
Ascension Health System, Detroit, MI USA
asthetik skincare, Punta Gorda, FL USA
Athena, San Juan, PR USA
Avetta, Lehi, UT USA
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum, Washington, DC USA
BEYOND HC LLC , New Smyrna Beach, FL USA
Black Coral Consulting, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Blunt Strategies, Minneapolis, MN USA
Branch & Bramble, Bovina Center, NY USA
Bridgepoint Consulting, an Addison Group company, Chicago, IL USA
BusinessArt, Unkel am Rhein, Germany
Carestream NDT, Minneapolis, MN USA
Caring Lotus, Werribee, VIC Australia
Cherishers 811 CIC, Lichfield, Staffordshire United Kingdom 
Church Hill Classics, Monroe, CT USA
City of Philadelphia - Division of Aviation, Philadephia, PA USA
CivicPlus, Manhattan, KS USA
Clare Dimond, Marlborough, Wiltshire United Kingdom
Clematis Creative, West Palm Beach, FL USA
Cognizant Technology Solutions, Teaneck, NJ USA
Cohere Beauty, Omaha, NE USA
Condé Nast, New York, NY USA
CooperVision, San Ramon, CA USA
DanceSyndrome, Chorley, United Kingdom
Datasite, Minneapolis, MN USA
DENU, Vermont, VIC Australia
DEY. Ideas + Influence, Brooklyn, NY USA
DHL Global Forwarding, Freight, Bonn, Germany
Dr. Vanessa McIntosh, Manchester, United Kingdom
Dream Culture, Sydney, NSW Australia
Epique Realty, Houston, TX USA
Epykomène, Paris, France
Everise, Plantation, FL USA
FD Global Connections, Sydney, NSW Australia
FrontLine Medical Technologies, Ontario, Canada
Gina Martin, Metuchen, NJ USA
Good2Go, Inc., San Francisco, CA USA
Google Devices TPM, Mountain View, CA USA
Government Employees Health Association, Inc., Chicago, IL USA
Gratitude in Action, Billings, MT USA
Gray Automotive Group, Burlington, ON Canada
Her Unapologetic Success, Laguna Beach, CA USA
Hilton Global Associates Inc., Naples, FL USA
Hone Leadership, Half Moon Bay, CA USA
Honeylight Enterprises Pty Ltd T/A Greenville Development, Melbourne, VIC Australia
IBM Manufacturing Solutions Pte Ltd, Singapore
IBM, Armonk, NY USA
iFOLIO, Atlanta, GA USA
ImpediMed, Carlsbad, CA USA
Intengine Enterprises Inc., Vancouver, BC Canada
International House at UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA USA
Jade Global Inc. San Jose , CA USA
Karrikins Group, Lakewood, CO USA
Key 360 Advisors LLC, Randolph, MA USA
Kickstand, Austin, TX USA
Lafonn LLC, Cypress, CA USA
Lisa Tener, Saunderstown, RI USA
Lovelytics, Arlington, VA USA
Luray Peanut Company, Hardeeville, SC USA
Mattenga's Pizzeria, Schertz, TX USA
McLane Company, Temple, TX USA
Media Culture, Dallas, TX USA
Minutiae Content Co., San Jose, CA USA
MyLooCo (DBA Boom Home Medical) Beverly Hills, CA USA
Naish Partners, Santa Barbara, CA USA
Natracare, Chicago, IL USA
nextSource Inc., New York, NY
Nitas Silent Hands, Inc, Gastonia, NC USA
Nutanix, Inc. San Jose, CA USA
Oberon Fuels, San Diego, CA USA
OD Resource Group, LLC, Arlington, VA USA
OK Transform, Belgrade, Serbia & Dubai, United Arab Emirates
OneBPO, Iloilo City, Philippines
Oracle Lighting, New Orleans, LA USA
People Empowerment Alliance for Creativity for Education (PEACE), Springdale, MD USA
Person Directed Supports Inc, East Petersburg, PA USA
Pink Ribbon Good, Dayton, OH USA
Pitts Leadership Counsulting, New York, NY USA
Pivot Energy, Denver, CO USA
PointClickCare, Mississauga, ON Canada
Popilush, Williamsburg, VA USA
Premier Inc., Charlotte, NC USA
Proforma, Independence, OH USA
Publicis Sapient, Toronto, ON Canada
Purpol Marketing Ltd, Chippenham, Wiltshire United Kingdom
Rachel's Kitchen, Las Vegas, NV USA
Razorfish, New York, NY USA
Renita Marshall Helping Hands Foundation, Barre, VT USA
ResultsCX, Fort Lauderdale, FL USA
RevRoad, Provo, UT USA
Right and Keystone Group, Melbourne, VIC Australia
RISER, Armadale, VIC Australia
ROBINSONS® Honey, Chelsea Heights, VIC Australia
Rpharmy, Austin, TX USA
SAP Business Women's Network, Vancouver, BC Canada
Saudi, Development and Consultant Services at Princess Noura University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
She Can Prosper, Weatherby, West Yorkshire United Kingdom
SignatureFD, Atlanta, GA USA
Simply Breastfeeding, Henley Beach, SA Australia
Sleepm Global, Inc., Markham, ON Canada
Southwest Airlines, Dallas, TX USA
Sparks, Philadelphia, PA USA
SPRINGCARE USA LLC DBA SPRING BIO SOLUTION, Piscataway, NJ USA
Stealth Venture Labs, Las Vegas, NV USA
Steppin Out Stars of Tomorrow, Wokingham, Berkshire United Kingdom
Stress Free Super Mum, Gisborne, VIC Australia
Stronghouse Solutions, Burnsville, MN USA
Sugarpunch Marketing®, Woodstock, IL USA
SUN HOPE Co.,Ltd., Chosei-gun, Chiba, Japan
Suzanne Castle, N. Richland Hills, TX USA
Synergy Safety, Rockhampton, QLD Australia
Team b. Strategy +, Tacoma, WA USA
TELUS, Vancouver, BC Canada
The American University in Cairo AUC, Egypt
The Audacious Agency, Sunshine Coast, QLD Australia
The Business Growers, Flowood, MS USA
The Flora May Foundation, San Clemente, CA USA
The HR Chique Group, Jacksonville, FL USA
The Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), Seattle, WA USA
The Predictive Index, Westwood, MA USA
The Roundtable, Toronto ON Canada
TIAA, New York, NY USA
Tier4 Group, Alpharetta, GA USA
TONE Networks, Oyster Bay, NY USA
Top Score Writing, Palm Beach Gardens, FL USA
Tripadvisor, New York, NY USA
Trust Relations, Williams, AZ USA
U.S. Lumber, Inc., Woodbury Heights, NJ USA
UnDesto, LLC, Henderson, NV USA
Unisys, Blue Bell, PA USA
Viderity, Leesburg, VA USA
Viva Business Support, South Chard, Somerset United Kingdom
We Build Character, San Antonio, TX USA
We Rock DM, Spicewood, TX USA
Weary Theory, Melbourne, VIC Australia
WellRithms, Portland, OR USA
Wild Vines Marketing Inc, Selden, NY USA
Willow Lake Métis Nation, Anzac, AB Canada
Workplace Options, Raleigh, NC USA
ZLH Enterprises, Manalapan, NJ USA

