Annual Awards Program

Award Nominee

Name: Sagar Saxena
Organization/Company: Genensys, UCD Professional Academy
Job Title/Position: Senior Machine Learning Engineer, Advanced AI Lecturer for Business
Country: Ireland
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Professional | Data Scientist | Python developer | Neuroscience Enthusiast

Passionate AI and Machine Learning professional with over a decade of experience driving innovation and delivering transformative solutions. Specializing in extracting insights from data post-exploration while developing relevant models as per the requirement to provide an end-to-end pipeline. Interested in tackling complex challenges and optimizing performance.

As an AI mentor, evangelist, and speaker, I thrive on sharing knowledge and inspiring others while translating intricate technical concepts into actionable insights for the tech and non-tech audiences, which propels business growth.

Also, being a proponent of continuous learning, I try to stay at the forefront of emerging technologies, leveraging expertise in deep learning, natural language processing, and AWS cloud to create impactful AI solutions.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Human-Centered AI, Data Quality, and Governance: Thought Leadership that Makes AI Work in the Real World
Project/Contribution Description:
Sagar Saxena is an AI and technology thought leader who focuses on making artificial intelligence practical, trustworthy, and human-aligned—especially through emphasis on data quality, inference, and governance.

He shares insights publicly through consistent professional content and community engagement, and he contributes to public discourse by participating in high-visibility forums such as TEDx. In his TEDxDublin engagement, he positions AI development alongside human learning as a comparative lens, highlighting why quality data and governance determine whether AI creates value or risk.

Across his professional channels, he sustains an ongoing stream of content and discussion designed to help practitioners, learners, and technology decision-makers build better AI outcomes (not just “more AI”).

Key Achievements and Impact:
1) TEDx-level contribution to public understanding of AI

Confirmed TEDxDublin speaker; promoted talk theme “AI vs human – a symbolic comparative analysis” with explicit learning outcomes including data quality and governance.

2) Consistent, visible professional knowledge-sharing
Advanced AI Lecturer for Business in UCD Professional Academy

3) Community-minded leadership beyond tech

Demonstrates broader civic engagement (e.g., volunteer contribution with Greenpeace India), reflecting values-driven leadership alongside technical influence.

Impact Statement

Sagar Saxena’s thought leadership stands out for its practical orientation: he focuses attention on the “make-or-break” factors that determine whether AI succeeds in real environments—data quality, interpretability of outcomes, and governance—and communicates these ideas in accessible ways across public platforms and speaking forums, including TEDx.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://sessionize.com/sagar-saxena/

Award Nominee

Name: Sajjad Ahmed
Organization/Company: ALBAWANI COMPANY LTD
Job Title/Position: CTO
Country: Saudi Arabia
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Technology executive with 18 years of experience driving digital transformation and enterprise innovation. Currently serving as CTO at Albawani Company Ltd., leading technology strategy, smart infrastructure initiatives, and large-scale system modernization. Proven track record in aligning IT with business objectives, optimizing operations, and delivering secure, scalable, and high-impact technology solutions.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Redefining Leadership for a Changing World
Project/Contribution Description:
Project/Contribution Description

Redefining Leadership for a Changing World is an enterprise-level leadership transformation initiative designed to align executive vision, organizational culture, and operational execution in an increasingly complex and fast-moving environment.

Purpose
The initiative was launched to reposition leadership as a strategic driver of growth, resilience, and competitive advantage. Its core objective was to transition from legacy management practices to a high-performance leadership model grounded in agility, accountability, innovation, and measurable impact.

Scope
The project operated across business units and leadership tiers, integrating strategic planning, cultural transformation, and capability development. It involved executive alignment sessions, leadership competency redesign, performance governance enhancements, and the establishment of enterprise-wide collaboration frameworks. The initiative also embedded data-driven decision-making practices to strengthen strategic clarity and execution discipline.

Key Deliverables

Design and deployment of a future-ready leadership framework aligned with long-term strategic objectives

Executive and senior leadership capability enhancement programs

Implementation of performance governance and KPI alignment systems

Cultural transformation roadmap focused on accountability, ownership, and innovation

Strengthened cross-functional integration and decision-making agility

Tangible improvements in organizational performance, leadership effectiveness, and strategic execution

This initiative elevated leadership from an operational function to a strategic asset—positioning the organization to respond proactively to disruption, accelerate growth, and sustain long-term value creation.

Key Achievements and Impact:
The Redefining Leadership for a Changing World initiative delivered measurable organizational, cultural, and financial impact across multiple business functions.

Strategic & Financial Impact

Improved overall operational efficiency by 18–25% through streamlined decision-making and clearer accountability structures

Accelerated strategic initiative delivery timelines by 30%, reducing execution lag across departments

Contributed to 12–15% revenue growth by aligning leadership focus with high-priority growth initiatives

Reduced operational costs by 10–14% through improved governance and performance tracking systems

People & Culture Impact

Increased employee engagement scores by 20%, driven by enhanced leadership communication and transparency

Reduced voluntary attrition by 15%, strengthening talent retention and leadership bench strength

Developed and certified 100+ leaders through structured capability-building and executive coaching programs

Improved cross-functional collaboration effectiveness ratings by 25%

Performance & Governance Impact

Implemented enterprise-wide KPI alignment framework across all major business units

Increased leadership accountability metrics compliance to 95%+

Improved decision-making turnaround time by 40% through structured governance mechanisms

Long-Term Organizational Impact

Embedded a sustainable leadership model adopted as a core organizational framework

Strengthened succession planning and leadership pipeline readiness

Positioned the organization to respond proactively to market disruption and change

Collectively, the initiative transformed leadership from a functional capability into a measurable strategic advantage—driving sustainable growth, operational excellence, and cultural resilience.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sajjad-ahmed-a1b73516/
https://manufacturingitsummit.com/ksa/manufacturing50/
https://www.goto.com/resources/case-study-al-bawani
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sajjad-ahmed-a1b73516_securityconclave-awards2023-securityconclave-activity-7208125756172865537-UWsI?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAANPzncBLL5D4pseGxmCubSUajxcOYdFNqY
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sajjad-ahmed-a1b73516_exitofisksa-futureindustrysummit-industry40-share-7428095599511486464-0qTG?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAANPzncBLL5D4pseGxmCubSUajxcOYdFNqY

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sajjad-ahmed-a1b73516_pssksa-ugcPost-7428126705191374848-DKHr?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAANPzncBLL5D4pseGxmCubSUajxcOYdFNqY


Supporting File (1): Click
Supporting File (2): Click
Supporting File (3): Click

Award Nominee

Name: Wasfi AlSafadi
Organization/Company: ArtiKeys
Job Title/Position: CEO
Country: Jordan
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Chief Executive Officer and INSEAD-certified executive with over 20 years of leadership across telecom, technology, and AI-driven sectors. Managed P&L portfolios up to USD 270M, led large-scale digital transformation, market expansion, and enterprise turnarounds. Proven record aligning boards and executive teams to deliver growth, operational excellence, and long-term value creation across the MENA region.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought leader in Digital Transformation & AI Leadership
Project/Contribution Description:
My contribution centers on leading an integrated AI-driven enterprise transformation initiative designed to modernize organizational capability, strengthen operational efficiency, and align institutional strategy with the emerging digital economy.
The purpose of the initiative was twofold. First, to embed artificial intelligence and automation into enterprise operations in a structured and governance-led manner. Second, to build sustainable regional capacity by developing executive awareness, technical skills, and ecosystem partnerships that enable long-term digital competitiveness.
The scope covered corporate transformation, cross-border market expansion, and institutional capability development. At the enterprise level, I led strategic realignment that improved operational efficiency by more than 60 percent, expanded service offerings by 40 percent through high-value partnerships, and enabled entry into new regional markets. At the infrastructure level, my earlier leadership included a USD 100 million telecommunications network rollout that achieved rapid subscriber acquisition and accelerated revenue generation.
A key pillar of the initiative was AI capability development. I designed a structured AI adoption framework and advisory model to guide executive decision-making and investment prioritization. This included the development of a proprietary AI assessment tool, executive seminars for institutional leaders, and structured training programs that certified specialized professionals in automation technologies through international alliances.
Deliverables included measurable revenue growth, operational optimization, cross-border expansion, certified AI talent development, governance integration for AI adoption, and strengthened collaboration between private sector enterprises and academic institutions.
Collectively, this initiative positioned organizations to transition from traditional operating models toward data-driven, AI-enabled enterprises capable of sustaining competitive advantage in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Measurable Achievements and Impact
Enterprise Performance and Financial Growth
• Managed P&L portfolios reaching USD 270 million across telecom and technology sectors.
• Led a USD 100 million LTE-Advanced infrastructure rollout, achieving 60,000 subscriber acquisitions and USD 1 million in monthly revenue within the first three months of launch.
• Generated USD 3 million in incremental net revenue through strategic repositioning and margin optimization of a USD 150 million enterprise.
• Expanded solution portfolio depth by 40 percent through strategic partnerships, strengthening revenue diversification and competitive positioning.
Operational Excellence and Transformation
• Improved cross-functional operational efficiency by more than 60 percent through governance redesign, workflow optimization, and digital integration.
• Directed a multi-site retail and distribution network of 1,400 outlets, 15 branches, and 260 employees, strengthening operational control and cost management.
• Optimized ARPU and reduced churn in a 3 million-subscriber telecom environment generating USD 270 million in annual revenue.
Digital and AI Capability Development
• Secured an international automation alliance, resulting in the certification of 23 AI and automation specialists, strengthening regional technical capacity.
• Designed and deployed a proprietary AI adoption framework guiding executive investment decisions and institutional readiness.
• Delivered structured AI executive programs and training initiatives impacting more than 150 education and technology professionals, accelerating digital transformation readiness.
Market Expansion and Strategic Positioning
• Led cross-border expansion into new regional markets, securing over 10 new enterprise clients during initial growth phase.
• Strengthened brand visibility and thought leadership through more than 100 published industry analyses, building an audience exceeding 19,000 followers and generating sustained regional engagement.
Strategic Impact
The cumulative impact of this work extends beyond financial performance. It enabled organizations to transition toward AI-enabled, data-driven operating models, strengthened governance structures, accelerated digital capability development, and enhanced long-term competitiveness in highly regulated and fast-evolving markets.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://youtu.be/WnqWKSi76Rs?si=IqqPabE0cgD6vIhy
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BYch47smX/
https://www.linkedin.com/redir/redirect/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Epetra%2Egov%2Ejo%2FInclude%2FInnerPage%2Ejsp%3FID%3D332630%26lang%3Dar%26name%3Dnews%26cat%3Dnews%26fbclid%3DIwdGRjcAORYY5jbGNrA5FhM2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHrPhzSVlXSABk2ospaWHNjWy7pFVEejpJjaoLRU3-iE8ExGpDK0_m2SJOZ_d_aem_56OFj7y3fdi8fjOzNL2Ftg%26brid%3DGaZJ-xmO9hOKKA9tvuYUpQ&urlhash=eS6A&isSdui=true

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CU2dufLXX/

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/176gyLeCpW/

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FHNNwstTm/

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17sdBHmvmw/

Award Nominee

Name: Dr. Christine Sauer MD, ND
Organization/Company: DocChristine Coaching Inc
Job Title/Position: Strategic Advisor to Wellness Founders
Country: Canada
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Dr. Christine Sauer is a physician, naturopath, business owner, and strategic advisor working at the intersection of biology, leadership, and enterprise design.
She is the creator of The Coherence Frame™, a five-domain model that integrates nervous system capacity, ethical clarity, strategic positioning, operational structure, and AI governance into a unified growth architecture.
Dr. Sauer advises founders and executive teams on building companies that scale without erosion — aligning revenue, authority, and human capacity in an era of accelerating technological change.
Her work bridges medicine, systems thinking, and strategic design to help leaders build organizations
She is the a TEDx speaker and authored or co-authored multiple books, some of them #1 international bestsellers.
(author profile on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dr.-Christine-Sauer/e/B07BRLN5RX? )

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Coherent Growth - Why Strategy, Biology, and AI Must Align to Build Businesses That Last
Project/Contribution Description:
Coherent Growth - Why Strategy, Biology, and AI Must Align to Build Businesses That Last

Key Achievements and Impact:
Developed the Coherent Growth™ Framework, integrating biology, strategic systems thinking, and AI alignment to create sustainable, human-centered business growth models.

Applied this framework across health, leadership, and entrepreneurial ecosystems, improving strategic clarity and execution alignment in participating organizations.

Delivered keynote presentations, workshops, and executive sessions on biological strategy and AI alignment, influencing decision-makers across health and business sectors.

Published thought leadership content bridging medicine, systems biology, and AI-driven strategic innovation.

Built a multidisciplinary community integrating physicians, founders, and AI strategists to promote biologically coherent business scaling.

Advanced a new category of thinking: biologically aligned AI strategy, positioning growth as a systems coherence problem rather than a scaling problem.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://assets.cdn.filesafe.space/30FH4NdIFqFWz7Y00PcV/media/69a1cc21747b412cc2b1dddc.png


Supporting File (1): Click
Supporting File (2): Click

Award Nominee

Name: Venkatesh Rajamani
Organization/Company: tryScrum
Job Title/Position: Founder
Country: India
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Venkatesh Rajamani has several years of experience delivering working software in short, feedback-driven cycles. He has helped organizations adopt agile software delivery practices, including large banking, payments, telecom, and product organisations. He started his career as a Software Engineer and spent several years as a hard-core Programmer. He has worked with large software delivery organisations like HP, IBM, Logica, Paypal, Ericsson, and RBS. He founded tryScrum.com in 2018 to execute his mission of Humanizing Organizations. Venkatesh is fluent in 4 languages. He is based in Chennai, India and sets the overall direction for tryScrum. He is the world's first to hold together CST, CEC, CTC, PST, PKT, Path to CSP Educator, CAL-Educator and ACS-Educator. He loves reading books, travelling and public speaking. Venkatesh received his B.E. from Anna University in Chennai and his MBA from the University of Madras. He is a PhD scholar at the Girne American University.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Practical AI Thought Leadership: Helping Professionals and Enterprises Win with AI
Project/Contribution Description:
My thought leadership is grounded in hands-on, real-world application of AI in careers, products, and enterprise transformation, not theoretical commentary.

Over the past year, my primary contribution has been designing and sharing practical frameworks that help professionals and organizations move from AI curiosity to confident execution. This includes:
• AI Career Enablement Projects
I actively guide professionals—across engineering, product, operations, and leadership roles—on how to integrate AI into their daily work. Rather than positioning AI as a job replacement, my work focuses on role augmentation, skill adjacency, and practical upskilling paths.
Outcome: Individuals gain clarity on where AI fits into their role, what to learn first, and how to demonstrate value quickly.
• Enterprise AI & Agile Transformation Advisory
I contribute thought leadership around applying AI within complex enterprise environments, especially where platform dependencies, siloed teams, and unclear product ownership slow down innovation. I provide structured approaches that combine AI adoption, product thinking, and agile ways of working to reduce dependency bottlenecks and improve time-to-market.
Outcome: Leaders and teams gain actionable models to apply AI responsibly while improving delivery flow.
• Frameworks & Executive Narratives
A key contribution is translating AI into clear executive narratives—helping leaders understand why, where, and how AI creates business value. I focus on simplifying complexity into decision-ready insights rather than technical depth alone.
Outcome: Better alignment between strategy, technology, and execution.

Key Achievements and Impact:
My key achievements as a thought leader center on making AI practical, approachable, and outcome-driven for professionals and organizations navigating rapid change.

1. Enabled AI Adoption at the Individual Career Level

A major achievement has been helping professionals across diverse roles understand how AI augments their work rather than replaces it. Through structured guidance, examples, and role-specific thinking, I’ve enabled individuals to:
• Identify high-impact AI use cases in their current roles
• Prioritize skills that deliver immediate value
• Build confidence in using AI as a daily productivity and decision-support tool

Impact: Reduced fear and confusion around AI while accelerating practical adoption at the individual level.

⸻

2. Translated AI Into Enterprise-Ready Thinking

I’ve consistently contributed frameworks that bridge the gap between AI potential and enterprise reality—especially in organizations struggling with platform dependencies, fragmented teams, and unclear product ownership. My work emphasizes:
• Applying AI within existing constraints
• Aligning AI initiatives with product and business outcomes
• Improving flow, collaboration, and time-to-market alongside AI adoption

Impact: Leaders and teams gain clarity on where AI fits and how to adopt it responsibly without disrupting core operations.

⸻

3. Built Clear Executive Narratives Around AI Value

Another key achievement is my ability to translate complex AI concepts into executive-level narratives that support better decision-making. By simplifying AI into business-relevant language, I help leaders move from experimentation to intent-driven adoption.

Impact: Improved alignment between strategy, technology, and execution, enabling more confident leadership conversations around AI.

⸻

4. Consistent Knowledge Sharing and Community Impact

Through ongoing knowledge sharing, discussions, and mentoring, I’ve contributed to a growing community of professionals seeking practical guidance rather than hype. My thought leadership focuses on realism, ethics, and long-term capability building.

Impact: A trusted voice that helps professionals and leaders navigate AI with clarity, responsibility, and confidence.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://tryscrum.com/venkatesh/
All publications under this link are published in a peer reviewed journals supports my objective

Award Nominee

Name: Tom Raftery
Organization/Company: Tom Raftery
Job Title/Position: Independent Energy & Climate Strategist
Country: Spain
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Tom Raftery is an Independent Energy & Climate Strategist focused on electrification, renewable energy economics, AI, and supply chain resilience. Through executive-level podcasts, analysis, and advisory work, he helps senior leaders navigate systemic energy transition risks and opportunities. A former SAP VP, he translates complex climate and technology shifts into practical strategy.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Strategic Thought Leadership in Energy Transition & Climate Resilience
Project/Contribution Description:
Over the past year, my work has focused on reframing the global energy transition as a strategic business imperative rather than a compliance or communications exercise.