GET READY FOR THE 2025 AWARDS
The 2025 edition of the Stevie Awards for Women in Business will begin accepting nominations in May.  Join the mailing list so that you're sent the 2025 entry kit as soon as it's available.

Finalists were announced today in the 19th annual Stevie® Awards for Women in Business, the world’s top honors for women entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and the organizations they run. 

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business are produced by the creators of the prestigious American Business Awards® and International Business Awards®, among other business awards programs. The Stevies are widely considered to be the world’s premier honors for achievement in the workplace.

This year’s Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award placements from among the Finalists will be revealed during an awards banquet at Caesar’s Palace Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday, November 11. More than 500 women and their guests from around the world are expected to attend the presentations, which will be broadcast via Livestream.

More than 1,500 nominations were submitted this year by organizations and individuals for consideration in more than 100 categories including Executive of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Startup of the Year, Women Helping Women, and Women-Run Workplace of the Year. Nominations were submitted by organizations in 27 nations including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Kuwait, Mexico, Netherlands, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States.

Among the many extraordinary organizations and women who have been recognized as Finalists, the following stand out as those with four or more Finalist nominations:

Advancing Women in Tech (Seattle, WA USA); Autism Mates (Sydney, Australia); Brandless (Lindon, UT USA); Caroline Kennedy Group (Melbourne, Australia); Consolidated Edison Company of NY, Inc. (New York, NY USA); C-Strategies (Chicago, IL USA); Everise (Plantation, FL USA); Hatch Inc. (Palo Alto, CA USA); Global Press Institute (Washington DC, USA); Harman International (Stamford, CT USA); Inspiring Vacations (Melbourne, Australia); IBM (Armonk, NY USA); Megaphone (Melbourne, Australia); Tavuun Welfare Association (Lahore, Pakistan); Sweet Peanuts (Queensland, Australia); The Tambellini Group, LLC (Irvington, VA USA); and Vanguard (Malvern, PA USA).

Finalists were determined by the average scores of more than 200 professionals around the world, organized in seven juries. Their scores will also determine the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie placements from among the Finalists, to be announced on November 11.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business event will be complemented by the fifth edition of the Women|Future Conference, to be held virtually on November 8-10. The conference is for women professionals looking to gain unique perspectives from industry leaders, build resilience, network, and prepare for change. The conference addresses the most pressing business issues of tomorrow, from trends in social media marketing and workplace DEI to the next generation of technology, overcoming adversity, and the future of work. Conference registration is just $99 ($39 for students) and is available at http://www.WomenFutureConference.com.