Through two weekly executive-level podcasts (Climate Confident and Resilient Supply Chain), long-form analysis on tomraftery.com, and a high-engagement newsletter, I examine how electrification, renewable energy economics, AI-driven emissions tracking, storage, and supply chain transformation are reshaping competitiveness, risk, and resilience.

The purpose of this initiative is to help senior leaders move beyond surface-level ESG reporting toward system-level thinking, integrating energy security, affordability, climate science, and digital transformation into core business strategy.

Key deliverables include:

* 100+ expert interviews annually with CEOs, policymakers, scientists, and technology leaders
* Data-driven articles translating complex policy and market shifts into executive insight
* Multi-platform distribution reaching a global audience of decision-makers

The overarching contribution is intellectual clarity: connecting climate, technology, and economic competitiveness into a coherent strategic framework for enterprise leadership.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Key Achievements and Impact

Content Scale & Reach:
2 weekly executive-level podcasts (Climate Confident and Resilient Supply Chain)
350+ combined podcast episodes
550,000+ cumulative podcast downloads
100+ expert interviews annually with CEOs, policymakers, scientists, and technology leaders

Audience & Platform Growth:
20,000+ LinkedIn followers in energy, sustainability, technology, and supply chain leadership
80,000 YouTube subscribers
3,100+ newsletter subscribers with ~50% average open rate (well above industry benchmarks)
Global English-speaking audience spanning Europe, North America, and Asia

Influence & Strategic Impact:
Regular engagement from senior leaders shaping energy transition and industrial decarbonisation strategies
Invitations to speak at industry events and participate in executive-level dialogue
Recognised for challenging fossil fuel misinformation and reframing electrification and renewable energy as economic imperatives

Enterprise-Level Contribution
Shifting executive conversation from ESG compliance to system-level resilience and competitiveness
Bridging climate science, AI, energy economics, and supply chain transformation into actionable strategic insight

Supporting URLs/Links:
Core Platform:
https://tomraftery.com

Podcasts:
https://www.climateconfidentpodcast.com/ (Executive climate + energy lens.)
https://www.resilientsupplychainpodcast.com/ (Resilience + enterprise transformation.)

High-Authority Blog Example:
https://tomraftery.com/2026/02/09/capital-follows-electrons-how-electrification-is-driving-growth/

YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@TomRafterytv

LinkedIn Profile:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/TomRaftery

Newsletter:
https://newsletter.tomraftery.com/

Example Keynote:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=709i5zDibgs

Supporting File (1): Click

Award Nominee

Name: Shailja Gupta
Organization/Company: ADP
Job Title/Position: AI/ML Product Manager
Country: United States
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Shailja Gupta is a Senior AI/ML Product Manager at ADP, building production GenAI Platforms for 2.6M+ HR professionals. Author of 11 peer-reviewed papers (428+ citations, two IEEE), she pioneered building trustworthy and Responsible AI products at enterprise scale. Amplitude Product 50 "Most Admired Product Leader" 2025 | Products that Count 2025 Product Leader Awards Winner|Triple Silver Stevie® | Women in AI Innovator Finalist | MIT NANDA Speaker | AI Frontier Network Ambassador.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership in Product Management & Responsible AI: From Research to Enterprise Reality at Global Scale
Project/Contribution Description:
Shailja Gupta occupies a rare position at the intersection of enterprise product leadership and global AI research — a practitioner-scholar who doesn't just write about responsible AI, but ships it at scale, codifies it as industry standard, and influences how institutions worldwide govern AI systems.
Her thought leadership operates across three mutually reinforcing dimensions:

1. Defining the Framework for Trustworthy Enterprise GenAI
When enterprises refused to adopt conversational AI for payroll and HR — citing compliance risks, auditability gaps, and fairness concerns — Shailja didn't just solve ADP's problem. She created the definitive framework for deploying GenAI in regulated environments.
Her "Governance-by-Design" architecture — embedding bias detection, RAG-based provenance, explainability, and human-in-the-loop validation directly into the product infrastructure — became ADP's enterprise Responsible AI standard. This wasn't retrofitted compliance. It was trust built into the foundation.
The result: ADP Assist became the first production-grade, payroll-safe conversational AI in the HCM industry — processing 20,000+ natural language queries daily for 2.6M+ HR professionals, while competitors were still running non-auditable chatbot betas.
Her LOKA Protocol — a framework for decentralized AI agent identity and governance — was presented at the MIT Project NANDA Conference and featured in VentureBeat as surpassing governance approaches from Google and Anthropic. It is now being adopted as a blueprint for national AI policy discussions.

2. Publishing Research That Moves the Field
Shailja has authored 11 peer-reviewed papers (including two IEEE publications) spanning retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), AI fairness, multi-agent systems, and responsible AI deployment — accumulating 428+ citations from:
- Google DeepMind — RAG architecture design
- Stanford University — AI fairness methodologies
- Mayo Clinic & Yale School of Medicine — clinical AI bias mitigation
- ByteDance — large-scale LLM deployment
- MIT, Harvard, Max Planck Institute — AI policy and ethics frameworks
- 137+ independent research teams across 25+ countries, 6 continents
Only 2% of product managers publish peer-reviewed research. Shailja has done so 11 times — while simultaneously leading products serving millions of users. This dual-track excellence is what separates thought leaders from commentators.
She has reviewed 100+ peer-reviewed papers across 25 AI/ML conferences and 6 technical books — including RAG in Production and Multi-Agent Systems with AutoGen — shaping how the next generation of AI practitioners learns the craft.

3. Operationalizing Thought Leadership Across Industries
What distinguishes Shailja's thought leadership is that it doesn't stay on paper. Her frameworks are actively operationalized across:
- Healthcare: Mayo Clinic and Yale School of Medicine use her bias mitigation protocols for life-critical AI systems
- Finance: Compensation Benchmarking frameworks — powered by ADP's 42M-worker payroll dataset — deliver 177% ROI with built-in fairness guardrails
- Education: Carnegie Mellon University curriculum incorporates her responsible AI principles
- Policy: LOKA Protocol referenced in national AI governance discussions
- Enterprise Technology: GenAI Playground methodology compressed LLM prototyping 6× faster than historical benchmarks and 3× faster than Gartner's Fortune 500 average
Her publications in VentureBeat, The Economic Times, AI Time Journal, and Product-Led Alliance translate complex AI research into actionable frameworks for practitioners worldwide — democratizing access to responsible AI knowledge beyond elite institutions.

Why Shailja Gupta is the Thinkers360 Thought Leader of the Year:
True thought leadership is rare. It requires intellectual courage to publish ideas before the market validates them, technical depth to operationalize them at scale, and a platform to influence how others think and build.

Shailja Gupta has all three.

While the industry debated whether GenAI could be trusted in regulated environments, she shipped the proof. While researchers theorized about agent governance, she presented the LOKA Protocol at MIT. While practitioners wondered how to balance product velocity with responsible AI, she codified the answer — in peer-reviewed papers now cited globally, in products serving millions, and in frameworks now influencing national AI policy.
She is not just a rising star. She is actively defining the future of responsible AI product leadership — and the field is following her lead.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Enterprise Product Impact
- ADP Assist: 20K+ daily prompts, 2.6M+ users, 135K+ organizations, sub-5-second responses
- 88% reduction in time-to-insight for enterprise HR professionals
- $42M new ARR — fastest revenue ramp in ADP DataCloud history
- Compensation Benchmarking: 2× salary accuracy, 16% fewer overpays, 177% ROI
- Skills Graph: 100K skills → 9K roles, 25% improvement in job-match precision
- GenAI Playground: 550 engineers onboarded, LLM prototyping 6× faster than historical cadence and 3× faster than Gartner's Fortune 500 benchmark


Research & Intellectual Contributions
- 11 peer-reviewed papers (two IEEE) — top 5% of early-career AI authors
- 420+ citations — Google DeepMind, Stanford, Mayo Clinic, Yale, ByteDance, MIT
- LOKA Protocol: VentureBeat — "surpasses Google's and Anthropic's agent governance approaches"
- Reviewed 40+ conference papers across 11 AI/ML venues; 6 technical books
- Research adopted by institutions across 25+ countries, 6 continents


Speaking & Community Influence
- MIT Project NANDA Conference — LOKA Protocol & Decentralized Agent Governance
- Women in Tech Conference 2025 — "Beyond the Chatbot: RAG for Smarter AI Assistants"
- Advisory Board: 2025 Sustainable Computing Conference
- Ambassador: AI Frontier Network
- Mentor: SWE Women in Academia, Women in AI (50+ practitioners mentored)
- Academic Coach: Carnegie Mellon University

Industry Recognition
- Most Admired Product Leader — Amplitude Product 50 (2025)
- Triple Silver Stevie® Winner — HR Tech Innovator; AI Employee of the Year; Business Technology Employee of the Year
- Women in AI North America — AI Innovator of the Year Finalist (Private Sector)
- Stevie® Awards for Women in Business — Female Employee of the Year Finalist
- Global Recognition Award — Responsible AI & LLMs
- CToday Transformational Leader — AI & Product Strategy
- Eight ADP Spotlight Awards, including "PRISM Awards for AI First and Data Driven"

Supporting URLs/Links:
Citations: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14QtBKWGzztklGv9Ax6CoEotOcShjr-pv?usp=drive_link
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=list_works&hl=en&hl=en&user=fHIowQ4AAAAJ
Shailja Portfolio: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Gt1he9hNuJ-myO6HH-bQkua2Di4GogTTUC9DqHLoTeY/edit?usp=sharing
Membership: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QZAMGHyeVQ0q7F8oHn7ZpFwX3YVekhwC?usp=drive_link
Publications: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14whsxAtG7ZNd7sb36Ja_c8MRFXq0rseS?usp=drive_link
Awards: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Fs9rglLeKt2ORMt5AAEvACUqSF3dtyts?usp=drive_link
Product Brochures & Whitepapers: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1DdVoQvGpif5rxWXPdhnT9nj4F49dpqV9?usp=drive_link
Judging: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Z36I0uOf6vUlIiI3NJWivVGRtcPVcm1p?usp=drive_link
Mentorship: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1q1DLBDe28ssVPOKGewROEvvO4nizsNTj?usp=drive_link
Speaker Opportunity: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18xQM_sMaBgNO5sWyKAEaeJeQ72bg34IF?usp=drive_link
Interests in the work: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TYxM5nN1GtQEmIMsFiLIrkHEfSZhguYe?usp=drive_link

Award Nominee

Name: Dinesh Thangaraju
Organization/Company: Amazon
Job Title/Position: Head of AWS Data Platform
Country: United States
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Dinesh Thangaraju is a senior technology leader and certified Chief Data Officer with 15+ years building and scaling enterprise data and analytics platforms across global teams. He has led large engineering organizations at AWS to architect secure, self service data ecosystems, drive multi year transformations that eliminated silos and improved time to insight, and deliver material cost efficiencies and adoption growth across hundreds of product teams worldwide.

He holds executive credentials from Stanford GSB (LEAD Corporate Innovation) and Carnegie Mellon University (Chief Data Officer), an MS in Computer Science from UNC Charlotte, and a BE in Computer Science from Anna University. Dinesh is the inventor on US Patent 11,789,911 B1 (scalable granular database permissions) and US Patent 11,899,806 B1 (unified data catalog and permissions framework), reflecting his focus on secure, scalable data architectures that advance enterprise analytics and governance.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership in Enterprise Data Management for AI
Project/Contribution Description:
With over 15 years of experience building enterprise-scale data and AI platforms, Dinesh Thangaraju has consistently operated at the frontier of what's possible, not just as a technologist, but as a strategic thinker who shapes how organizations think about data, AI, and the relationship between the two.

In 2025 and into 2026, Dinesh has championed a defining thesis for the enterprise AI era: "You cannot be serious about Enterprise AI without first fixing Enterprise Data Management." This is not a slogan; it is a framework he has lived, built, and taught. He calls it "Two Sides of the Coin": the first side is making data trustworthy (data contracts, lineage, governance as an enabler); the second side is using AI to manage data at scale (autonomous quality checks, self-healing pipelines, natural language analytics). Together, they form a virtuous cycle: clean data enables reliable AI, and AI in turn improves data quality at a scale no human team can match.

The scope of Dinesh's work spans the full enterprise: multiple engineering teams, dozens of services, and all global regions. His flagship deliverable was a Federated Data Model, an "automate once, use everywhere" architecture that centralized common data transformations into a single unified pipeline, eliminating duplicate processing workflows across multiple business intelligence systems and achieving high accuracy to actuals with a consistent daily SLA.

In parallel, Dinesh led the design and delivery of an enterprise-wide AI Readiness Framework, establishing new standards for data access, auditing, and adherence to standards, with automated access review mechanisms that dramatically reduced manual governance overhead.

Most distinctively, Dinesh has pioneered the concept of Knowledge Infrastructure for Enterprise AI, recognizing that the next frontier is not just clean data, but AI-ready knowledge. He has developed and publicly presented a federated architecture for building unified knowledge bases that serve as the contextual foundation for agentic AI systems. His framework addresses the three core failure modes of enterprise AI adoption:

Knowledge fragmentation: teams building isolated knowledge silos with no interoperability
Agent collaboration gaps: no shared context across domains, limiting multi-agent effectiveness
The governance-innovation paradox: security requirements that slow rather than enable AI adoption
His proposed solution: a federated knowledge infrastructure with domain ownership, shared standards, and automated governance has been presented to industry leaders at the CDOIQ Society Proseminar Series and the University of Washington MSBA Leadership Series, earning recognition as a forward-looking blueprint for the next decade of enterprise AI.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Dinesh architected and led the delivery of a unified data platform, fulfilling a multi-year organizational goal to standardize reporting and decision-making across the enterprise. He designed the Federated Data Model, coordinated alignment across multiple engineering teams, and drove major delivery milestones under tight deadlines, navigating complex cross-functional dependencies across Finance, Operations, and Platform leadership.

He led the enterprise-wide AI Readiness Framework, partnering with cross-functional teams to publish a Data Access Standard, launching automated access review mechanisms, and delivering real-time audit visibility tooling that reduced audit report generation from multiple days to 30 minutes.

He incubated Generative AI initiatives within his organization, championing AI-powered dataset search and discovery tooling, driving developer productivity through modern AI-assisted development practices, and positioning his organization at the forefront of AI-powered data operations.

And he did something rarer still: he took his hard-won insights and shared them with the broader industry. Through invited talks at the CDOIQ Society and the UW MSBA Leadership Series, Dinesh has articulated a clear, actionable vision for how enterprises can bridge the gap between data architecture and enterprise AI — a vision grounded in real implementation experience, not theory.

Impact of This Work:

Reporting Accuracy at Scale: Achieved high accuracy for unified data models with a consistent daily SLA; transitioned dozens of top services to unified reporting — earning recognition from senior Finance and Platform leadership

AI Readiness at Scale: Automated access review service manages 1000s of access grants, reducing manual review time by 75% (from 120+ hours to 12 hours per cycle); audit report generation reduced from multiple days to less than few minutes.

Platform Scale: Delivered 4X growth in platform adoption; reduced onboarding timelines from weeks to hours through self-service tooling; achieved significant annual savings through data deduplication and infrastructure modernization

Patents: Principal inventor on two granted US patents (US 11,789,911 B1 and US 11,899,806 B1) for scalable permissions management and unified data catalog frameworks

Team & Org Building: Scaled a globally distributed team to 70+ professionals across four new engineering hubs; maintained top-tier retention and engagement; recognized for cross-functional leadership and enterprise transformation

Generative AI Leadership: Incubated AI-powered dataset search and discovery tooling, targeting a 50% year-over-year reduction in deep-dive support requests; championed adoption of AI-assisted development practices across the organization

Industry Thought Leadership: Delivered invited presentations at the CDOIQ Society Proseminar Series (February 2026) and the University of Washington MSBA Leadership Series on enterprise data management and AI-ready knowledge infrastructure — sharing a proven framework that enterprises can adopt to accelerate their AI journey

Knowledge Infrastructure Vision: Defined and publicly championed a federated knowledge infrastructure architecture — a bottom-up approach where domain teams create AI-ready knowledge that integrates into an organization-wide knowledge ecosystem, serving as the foundational context layer for agentic AI development

Dinesh's leadership exemplifies thought leadership in its truest form: he identified a problem the industry was avoiding, built the solution at enterprise scale, proved it works, and then shared the blueprint with the world. His "Two Sides of the Coin" framework — trustworthy data enabling AI, and AI managing data at scale — is a durable mental model for any organization serious about enterprise AI. His innovations are recognized at the senior leadership level across Finance, Operations, and Platform organizations, and are embedded in how the enterprise operates at its most fundamental level.

"In 2026, the winners will be those who fixed their foundations first." — Dinesh Thangaraju, MSBA Leadership Series

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/13s3sQXt27j2jcJf1m5o3prUfSZkS2H7M/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vCk_fx8Tmj0vOWqneI5_2vlke_b71CMo/view?usp=sharing

Award Nominee

Name: Barbara Vercruysse
Organization/Company: BV Empowerment & Kindness Institute
Job Title/Position: CEO & Founder
Country: Belgium
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Barbara Vercruysse: Global Kindness Advocate, Thought Leader, Leadership Mentor, Business Consultant in Quality Management & Operational Excellence, Public Speaker and Bestselling Author.

Barbara Vercruysse is an inspiring figure in the realm of leadership, recognized for her dedication to fostering kindness in both individuals and organizations. Surviving stage 4 skin cancer and navigating a near-bankruptcy ignited her passion for making a lasting, positive impact. She champions a leadership style rooted in kindness, believing it is essential for creating balanced, humane workplaces and for addressing the global challenges we face today.

With over 30 years of professional experience, Barbara is a seasoned entrepreneur, consultant, and mentor, specializing in resilience and operational excellence. Currently, she works as the Quality Officer and Operational Excellence Lead at a BMW dealership group, where she enhances business processes, nurtures talent, and promotes an empowering work environment.

Through her "Empowerment & Kindness Institute," Barbara provides mentorship and consulting services to inspire leadership that balances efficiency with empathy. Her insights are informed by a deep understanding of human behavior and a genuine care for her clients' well-being.