Eight women-owned businesses founded in November 2018 or later have been selected to compete in the 2021 Women|Future Conference Business Pitch Competition for a chance to win funding! 💸 For the second year in a row, the Women|Future Conference is hosting this 'Shark Tank' style pitch competition for female business owners and entrepreneurs.

The 2021 Women|Future Conference Business Pitch Competition will be hosted live on Thursday, November 4 at 4:30 pm EST during the virtual conference. A total of 94 women-owned businesses entered the competition, and eight finalists were selected by the Women|Future Conference leadership team to present their pitches, face questioning, and get their businesses evaluated by a panel of judges.

The pitch competition finalists are:

Pitch Competition Format and Judging Criteria

The format of the pitch competition will be similar to ABC's critically-acclaimed entrepreneurial-themed TV show, Shark Tank. Each finalist will present a live, four-minute virtual pitch about their product/service, business model, and target market. A panel of four judges will evaluate each pitch using a five-point scoring rubric provided by the Women|Future Conference. The judging rubric takes into account criteria such as leadership capabilities, innovativeness, competitive advantage, maturity of the technology or product, business model, prospects, growth, response to the live questions, and preparedness for the competition. 

The judges of the 2021 Women|Future Conference Pitch Competition are:

1. 1. Apoorva Chintala, CEO, Co-Founder, Clocr* 
   2. Heather Cox, President, Certify My Company
   3. Helen Greiner, CEO, Tertill
   4. Shannon Spotswood, President, RFG Advisory
      
      *2020 Women|Future Conference Business Pitch Competition winner
      
      

The 2nd annual Women|Future Conference Pitch Competition will be hosted by Quinn Conyers, a Speaking Strategist for Entrepreneurs, Emcee, and Pitch Competition Host. Quinn has over 16 years of virtual and in-person speaking, event hosting, and training experience. Quinn is the author of two books, and made it to the second round of Shark Tank auditions four times! She's been featured on the Entrepreneurs Elevator Pitch TV show as well Essence, Black Enterprise, Vision and Purpose, and Empowering Women to Speak Out Magazines.

Funding for the Pitch Competition Winners

At the close of the competition, there will be three winners, each of which will receive funding (amounts listed below) to grow their business. The first-place winner will also receive a bonus prize of a free certification ($4200 value) from Certify My Company. The Pitch Competition is funded through the generosity of our sponsor, RFG Advisory.

• First place Prize: $5,000
• Second place Prize: $2,500
• Third place Prize: $1,000

If you are interested in joining us as a sponsor, judge, or participant in the 2022 Pitch Competition, sign up for event updates to get notified when entries open for next year.

What Else to Expect at the 2021 Women|Future Conference

Hundreds of ambitious women in business will gather virtually at the fourth annual Women|Future Conference November 1-5, 2021. The Women|Future Conference is a professional and personal development, learning, networking, and mentorship conference hosted by The Stevie® Awards for women around the globe.

With over 40 sessions, interactive workshops, and a motivational keynote by Sandy Carter, Vice President of Public Sector Partners and Programs at Amazon Web Services (AWS), this is an event for career-driven women looking to be inspired, build resilience, and prepare for changes ahead. The five-day agenda features female CEOs, Founders, Executives, Entrepreneurs, and Small Business Owners around the world.

The Conference Agenda

Session topics range from mental health to financial wellness, landing speaking engagements as a business growth strategy, lead generation, imposter syndrome, entrepreneurship, technology, and workplace diversity. The 140+ Speakers at this year's conference are a diverse mix of women from global organizations such as Facebook, HCL, IBM, Infosys Limited, John Hancock, Pinterest, Quartz, Ralph Lauren, Salesforce, SAP North America, Talkspace, and others. Below is a partial list of 2021 Women|Future Conference panels, sessions, and workshops:

• Entrepreneurship – Success Stories Fireside Chat
• Financial Planning -The Smart Women's Guide to Financial Success
• How to Embrace Women Super Powers in the World of Tech
• Leadership Tips from 2021 Stevie Awards for Women in Business Winners​
• Networking Tips & Tricks: Learn How to Become Memorable and Build Authentic Relationships
• Personal Development Training: Abundance 360 - Creating Your Best Life Ever
• Protecting Your Business and Intellectual Assets
• The Future of Work - Preparing for the Changing Business Landscape
• The Truth Bombs on Work-Life Balance to Avoid Burnout for Busy Women
• Top Five Lead Generation Strategies for 2022
• Why Diverse Teams Drive Better Outcomes
• Women-Owned Business Pitch Competition Finalists Presentations

Asia-Pacific Segment of the Women|Future Conference

This is the first year the conference is hosting sessions exclusively by female leaders in the Asia-Pacific region, bringing together the APAC women’s community with the Stevie Awards international audience. These sessions focus on the advancements of female executives from the Asia-Pacific region who are championing the power of leadership and management in traditionally male-dominated industries such as financial technology, banking, insurance, and e-commerce. The Asia-Pacific conference agenda aims to further broaden and develop the fintech industry in Asia with the help of these female leaders.