As President of Professional Women International (PWI) in Brussels, part of the PWN Global network, Barbara plays a pivotal role in empowering women to achieve professional success and advocating for gender-balanced leadership. Guided by values of respect, courage, collaboration, excellence, and inclusiveness, she leads initiatives that equip women with the tools to thrive in business and society.

Barbara also serves as Head of Communication at the European-Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EUICCI), where she applies her expertise in communications to strengthen partnerships and foster international collaboration.

A prolific public speaker, Barbara has delivered talks worldwide, including for Girl Up, a United Nations Foundation initiative; Microsoft's Soft Skills Community; Harvard University; and the World Young Scientist Summit (WYSS). She passionately advocates for “Leading with Powerful Kindness,” a philosophy she views as vital to personal and professional success.

Barbara is the bestselling author of The Path of Powerful Kindness, a transformative book that has resonated with readers worldwide. In this inspiring work, she shares her vision of kindness as a powerful leadership tool and a transformative force for individuals and organizations. Drawing from her personal journey and professional expertise, the book offers actionable insights on fostering compassion, resilience, and purpose-driven leadership in today’s complex world. The Path of Powerful Kindness has been praised for its profound yet practical wisdom, empowering readers to lead with authenticity and grace.

Barbara’s passions include reading, painting, travel, the arts, and meaningful conversations. She sets a yearly goal of reading 50 books, reflecting her lifelong commitment to personal growth. She has shared her insights in major publications like the Huffington Post and Thrive Global and reaches millions through her weekly Inspirational Talks across social platforms.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership in Powerful Kindness: Advancing Compassionate Leadership and Women’s Impact.
Project/Contribution Description:
My contribution centers on developing and advancing Powerful Kindness as a modern leadership paradigm that integrates compassion, courage, and strategic influence to drive sustainable personal, organisational, and societal change.

Through my work as a Global Kindness Advocate, author, keynote speaker, and leadership mentor, I have translated kindness from a perceived “soft value” into a rigorous, actionable leadership practice. My thought leadership is expressed through multiple channels:
- the publication of my book The Path of Powerful Kindness,
- keynote speeches and panels at international leadership and academic forums,
- mentoring and leadership development programs for women and emerging leaders,
- and continuous content creation (articles, videos, podcasts) focused on ethical leadership, resilience, and women’s empowerment.

The purpose of this work is to support leaders—particularly women—in expanding their influence without compromising authenticity, humanity, or values, while contributing to a broader dialogue on peace, nonviolence, and inclusive leadership.

The scope of my contribution spans corporate environments, nonprofit leadership, academic dialogue, and public discourse, with a particular focus on empowering women leaders and fostering cultures rooted in empathy, responsibility, and impact.

Key deliverables include published intellectual property, global speaking engagements, structured mentoring trajectories, and an extensive body of educational and inspirational content reaching an international audience.

Key Achievements and Impact:
* Author of The Path of Powerful Kindness, the first book in a leadership trilogy, published and distributed internationally, positioning kindness as a strategic leadership competency rather than a personal trait.

* Recognised thought leader, named twice on the List of 250+ Rising Stars & Upcoming Influencers of LinkedIn to Watch (2023-2024-2025), reflecting consistent impact and resonance of my ideas within professional leadership communities.

* Global speaking and thought leadership presence, including keynote talks, panels, and academic forums addressing leadership, women’s empowerment, resilience, and ethical influence across Europe and internationally.

* Leadership mentoring and development: Designed and delivered structured mentoring programs supporting women leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers in expanding visibility, confidence, and strategic positioning. Many mentees have gone on to speak at conferences, step into leadership roles, or redefine their professional direction with clarity and purpose.

* Extensive content creation and reach:
- Over 100 original video reflections on leadership, kindness, and resilience published over several years.
- A weekly thought leadership article and newsletter focused on positivity, leadership, and inner strength, with consistent engagement from a professional international audience.
* Community and institutional impact:
- President of a leading international women’s network chapter, contributing to leadership development, mentorship, and high-level events connecting corporate, academic, and nonprofit leaders.
- Active contributor to conversations on women’s leadership, peacebuilding, and nonviolence, aligning professional leadership with broader societal impact.
- Personal resilience as lived leadership: Drawing from lived experience, including overcoming a life-threatening illness at a young age, my work embodies resilience and ethical leadership, offering a deeply authentic and credible foundation for my thought leadership.

Collectively, this work has helped shift narratives around leadership—from dominance and performance alone toward courage, compassion, and responsibility—while equipping leaders with practical frameworks to lead with both strength and humanity.

Supporting URLs/Links:
- https://www.amazon.com/Path-Powerful-Kindness-Return-Humanness/dp/B0CM18MG4M/
- https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/positivity-kindness-insights-6922511150081298434/
- https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7403346281575718912/
- https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7390668212868239360/
- https://www.barbaravercruysse.com/blog
- https://www.pwnglobal.net/c/pwi-brussels/content/our-local-board

Award Nominee

Name: Anthony Berryhill, FRSA
Organization/Company: Elite College Hacker
Job Title/Position: Founder & CEO
Country: United States
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Non-Executive Director (NED) | High-Stakes Education & Talent Advisor | Former VP, PIMCO | Fellow, FRSA, FRGS | 3x National Champion Debate Coach | PMP | Board Member, Women’s Foundation of NC

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership in Transformative Coaching and Education Disruption
Project/Contribution Description:
Elite College Hacker is a systematic methodology for democratizing access to elite higher education — built by reverse engineering the insider strategies, communication frameworks, and application systems that wealthy, well-connected families have always used, and making them available to any student willing to do the work. The methodology draws on 20+ years of applied research across championship debate coaching, Harvard-level academic instruction, and Fortune 500 learning and development — synthesizing best practices from these three domains into a replicable, outcome-driven admissions system. It covers essay architecture, interview performance, strategic positioning, and institutional research — all grounded in the same communications principles that produce national debate champions.The scope spans undergraduate, graduate, MBA, JD, MD, and PhD admissions across US and international institutions, serving both domestic first-generation students and international premium clients across the Gulf, APAC, and Europe. Core deliverables include one-on-one coaching, group workshops, published debate textbooks used nationally, and an e-learning platform in development designed to make the methodology affordable at scale.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Student outcomes across 20+ years include admissions to Harvard, MIT, Yale, Stanford, Berkeley, Columbia, Cornell, London School of Economics, and Yale School of Management, among others. Students have won the Luce Scholarship and Mitchell Scholarship — among the most competitive fellowships globally. A student coached for two years on comprehensive admissions and debate earned Harvard admission with 50% merit aid — an extraordinarily rare outcome — alongside acceptances to all UC schools including Berkeley and UCLA.
Debate coaching outcomes — which directly demonstrate the communications methodology's effectiveness — include a 76% national winning record (in the NSDA championship) across 20+ years, 18 state champions across three states, top-10 finishes at NSDA National Championships for six consecutive years, and coaching the #2 overall speaker in the United States in 2024. In 2025 15 competitors coached at his alma mater won the overall state debate championship across multiple divisions simultaneously. In 2026, two of Anthony's students qualified to the debate national championship - one to the University of Kentucky's Tournament of Champions (junior), and one to the NSDA's Championship (a freshman).
At the corporate level the same methodology produced a 75% reduction in time-to-productivity at GLG and a 33% increase in new-hire productivity — outcomes significant enough that GLG adopted the redesigned program as its global standard across APAC and EMEA. At PIMCO the methodology informed learning pathways for ten new global business units simultaneously as VP and Executive Corporate Officer.

Thought leadership reach includes presentations to the National Speech and Debate Association's 140,000-member global body, National Public Radio featured appearance on education equity, Harvard guest lecturer on Persuasion and Debate, Enterprise World Most Influential Business Leader to Watch 2025, and Oxford Global Equity Champion 2026.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://global100.forttuna.com/the-game-changers-2026-honorees/profile?name=anthony-berryhill
https://theenterpriseworld.com/business-leader-anthony-berryhill/
https://theenterpriseworld.com/anthony-berryhill-elite-college-hacker/
https://www.npr.org/2008/03/12/88161456/ivy-league-schools-open-doors-to-low-income
https://www.speechanddebate.org/college-admissions-webinar/
https://growstrongleaders.com/anthony-berryhill/
https://xraised.com/videos/elite-college-admissions-strategy-with-anthony-berryhill-of-elite-college-hacker/
https://www.aaaya.org/post/recording-college-admissions-coach-chat
https://youtu.be/d3acHbeKVUw?si=H9Od5INY-2DXWiC-
https://undergrad.stanford.edu/programs/pwr/publications-prizes-and-awards/boothe-prize-essays
https://nfhs.org/stories/how-students-of-color-can-dream-bigger-through-debate

Supporting File (1): Click
Supporting File (2): Click
Supporting File (3): Click

Award Nominee

Name: Wai Onn Hong
Organization/Company: Research Institute for Sustainable Excellence and Leadership
Job Title/Position: Founding CEO
Country: Malaysia
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Hong Wai Onn is a two-time Malaysia Book of Records holder, Chartered Chemical Engineer, and award-winning author of A Chemical Engineer in the Palm Oil Milling Industry. With nearly two decades of experience in the palm oil and biotechnology industries, he brings deep expertise in engineering, sustainability, and innovation. A passionate volunteer and mentor, Hong has served as Honorary Secretary of IChemE Malaysia, founded its Palm Oil Processing Special Interest Group, and advises multiple universities on chemical engineering. He holds an Executive MBA with Honours from Quantic School of Business and Technology, Washington, D.C., and is a Freeman of the City of London as well as a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the Malaysian Institute of Management.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership in Sustainable Development and Net Zero Transition for Malaysia
Project/Contribution Description:
I am a Malaysian chemical engineer, sustainability advocate, and Founding CEO of the Research Institute for Sustainable Excellence and Leadership (RISEL), a nonprofit think tank dedicated to advancing sustainable excellence, ESG integration, ethical governance, and Malaysia’s net-zero transition. My thought leadership operates at the intersection of engineering, policy, and sustainability. Through RISEL and my personal platform, I provide independent, technically rigorous insights on sustainable development goals (SDGs), ESG implementation, decarbonization pathways, circular bioeconomy strategies, and responsible industrial transformation.