APAC Digital Infrastructure Sessions Include:

• • Building the New Digital Infrastructure
  • The Future is Female: Building the New Generation of Financially Literate Women
  • Leadership Tips from Stevie Awards for Women in Business Winners
  • Women in E-commerce and Mobility: Creating the Asian E-commerce and Mobility Highway
  • Women Leading Legacy Industries: Edutech, Proptech, and Insurtech
  • Women in Fintech: Reshaping the Industry and Bridging the Gap

Registration for the Women|Future Conference is open. Attendees save 10% when groups of three or more individuals register together. Students may register for the Women|Future Conference at a discounted rate of $49 (with proof of a valid current student ID).

Sessions are recorded and available for replay through 2022 for your convenience.

 

👍 Get Social With the Women|Future Conference 

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Questions about the Conference?

Conference Registration and Sponsorship Opportunities

Ruslana Milikhiker, Conference & Event Manager

Ruslana@stevieawards.com

 

Conference Marketing and PR 

Nina Moore, Marketing Manager

Nina@stevieawards.com

 

Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners in the 2021 (18^th annual) Stevie® Awards for Women in Business, an international competition, were announced on September 23. The awards shine a spotlight on women executives, entrepreneurs, employees and organizations run by women.

Winners of five Grand Stevie Award trophies, the highest honor in the competition, were announced today.

Grand Stevie Award trophies are presented to five organizations that submitted the best body of nominations to the competition, in their own names or in the names of one or more clients. Winners were determined by the number of Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Awards won in the competition, with three points earned for each Gold Stevie win, two for each Silver win, and one-and-a-half points for each Bronze Stevie win. The Grand Stevie Award winners for 2021 are:

1. The Audacious Agency, Gold Coast, Australia, with 56 award points. The agency was also a Grand Stevie Award winner in 2020 and 2019.
2. IBM, worldwide (24.5 points)
3. New American Funding, Tustin, CA USA (21.5 points)
4. AlterContacts, Amsterdam, the Netherlands (19.5 points)
5. Melissa Sones Consulting, New York, NY USA (17.5 points) was also among the Grand Stevie honorees in 2020 and 2019.

More than 1,500 nominations from organizations and individuals around the world were submitted this year for consideration in categories such as COVID-19 Response, Entrepreneur of the Year, Executive of the Year, Most Innovative Company of the Year, and Startup of the Year, among others. More than 160 business professionals working in eight specialized judging committees determined the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners.

Visit http://www.StevieAwards.com/Women for a complete list of Stevie winners by category. Winners will be celebrated during a virtual ceremony on January 13, 2022.

The 2021 Stevie Awards for Women in Business event will be complemented by the fourth annual Women|Future Conference, a five-day networking and learning event for female founders, business owners, entrepreneurs and women looking to move forward in their careers, also held virtually November 1-5. Registration is just $115, or $49 for current students with an active student ID. Details and registration are available at www.WomenFutureConference.com.

 

Bubble tea, also called pearl tea, or boba tea, is a flavored milk tea with chewy tapioca beads. Sounds modest enough, right? The demand for this beverage, however, is anything but modest. Valued at $1.89 billion (USD) in 2018, the global bubble tea market is projected to reach $3.49 billion (USD) by 2026. So, how did a mere variation on classic tea capture this much of the global market share?

Food Fashion 

Social media is an easy way to gauge this fad’s popularity. Instagram is full of pictures of delicious food, and beverages often have dedicated hashtags. Plus, it’s now customary to share nearly every meal on social media before consuming it. In a culture that looks at what you eat the way it looks at what you wear, food has become just as fashionable as clothing.

“What’s in your pantry or on your plate has become a form of self-expression, much like a fabulous pair of Christian Louboutins. Just as the label ‘fashionista’ evokes an entire lifestyle, so, too, does the term ‘foodie,’” writes famous television host and entrepreneur Martha Stewart in a blog for HuffPost.

This phenomenon is not new, of course. In an article written for the New York Times almost four decades ago (“De Gustibus; Fashions in Food, Like Those in Clothes, Follow the Trends”), food critic Mimi Sheraton talks quite candidly about food fashion.

“It is probable that many people, anxious to be seen eating the right thing in the right restaurant, are swallowing hard-to-down rare fish, almost raw vegetables, white chocolate mousse that tastes like sweet fat and exotically aromatic seasonings they secretly consider to be as appealing as moth balls,” writes Sheraton.