The purpose of my work is threefold:
(1) Bridge Industry and Policy – Translate engineering and technical realities into policy-relevant insights.
(2) Advance Net Zero Readiness – Advocate practical decarbonization strategies tailored to Malaysia’s industrial structure.
(3) Elevate Ethical Leadership – Promote governance frameworks grounded in professionalism, accountability, and long-term value creation.

Key deliverables include:
(1) Policy commentaries and sustainability analyses
(2) Public thought leadership articles
(3) Professional talks and industry forums
(4) Advisory engagement with universities and industry bodies
(5) Strategic leadership of RISEL as an independent sustainability voice

My work emphasizes evidence-based decision-making, constructive engagement, and nation-building through technical excellence.

Key Achievements and Impact:
My impact spans professional institutions, public discourse, and industry practice:

1. Institutional & Professional Leadership
(a) Founding CEO of RISEL, advancing sustainable excellence and leadership in Malaysia.
(b) Active contributor to IChemE initiatives and special interest groups.
(c) Serves on advisory panels guiding engineering education and sustainability discourse.

2. Sustainability & ESG Advocacy
(a) Published articles and commentaries advocating circular bioeconomy, ESG alignment, and responsible energy transition.
(b) Promoted integration of Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions accountability in industrial and EV battery lifecycle discussions.
(c) Advocated transition strategies combining biofuels, biotechnology, and electrification rather than single-path solutions.

3. Measurable Recognition & Professional Impact
(a) Freedom of the City of London recipient.
(b) Two-time Malaysia Book of Records holder.
(c) Award-winning author of A Chemical Engineer in the Palm Oil Milling Industry.
(d) Nearly two decades of cross-functional leadership experience in production, engineering, biotechnology, applied research, and sustainability strategy.

4. Community & Knowledge Impact
(a) Regular speaker on sustainable engineering and professional leadership.
(b) Advocates servant leadership, ethical governance, and technical rigor.
(c) Mentors younger engineers and professionals in sustainability careers.

5. My work contributes to:
(a) Raising sustainability literacy among engineers
(b) Encouraging evidence-based policy dialogue
(c) Positioning Malaysia’s bioeconomy within global net-zero conversations
(d) Promoting engineering as a force for societal good

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://risel.org/

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2024/02/16/tvet-grads-will-expedite-automation-of-palm-oil-sector-says-expert

https://www.bernama.com/en/news.php/sports/target='_blank'?id=2414337

https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/markets/transforming-africas-palm-oil-industry-the-untapped-potential-of-biomass-valorization/ws2wq3c

https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/745528

https://www.businesstoday.com.my/2025/04/30/a-timely-push-for-malaysias-biogas-industry/

https://www.businesstoday.com.my/2025/06/11/malaysias-engineer-salary-dilemma/

https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/793115

Award Nominee

Name: Faran Niaz
Organization/Company: CX Future
Job Title/Position: Director Customer Experience
Country: United Arab Emirates
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
I am a global Customer Experience leader with 25+ years driving CX transformation across multiple International organizations. A Top 100 Global CX Thought Leader, CXMStar 2026, CX Leader for 2026 by CX Network and Global keynote speaker. I advises organizations on designing high-performing customer experience strategies and governance frameworks. He is the creator of the FBX™ (Friction to Brilliance Experience) model and CEO of CX Future.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership in Customer Experience Transformation & Strategy
Project/Contribution Description:
My work focuses on advancing customer experience from a conceptual discipline into a measurable operational capability. I developed the FBX™ (Friction to Brilliance Experience) framework, a structured methodology that helps organizations identify friction across customer journeys and transform it into high-performing service experiences through governance, operational design, and performance management.

As part of this work, I introduced the OCR vs FCR (On-Call Resolution vs First Contact Resolution) concept to the CX community, highlighting the limitations of traditional FCR metrics that often measure contact closure rather than true problem resolution. The OCR approach shifts organizational focus from handling interactions to achieving genuine customer outcomes, enabling more accurate measurement of service effectiveness.

Through advisory engagements, executive masterclasses, and thought leadership initiatives, these models provide organizations with practical tools to diagnose CX maturity, redesign service ecosystems, and establish governance structures that drive measurable experience performance across contact centres and digital service environments.

Key Achievements and Impact:
The FBX™ framework and the OCR vs FCR model have contributed to advancing how organizations measure and manage customer experience performance. By reframing resolution metrics and embedding governance-driven CX frameworks, my work helps leadership teams move beyond satisfaction scores toward operational accountability for true customer outcomes.

Across banking, fintech, and service organizations, applying these principles has supported measurable improvements in customer satisfaction, complaint reduction, and service efficiency while strengthening CX governance and leadership decision-making.

My thought leadership has been recognized globally through inclusion among the Top 100 Global CX Thought Leaders, Top 15 CXMStars for 2026, and Top CX Leaders to Follow in 2026 by CX Network. I regularly speak at international CX conferences and advise organizations on building performance-driven CX capabilities.

Through publications, executive masterclasses, and industry engagement, I continue to advocate for a shift from traditional CX measurement toward resolution-driven experience performance models that align customer experience strategy with tangible business impact.

My work continues to challenge traditional CX thinking by advocating a shift from managing interactions to delivering measurable resolution outcomes—helping organizations transform customer experience into a true performance discipline.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/farann_is-first-call-resolution-fcr-really-measuring-ugcPost-7415808447373434881-tRJr?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAEuXvMBh-Bi720ssqiJrxW352-CMxIcRdE
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/farann_futureofcx-cxleadership-customerexperience-activity-7405708958960807936-3ft4?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAEuXvMBh-Bi720ssqiJrxW352-CMxIcRdE
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/farann_aiincx-customerexperience-cx-activity-7379246129772761088-_tjV?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAEuXvMBh-Bi720ssqiJrxW352-CMxIcRdE
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/farann_customerexperience-cx-bfsi-activity-7376887978264170497-FTPE?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAEuXvMBh-Bi720ssqiJrxW352-CMxIcRdE
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/farann_customerexperience-digitaltransformation-activity-7366455735418867713-Y-cL?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAEuXvMBh-Bi720ssqiJrxW352-CMxIcRdE
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/farann_customerexperience-cxinnovation-xmglobalconference-activity-7328528957396377601-7d5V?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAEuXvMBh-Bi720ssqiJrxW352-CMxIcRdE
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/farann_cx-customerexperience-transformation-activity-7320386046154690560-bALq?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAEuXvMBh-Bi720ssqiJrxW352-CMxIcRdE
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/farann_gcxa-customerexperience-cxexcellence-activity-7296832111758524416-BvKm?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAEuXvMBh-Bi720ssqiJrxW352-CMxIcRdE
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/farann_customerexperience-ai-xshift-activity-7259880352830156803-1Xmy?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAEuXvMBh-Bi720ssqiJrxW352-CMxIcRdE
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/farann_cha2024-customerhappinessawards2024-futureofcx-activity-7254757016265461760-mI5t?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAEuXvMBh-Bi720ssqiJrxW352-CMxIcRdE
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/farann_dubaicxconference-leadership-futureofcx-activity-7235406440574685184-AXU5?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAEuXvMBh-Bi720ssqiJrxW352-CMxIcRdE
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7196242992213454848?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAEuXvMBh-Bi720ssqiJrxW352-CMxIcRdE
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7190063587518779392?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAEuXvMBh-Bi720ssqiJrxW352-CMxIcRdE
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/farann_cx5-customerexperience-cxexcellence-activity-7157093453594542080-2N6S?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAEuXvMBh-Bi720ssqiJrxW352-CMxIcRdE
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/farann_xelive-experiencemanagement-ai-activity-7135321379331055616-EMsM?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAEuXvMBh-Bi720ssqiJrxW352-CMxIcRdE

Supporting File (3): Click

Award Nominee

Name: Rebecca Rutschmann
Organization/Company: Viva la Coaching eGbR
Job Title/Position: Co-Founder
Country: Germany
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Rebecca Rutschmann is a globally recognized coaching leader, researcher, and AI-in-business expert. She brings deep expertise in leadership development, talent strategy, and digital transformation, advising global organizations on people-centered change and responsible AI adoption. A trusted coach and speaker, she helps leaders build high-performing teams and thrive in complex, evolving environments.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership in Responsible AI in Coaching
Project/Contribution Description:
Rebecca Rutschmann’s contribution centers on advancing responsible AI integration within the global coaching profession. The purpose of her work is to ensure that AI strengthens coaching quality, ethics, and professional standards rather than diluting them.