While that sentiment might be true, there is no denying that food fashion is a huge economic driver. It has helped build numerous billion-dollar industries, including the bubble tea market.

The Rise of Bubble Tea

Bubble tea originated in Taiwan, in the 1980s. The most popular version is said to have originated in Chun Shui Tang tea shop in Taichung, Taiwan where the owner, Liu Han-Chieh, experimented with milk tea by adding it in a cocktail shaker with ice. At that time, no one served chilled tea, and the concoction went on to become extremely popular with the younger crowd. They called it “bubble tea” because of the thick foam layer that formed on top. In 1987 Han-Chieh held a competition for his staff members and asked them to come up with creative beverage variations. Lin Hsiu Hui, the store manager, added tapioca balls to milk tea and created the version now popular across the globe.

From its nation of origin, bubble tea quickly spread to several other Asian countries and communities. It burst onto North America’s food scene in waves but hit the mainstream around 2014 and is now considered a mainstay. It’s phenomenal growth is partly tied to the simultaneous rise of foodies on social media, who are notoriously partial to food’s visual appeal.

Researchers who study food cultures attribute another factor to bubble tea’s success. By introducing and marketing the product toward working professionals, it gave the drink a kind of stature. Krishnendu Ray, assistant professor of food studies at New York University, explains in an article published in the South China Morning Post: “One of the attractive things about bubble tea is the fact that it is spreading to the middle class, professional classes, so it has a lot more prestige at the very beginning compared to food associated with poor working-class Chinese, which is what I call a hierarchy of taste. The higher the class your food is, the easier it is to circulate in global circuits and acquire prestige.”

Riding on Boba’s Success

Many organizations grew out of bubble tea’s success. This includes franchises that serve boba to customers, as well as manufacturers that make the material and equipment for the tea.

Strong competition in the bubble tea market drives these manufacturers to experiment with flavors and to improve the quality of the boba they produce. Jasmine milk tea, avocado milk tea, and mango green tea are just a few of many great variations.

A Stevie-winning boba manufacturer is Empire Eagle Food Co., Ltd., which is based in Taichung City, Taiwan, China. They help businesses serve bubble tea by guiding them from the initial concept stage to sampling to making the final tapioca drinks. Conceding there are several other players in the market to compete against, Mindy Jen, co-founder and chief marketing officer (CMO) at Empire Eagle Food Co., Ltd., says they outstrip competition by treating bubble tea like the food fashion culture that it is.

“Even though bubble milk tea is a traditional drink, our team believes bubble milk tea is not only a Taiwanese local drink but a fashion culture, just like all the different fashion industries,” she says. “Therefore, we change our marketing strategy and products all the time to fit the quick changes in the industry.”

It’s anyone’s guess whether bubble tea is here to stay or will fade like so many fads before it. For now, though, many people count it as their favorite beverage, and that is all that matters.

Jen won a Silver Stevie® Award in the Female Executive of the Year - Business Products - 11 to 2,500 Employees category at The 2019 Stevie® Awards for Women in Business.

Interested in entering the 2020 Stevie Awards for Women in Business?

When discussing gender equality, the wage gap between men and women nearly always becomes a part of the conversation. While most people know this gap exists, not as many realize the far-reaching and detrimental impacts of that inequality.

Why Does This Gap Exist?

Before diving into the consequences of wage inequality, it’s important to look at some of the reasons the gap exists. It’s a complicated issue involving many interconnected factors, but some of the most prominent reasons include:

• Occupational segregation, wherein more men work in higher-paid industries
• Vertical segregation, with more men in senior (and, therefore, higher-paid) positions
• Nonexistent, poorly enforced, or ineffective legislation related to equal pay
• Barriers to entering the labor market, including outright discrimination, access to education, and work-hindering issues related to child-rearing

Real-World Consequences of the Gender Wage Gap

Closing the wage gap would, of course, be positive because it would be a step toward overall gender equality. However, there would be myriad other positive effects that should motivate people and businesses to make this issue a priority.

For example, gender wage inequality reduces overall economic output. While it’s certainly not the case for every woman, the wage disparity does make it more likely for females to be dependent on welfare or other social aid programs—a problem that becomes even more pronounced in old age. With less savings and fewer pensions, women are generally at a disadvantage in regard to retirement and more likely to face poverty after the age of 65. One study by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services, and Indigenous Affairs in Australia found that eliminating the 17 percent wage gap there would translate to approximately $93 billion in increased gross domestic product (GDP), or 8.5 percent of overall GDP.

Aptitude Research Partners also found that organizations that specifically prioritize gender equity perform better. They are 54 percent more likely to exceed industry average turnover numbers and 46 percent more likely to have higher year-over-year ratings on Glassdoor. With better retention rates and more engaged and motivated employees, companies are more likely to attract top talent, which then generally leads to improved customer satisfaction and higher-than-average financial returns.

In short, closing the wage gap would improve individual employee satisfaction and quality of life, improve a company’s bottom line, and positively impact an entire nation’s GDP and economic standing.

The March Toward Equality

According to the World Economic Forum, if progress continues at its current pace, it will take 108 years to close the global pay gap in the 106 countries covered in that report. This pace is a result of the slowness of global action on the topic and the sheer vastness of the gap itself.

While these numbers can seem disheartening, many individuals and companies are using them as motivation. Lauren Hasson founded DevelopHer, which is based in Dallas, Texas, United States. DevelopHer is an award-winning platform that bridges the gender wage gap, inspires, and empowers women to advocate for themselves to break glass ceilings.

The scalability and affordability offered through DevelopHer programs has allowed and empowered thousands of women to earn 26%, 43%, and 67% salary increases in just a single negotiation. Through DevelopHer, Lauren has created real change at a grassroots level. Women have also gained the confidence to secure better positions and move beyond glass ceilings, bridging the challenging opportunity gap.

Hasson just won the Gold Stevie Award for Entrepreneur of the Year - Consumer Services in The 2020 American Business Awards® as well as a Silver Stevie® Award in the category of Female Solo Entrepreneur of the Year, and Startup of the Year - Consumer Services Industries in the 2019 Stevie® Awards for Women in Business.

Interested in entering the Stevie Award for Women in Business?

Hasson acknowledges not only the complexity of this global issue but the need to focus on local solutions.

“Pay disparity is an intractable issue that will not be solved overnight,” says Hasson, “but the DevelopHer mission is to foster engagement by businesses and individuals at a grassroots level to affect true change.”

Over the last 10 years, gaming culture has grown exponentially across all age groups and genders. From enjoying record-breaking retail numbers to hosting events that attract tens of thousands of fans, gaming has officially left the basements of the world and become one of the main attractions on the world stage.

Gaming and its underlying principles aren’t just restricted to consoles and PCs, though. Gamification is a motivational method that’s increasingly making its way into many organizations. By applying game design elements into non-gaming situations, the practice actively engages teams and individual members. For example, say a real-world business goal is to reach a certain monthly benchmark. Teams can “gamify” the rules and milestones of that practical target to motivate each “player” to do his or her best and, ultimately, to decide a winner.

PentaQuest is an Australian-based company that helps organizations perform better by gamifying individual preferences. These preferences then optimize organizational strategy, culture, and capability.

The company provides custom and off-the-shelf gamified platforms, as well as consulting services, giving them the flexibility to apply their tools to solve a range of challenges related to everything from organizational performance to cultural issues.

New Game, New Players

PentaQuest was founded in 2016 in Canberra, Australia. Their founder, Kerstin Oberprieler, discovered gamification in 2014 and implemented a gamified experience for her colleagues in order to add fun to business- and team-based activities.

“The original design was simply a ‘pen and paper’ experience. It involved a team leaderboard in the office and physical tokens and artifacts,” says James Sellers, a gamification designer at PentaQuest. “Kerstin’s colleagues loved it. Before long, there was enough demand from clients for gamification design, and PentaQuest was born.”

With a proven methodology and track record, the company earns clients through both word of mouth and extensive existing networks.
 
Yes, Gaming Is Good for You

Whether applied to employees, citizens, customers, or students, gamification promotes positive workplace culture, health, and well-being, and the practice is proving to be effective for governmental departments, schools, multinational companies, and many more entities.

Although gamifying tasks can be a fun motivational tool, PentaQuest makes it clear their core values drive success. Review these six core values to see if your team can benefit from the methodology:

1. Purpose driven 
2. Playful 
3. Player-centric 
4. Ethical 
5. Experimental
6. Open to evolution and change

If improved employee engagement is a goal for your company in 2019, look further into how PentaQuest implemented the practice to see if gamification aligns with your career and personal goals.

“PentaQuest is growing quickly, and we are now serving customers from five countries,” says Sellers. “In the coming years, we hope this number will grow significantly as we continue to provide value to thousands of organizations and teams around the world, helping them supercharge performance through a human-centered, playful approach to employee engagement.”

Many established companies are already gamifying programs for their employees. Here are just a handful of businesses enjoying practical success with gamification:

• Cisco
• Deloitte
• Microsoft
• Nike
• Spotify
• Verizon

Even human resources are successfully using gamification to drive higher employee engagement and to raise productivity. It’s also resulted in improvement in unexpected areas, such as the promotion of better diet and exercise practices among employees.

Gamification has proven to have a positive impact on employee engagement. By harnessing humans’ natural interest in playing games, participants feel more motivated to solve work-related issues, which, in turn, benefits the company.