Her initiative spans research collaboration, advisory work with organizations implementing AI in coaching, international keynotes and panels, and the development of structured education programs. A key deliverable is the creation of a globally recognized AI training academy and professional community that equips coaches with practical AI literacy, ethical frameworks, and implementation maturity.

Through this multi-layered approach — research, education, and industry influence — she has helped establish clearer standards and a more responsible pathway for AI adoption in coaching worldwide.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Built one of the first globally positioned AI-focused coaching academies, training and upskilling hundreds of coaches in responsible AI integration

Established an international coach community advancing AI literacy, ethical standards, and implementation maturity across markets

Contributed to research initiatives exploring AI-augmented coaching, supporting evidence-based validation of hybrid coaching models

Served as keynote speaker and panel expert at international conferences, shaping industry dialogue on governance, quality, and ethics in AI-enabled coaching

Advised organizations on responsible AI deployment in leadership development and coaching programs, strengthening compliance, transparency, and human-centered design

Her work has helped shift the narrative from “AI replacing coaches” to “AI responsibly augmenting professional coaching,” influencing both practitioner standards and organizational adoption strategies worldwide.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccarutschmann/
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/400974407_Comparing_GROW_solution-focused_and_CBT_coaching_chatbots_a_self-determination_and_transformative_learning_perspective
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rebecca-Rutschmann
https://vivalacoaching.com/
https://www.associationforcoaching.com/page/technology_and_innovation_podcast_Rebecca_Rutschmann
https://www.sps.nyu.edu/about/events/human-capital-management-department-events/coaching-and-technology-summit/archive/2025-coaching-and-technology-summit.html
https://podcast.coachingtoconsulting.com/JgRBNsvn/episode
https://legacy.coaching.com/summit/presenter/rebecca-rutschmann-2/

Award Nominee

Name: Lindsey Leigh Hobson
Organization/Company: Future Untamed Pty Ltd
Job Title/Position: CEO
Country: Australia
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Lindsey Leigh Hobson is pioneering the future of leadership. She is the CEO of Future Untamed, a 2025 Global Recognition Award recipient for Leadership, LinkedIn Top Voice in Mentoring 2024, National Lead for the Professional Speakers Australia (PSA) Chapter President Council, Founder of The LDC, and Lindsey is also a budding crazy-cat-lady (don't get her started).

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: The North Star of Leadership
Project/Contribution Description:
Lindsey Leigh Hobson is widely recognised for her enduring influence on leadership development—consistently shaping discourse, advancing innovation, and setting new standards of excellence in the field.

Among her contributions, two pioneering initiatives stand out for their global impact and industry adoption:

1) The Future Fit Framework & Assessment
Lindsey developed the Future Fit Framework - a practical methodology and assessment tool that has redefined how organisations prepare leaders for the future. By blending deep human insight with AI-driven personalisation, Lindsey equips organisations with a transformative, measurable approach to leadership. This innovation earned her the 2025 Global Recognition Award for exceptional achievement in leadership, service, and innovation.

2) The World’s First Global L&D Conference in the Metaverse
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lindsey produced and hosted the world’s first global Learning and Development conference in the metaverse. This ground-breaking event brought together over 120 L&D professionals worldwide for immersive, future-focused learning during a time of industry isolation. Importantly, several attendees went on to implement the platform and learning experience within their own organisations - for example, a major fast food chain adapted the model for new manager training - demonstrating the conference’s practical influence and reach.

Purpose and Scope
Both initiatives exemplify Lindsey’s commitment to making leadership development accessible, innovative, and impactful. The Future Fit Framework is now embedded in bespoke programs for diverse organisations, while the metaverse conference established a new blueprint for virtual engagement and knowledge sharing, with tangible adoption by industry peers.

The Future Fit Framework & Assessment has been recognised with a Global Recognition Award, while both projects are acknowledged by industry leaders for advancing innovation, delivering new insights, and inspiring adoption and transformation across the leadership development sector.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Lindsey Leigh Hobson’s thought leadership has made a significant and lasting mark on the global leadership development sector, driving innovation, building community, and inspiring meaningful change.

Award Recognition:
The Future Fit Framework & Assessment earned Lindsey the 2025 Global Recognition Award for exceptional achievement in leadership, service, and innovation. Lindsey was also a finalist for the Bx Awards in Leadership Coaching (2025).

Community Growth:
The Learning and Development Collective, founded by Lindsey, has grown into an international network of over 850 members, facilitating regular knowledge-sharing sessions and collaborative projects across industries and countries.

Industry Influence:
Lindsey was recognised as a LinkedIn Top Voice in Mentoring in 2024, with a following exceeding 16,000 professionals. Her thought leadership content consistently sparks discussion and engagement within the global leadership and L&D community.

Speaking & Industry Recognition:
Lindsey has delivered keynote presentations, workshops, and training sessions for audiences across Australia and internationally - for example, Lindsey recently spoke at at WOBI's Sydney Forum. Her work is acknowledged by leading organisations and the wider professional community, demonstrating her influence and credibility in the leadership development sector.

Through these achievements, Lindsey continues to set new benchmarks for excellence, shaping the future of leadership and empowering others to do the same.

Supporting URLs/Links:
Testimonials and recommendations: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsey-leigh-hobson/details/recommendations/

Media features, past work and other announcements: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsey-leigh-hobson/recent-activity/all/

https://www.lindseyleighhobson.com/

https://futureuntamed.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsey-leigh-hobson/

Award Nominee

Name: Susanna Rantanen
Organization/Company: Employer Branding Agency Emine Oy Ltd
Job Title/Position: Co-founder, CEO
Country: Finland
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Susanna Rantanen is a pioneer of story-driven employer branding who helped shift the field from recruitment marketing tactics to a strategic leadership discipline. Creator of the Magnetic Employer Branding Method™, she has guided organisations such as Management Events, OP Financial Group, KONE, PwC, Accenture and Airbus Defence & Space in aligning culture, leadership and talent through narrative-driven communication. Her frameworks have influenced industry practice and higher-education research.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: “Pioneering Story-Driven Employer Branding: Transforming Recruitment Marketing into a Strategic Leadership Discipline”
Project/Contribution Description:
Over the past two decades, Susanna Rantanen has helped transform employer branding from a tactical recruitment marketing activity into a strategic leadership discipline grounded in storytelling, culture alignment, and long-term talent communication.
Her work introduced a new conceptual lens for the field through the Magnetic Employer Branding Method™, an original framework that integrates storytelling, strategic company culture, leadership communication, and talent psychology into a coherent model for building employer brand reputation over time. Supporting frameworks such as The Magnetic Job Post™, Strategic Company Culture Framework, and Instant Employer Brand Accelerator™ provide organisations with practical tools to apply this thinking.
The approach emerged from early pioneering work in modern recruitment communication. In 2011, Rantanen introduced a content-driven recruitment marketing model using storytelling and social distribution long before such practices became widely adopted. By separating employer branding from short-term recruitment campaigns and positioning it as a continuous narrative process, her work helped organisations rethink how they communicate culture, purpose, and opportunity.
The frameworks have since been applied by major organisations including OP Financial Group, Management Events, KONE, Airbus Defence & Space Finland, Elisa Plc, Accenture, PwC, Granlund, Ahlsell, Visma, Sodexo, Lindström, Clear Channel, Descom, Idean, Digitalist Plc (formerly Ixonos), Foodora, LeadDesk, Neste Plc, Relex, Siili Solutions, Futurice, Solita, Technopolis, Trainers’ House, Vantaan Energia, Varian, VTT, Insta Group, Finavia, and Sinebrychoff (of Carlsberg Group), demonstrating real-world adoption across multiple industries.
Rantanen’s ideas have also gained educational traction. Her frameworks, podcast insights, and expert commentary have been cited in higher-education research across multiple Finnish institutions between 2019 and 2025, indicating sustained academic uptake and conceptual relevance.
Through consulting, speaking, publishing, and more than 360 podcast episodes, she has contributed to shaping modern employer branding thinking globally, helping organisations align culture, leadership, and talent around a shared mission through story-driven communication.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Over two decades, Susanna Rantanen has contributed to shaping modern employer branding by introducing story-driven strategic frameworks and helping organisations move beyond recruitment marketing tactics toward long-term employer brand communication.
Framework creation and intellectual contribution
• Creator of The Magnetic Employer Branding Method™, a strategic framework integrating storytelling, company culture, leadership communication, and talent perception into a long-term employer branding model.
• Developed supporting frameworks including The Magnetic Job Post™, Strategic Company Culture Framework, and Instant Employer Brand Accelerator™, enabling organisations to implement story-driven employer branding in practice.
Industry adoption and corporate impact
• Frameworks applied in projects with major organisations including KONE, OP Financial Group, Airbus Defence & Space Finland, Accenture, PwC, Sweco, Elisa, Granlund, Visma Finland, Ahlsell Finland, Rejlers, and Sinebrychoff (Carlsberg Group).
• Long-term collaboration with OP Financial Group contributed to repositioning the organisation from a traditional banking employer into one of Finland’s Top 3 technology employer brands.
• Employer branding strategy based on the Magnetic Employer Branding Method™ helped Airbus Defence & Space Finland achieve the national employer brand award.
Educational and research influence
• Rantanen’s frameworks, podcast, and expert commentary have been cited repeatedly in higher-education thesis research between 2019 and 2025 across multiple Finnish universities and universities of applied sciences.
• Her work has been used as conceptual input and expert reference in research on employer branding, recruitment communication, candidate experience, and social media strategy.
Thought leadership dissemination
• Host of the Building a Modern Employer Branding podcast (now The Story-Driven Business), with 360+ episodes educating global HR, communications, and leadership audiences on strategic employer branding and storytelling.
• Frequent keynote speaker and advisor helping organisations rethink the relationship between culture, leadership, and talent attraction through narrative-driven communication.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Story-Driven-Employer-Branding-Introducing-Storytelling/dp/B0F1366VS6
(Book = intellectual output)