PentaQuest won the 2018 Bronze Stevie® Award for Startup of the Year in the 2018 Stevie Awards for Women in Business.

Interested in entering the Stevie Awards for Women in Business this year?

As recently as 2014, just about everyone (other than Julianne Ponan) doubted her fledgling health food brand would survive—let alone find widespread distribution throughout Europe.

As the owner of Creative Nature, a UK-based company specializing in allergy-friendly vegan snacks and baking mixes, Ponan staked her fortunes on a crowdsourcing effort aimed at raising £150,000 of capital. However, the attempt to capture investors fell well short of the mark.

The failed fundraising campaign was the latest in a series of setbacks for the company, which was losing money at a fast clip. Three years earlier, a 22-year-old Ponan, then working as a financial analyst, was brought in to diagnose why Creative Nature was operating in the red.

At the time, the company marketed a wide range of products, from home goods to natural food products. The latter gave Ponan hope. After all, she knew firsthand the importance of a carefully selected diet. The entrepreneur suffers from multiple food allergies to this day and survived two acute cases of pancreatitis as a young girl.

Ponan says doctors gave her four hours to live after diagnosing the first case of pancreatitis when she was nine. She lived, but it resurfaced at 17, when physicians gave her just a few short years to live.

“After beating it a second time, it still wasn’t smooth sailing,” she recalls. “I contracted pneumonia in my first year at Creative Nature.”

She ended up executing a management buyout of the London, England–area business in 2012, with the goal of growing the superfood segment. It wasn’t just her personal experience she banked on, though. She also saw the continent’s rising obesity levels and the increased prevalence of food allergies as proof this niche market was poised for growth.

The number of Europeans who suffer from chronic allergies tops 150 million, according to the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. The group estimates half of the entire EU populace will be impacted by 2025.

“I took over Creative Nature to cater to people like me—people who want healthier snacks without the nasty additives,” she says.

Company Gets Its Big Break

With her business partner, Matthew Ford, the company started focusing on snack bars and baking mixes that were free from 14 of the most common food allergens.

“Most ‘healthy’ snack companies insist on filling their products with tree nuts, peanuts, and seeds, which completely ignores a whole consumer base of allergy sufferers,” Ponan says.

When the crowdsourcing plan turned south and it looked as if the whole enterprise might be a flop, the breakthrough finally came. Creative Nature captured the interest of a buyer at Tesco, a major UK supermarket chain. Virtually overnight, it seemed as if the company’s fortunes were turning around. Still, one major hurdle remained.

“Tesco wanted all our new packaging for launch in just four weeks. This normally would have taken eight weeks to produce,” she says. “Instead of telling them we couldn't launch, we bought self-adhesive labels and spent three weeks hand-labeling around 10,000 tubs—all while continuing to run the rest of the business.”

As it turned out, the two-person team made the launch and used the deal as a platform to propel themselves into more supermarkets. Today, the company, which now has six full-time employees, is stocked in more than 15 countries, including Switzerland and Denmark.

Because of the organization’s compelling turnaround, Ponan earned the Silver Stevie® Award for Young Female Entrepreneur of the Year.

“I’ve known about these awards since starting the business, always dreaming one day I would be able to win one,” she says. “I managed to walk away with a Silver Stevie, so I’m incredibly proud.”

The 2018 (15th annual) Stevie® Awards for Women in Business - the world's top honors for female entrepreneurs, executives, employees and the organizations they run - will be presented this Friday, November 16 at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel in New York City.  More than 540 nominees and their guests from more than 20 nations will attend for the announcement of the Grand, Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners.

Download the official program book of the awards presentations.

The presentations will be broadcast live, beginning at 7:30 pm ET.

Here are the organizations that as of this writing will be represented at the event on Friday.

2020 Mom
9th Gear Technologies
ACV Auctions
AdvancedMD
Allscripts
American Global Logistics
Ampla Education
Apple Growth Partners
ArcPoint Strategy
Aspire
AT&T
Avasant Foundation
Award Winning Accelerator
Belatrix Software
BiggerPockets
Braven
Brighton Health Plan Solutions
BrightSpring Health Services
Camp Broadway LLC
Care2
Caring Safely
Carolin Soldo Coaching & Events, LLC
Century 21 Real Estate
Chargebacks911
Choice Delights Inc.
Cisco
Coast Professional, Inc.
Compeat
Convergys
Copart
Covance
Creative Nature
D3 NYC
Dana's Bakery
DarcMatter
DDB Worldwide
DeFacto
DentalX
Deutsche Bank
DHL Express Mexico
Dignity Health
Editor World LLC
ELE Internacional
engage2learn
Eventerprise AG
Events DC
Extreme Reach, Inc.
FG Holding Group
Financial Voyages LLC
First Advantage
First Tennessee Bank
FIS
Fogo de Chão
FPI Fair Pay Innovation Lab
FULL Creative
Garden Light LED
Gendel Girls
Global Upside
GloveStix LLC
Goodwin Group PR
Gracyfy.com
Greenworks Lending
GroundLink
Hawke Media
HCL Technologies
Health4theworld
Hill + Knowlton Strategies
Home Heart Beats, LLC
Humanity For The World
Hundred Stories
IBM
IGEL
Improving
Income Access (a Paysafe Company)
InfoMart
Instructional Design and Educational Consulting LLC
Intellis
Interior Marketing Group
ISG
iTalent Digital
JP Morgan Chase
KATT Communications
LBR Insight
LoveBug Probiotics
Matrix New World Engineering
Mattress Firm
Maximum Games
Medical Group Management Association (MGMA)
Mekky Media Relations Inc.
Meli Studio
Merck
Meritor Inc.
Montana State Fund
Mortgage Bankers Association
My City Gives
National Association of Women Business Owners
NCR Corporation
New Orleans Business Alliance
Newday Media JSC
Nic + Zoe
Nonda
Olin Corporation
Orange
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc.
Papa John’s International
Pearson
Phaidon International
PharmaLogics Recruiting
Pipeline Entrepreneurs
Plan International Canada
Pocket Learning Spanish
PotomacWave
Procter & Gamble
Proforma Inspired Promotions
Purpose DRVN
Rachel Engler Andalaft
Red Hat
Revamp Interior Design
ReviveMed
RewardJet
Rimini Street, Inc.
Ritchie Bros.
Rocket Software
Savvy Marketers, LLC
Securing Water for Food Technical Assistance Facility
SEEN Connects
Sempra energy
ShieldX
SHIFT HR Compliance Training, LLC
Smarty Social Media
Snelleman Tom
Social Media Link
Southern California Edison
Southwest Michigan First
SPLICE Software
Squelch
Stay In The Game
Stericycle Environmental Solutions
Strategati LLC
Stripe Communications
Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority
Susan Davis International
Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated
T and T Consulting Services, Inc.
Tata Consultancy Services
T.D. Jakes Ministries
Tangible Words
Tata Consultancy Services
TBWA Istanbul
Tempaper
TetraVX
Tezgahçilar
The Ace Class
The Alpha Enterprise
The Ambit Group
The Female Social Network
The Financial Literacy Youth Initiative
The GREEN Program
The Inclusive Foundation
The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR)
The Malvern School
The Mane Choice
The Roundtable
The Welsh Air Ambulance Charitable Trust
The White Company
ThermoBrush
Third Team Media
Thomson Reuters
Thought Bubble
TIAA
UBM Americas
UCSF
UK Power Reserve
Unique Wedding Cars
United Franchise Group
UnitedHealthcare
UpWell Health
USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore
Vested
WalkMe
WeUsThem Inc.
WorkForce Software
WorkWave
Xandr
YouEarnedIt
Ziegler
Zingbox, Inc.

The 2019 edition of the Stevie Awards for Women in Business will open for entries in May.  Join the mailing list and the 2019 entry kit will be emailed to you as soon as it is available.

The Stevie® Awards, organizer of The International Business Awards®, announced today that the final entry deadline for the 15th annual IBAs has been extended to Wednesday, July 11. Recognized as the world’s premier business awards program, The IBAs attract nominations from organizations in more than 50 nations and territories each year.

 “We’ve received so many requests for individual deadline extensions that we’ve decided to extend the deadline for everyone,” said Stevie Awards president Michael Gallagher. The original final deadline was June 13. Gallagher emphasizes that no additional late fees will be charged for entries submitted through July 11, and late entries will not be penalized in any way in the judging process. All organizations now have an additional four weeks to prepare and submit their entries.

REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT HERE

All individuals and organizations worldwide -- public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small -- may submit nominations to The International Business Awards. The 2018 awards will honor achievements since the beginning of 2017.  Entry details are available at http://www.StevieAwards.com/IBA.

Juries featuring more than 150 executives will determine the Stevie Award winners. Results will be announced August 9. Stevie Award winners will be presented their awards at a gala banquet in London, United Kingdom on October 20.

The International Business Awards recognize achievement in every facet of the workplace. Categories including , Management Awards , Company of the Year Awards, Customer Service Awards, Entrepreneur Awards, PR Awards, Web Awards, and much more.

A variety of new categories are introduced for the 2018 competition, including a new group of categories to recognize the Entrepreneur of the Year and Founding Teams in many industries. In addition to seven new Software Solution categories in the New Product & Services section, there’s a new selection of categories to recognize Content Solutions. There is one new category, Best White Paper or Research Report, in the Publication categories and one new category, Engaged Community of the Year, in the Marketing categories. There are two new PR Campaign categories in the Public Relations section. Finally, there are four new Lifetime Achievement Awards categories in the Management section.