https://emine.fi/eminen-palvelut/modern-magnetic-employer-branding-method/
(Method and framework home)

https://rantanensusanna.com/susanna-rantanen-speaker/
(Speaker credibility)

https://nyweekly.com/business/how-susanna-rantanen-is-changing-the-game-for-modern-businesses/
(Media recognition)

https://womensherald.com/from-finland-to-the-world-susanna-rantanen-leading-a-new-era-in-employer-branding/
(Media recognition)

https://employer-branding-europe.hrtechoutlook.com/vendor/emine-building-a-magnetic-employer-brand-cid-1015-mid-104.html
(Industry publication)

https://youtu.be/QbNKTRaSs8M

https://youtu.be/DZ-JOGcPag4

https://emine.fi/podcast/

https://emine.fi/en/what-is-business-storytelling/

https://emine.fi/en/business-storytelling-in-employer-branding/


Supporting File (1): Click
Supporting File (2): Click
Supporting File (3): Click

Award Nominee

Name: Peter F Gallagher
Organization/Company: a2B Advisory Consulting Limited
Job Title/Position: Leadership Thought Leader
Country: United Kingdom
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Peter F. Gallagher is a Top 4 Global Leadership Authority, the world’s #1 Change Leadership Thought Leader, and a 20 book author who advises boards and C suites worldwide. He is internationally recognised for advancing the Leadership of Change® and, now, for founding Saeculum LeadershipTM — a generational school of thought that reframes leadership as a civic, moral, and evolutionary responsibility.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leaders in Change Management
Project/Contribution Description:
- 20 book author - internationally recognised for advancing the Leadership of Change® (CMBoK) and, now, for founding Saeculum LeadershipTM (SLBoK) - a generational school of thought that reframes leadership as a civic, moral, and evolutionary responsibility
- 189 weekly Friday Change Reflection Quotes (FCRQ) - providing insightful reflections on leadership and change management, drawing lessons from historical figures and events to inspire organisations and their leaders to step up to their change responsibilities

Key Achievements and Impact:
- 6 years as the world’s #1 Change Leadership Thought Leader (Thinkers360)
- Top 4 Global Leadership Authority (Global Gurus)
- Saeculum LeadershipTM - Peter’s defining contribution: a doctrinal architecture built on the Saeculum LeadershipTM Body of Knowledge (SLBoK). SLBoK establishes the language, principles, and stewardship disciplines required for leaders to think and act across four generational horizons. It integrates philosophy, governance, anthropology, and operational discipline into a unified canon for long term leadership

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://www.peterfgallagher.com/slbok-saeculum-leadership
https://www.peterfgallagher.com/news
https://www.peterfgallagher.com/publications
https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterfgallagher/

Award Nominee

Name: Pamela GUPTA
Organization/Company: Trusted AI™
Job Title/Position: Founder & CEO
Country: United States
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Pamela Gupta is the Founder & CEO of Trusted AI and creator of the AI TIPS™ (Trust Integrated Pillars for Sustainability) framework — a comprehensive enterprise AI governance architecture comprising eight pillars, 243 operational controls, Trust Index scoring (0–100), six lifecycle gates, and regulatory crosswalks to the EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, ISO 42001, and CSA AICM. Originally created in 2019, four years before the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, AI TIPS V2 was published on arXiv in 2025 with a provisional patent filed.
Pamela is the 2025 ISACA Joseph J. Wasserman Award recipient, Thinkers360 Top 50 Women Thought Leaders on AI 2026, and has chaired the GenAI stage at World AI Summit NYC for six consecutive years. She hosts the Trustworthy AI podcast and publishes the Trustworthy AI Briefing newsletter reaching ~4,000 subscribers. She holds CISSP, CISM, and CSSLP certifications.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership in Trustworthy AI Governance
Project/Contribution Description:
I created the AI TIPS™ (Trust Integrated Pillars for Sustainability) framework in 2019 — four years before the NIST AI Risk Management Framework — to give enterprises a comprehensive, operational approach to AI governance. AI TIPS comprises eight governance pillars (Cybersecurity, Privacy, Ethics & Bias, Transparency, Explainability, Governance, Audit, Accountability), 243 operational controls mapped to the CSA AI Controls Matrix, a quantitative Trust Index (0–100), six lifecycle gates (G0–G5), role-based scorecards for five stakeholder types, and regulatory crosswalks to the EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, ISO 42001, and CSA AICM. V2 was published on arXiv in 2025 with a provisional patent filed. Beyond the framework, I built a full thought leadership platform: the Trustworthy AI podcast featuring practitioners from MITRE, NatWest, CSA, and Wayfair; a weekly newsletter reaching ~4,000 subscribers; and consistent LinkedIn thought leadership translating complex regulatory and security challenges into actionable intelligence for CISOs, CROs, and AI leaders.

Key Achievements and Impact:
2025 ISACA Joseph J. Wasserman Award — the highest individual honor in IT governance and risk management. Thinkers360 Top 50 Women Thought Leaders on AI 2026. Ranked #3 globally in Risk Management and #7 in Cybersecurity on Thinkers360 for four consecutive years. Six consecutive years chairing and speaking on the GenAI stage at World AI Summit NYC. AI TIPS demonstrates 40–50% ISO 42001 timeline compression for enterprises pursuing certification. The Trustworthy AI Briefing newsletter consistently exceeds industry benchmarks on open rates. LinkedIn thought leadership shows growing organic engagement week over week. ISC2 invited panelist for their 2026 AI Spotlight Conference. ISACA NY Metropolitan Chapter AI training collaborator. The framework has been cited in governance conversations across healthcare, financial services, and technology sectors, and is being explored for integration with partners including GLACIS Technologies for a Define–Prove–Certify architecture.

Supporting URLs/Links:
arXiv paper URL https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.09114 (will repost after adding more case studies)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/buildingtrustedaiholistically
https://trustedai.ai
https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/2231233/episodes
https://www.thinkers360.com/top-50-global-thought-leaders-and-influencers-on-cybersecurity-2026/

Award Nominee

Name: Peter Tarhanidis, Ph.D., M.B.A.
Organization/Company: Praxis Advisory
Job Title/Position: CEO and President
Country: United States
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Mr. Tarhanidis is a distinguished leader as a senior strategy and operations executive, trusted industry advisor, dedicated board member, and a well-respected academic. Influences purposeful action among leaders in advancing healthier firms and society. Peter has a proven $5B+ track record maximizing profitability, and converting competitive advantages into world-class operating and quality mgmt. systems to serve stakeholders. His career spans diverse public, advisory, and nonprofit sectors. He is a transformational servant leader building on individual stakeholder rapport to influence inclusive, empowerment, and accountability cultures. Peter approaches business with a creative point of view. His mastery is in strategically orchestrating solutions to complex business situations in rapidly shifting global markets. He is an expert presenter and negotiator exhibiting business acumen in balancing strategic decisions with fiscal stewardship. Peter is a sought-after advisor to industry research firms supporting client insight generation.

A 10+ year history in academia as a practitioner-scholar across 4 universities who inspires lifelong learning as part of the value of student’s performance in their community and respective industry.

A 12+ year matured board director providing governance and performance oversight to 5 nonprofits driving mission-driven community impacts. Committees served: Strategy, Human Capital, University Relations, Robotics, Endowment/Planned Giving, Stewardship, Ways & Means, Cultural, Academia Symposia, Metropolis/Parish Education, Federal/State Governmental Affairs

Recognized by Who’s Who; U.S. White House Communication Agency; U.S. Commerce Department, Chatham Township NJ, United Nations; invested as Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate as a protector of the faith, democracy & and human rights.

Peter seeks roles in mid-sized firms as an executive or board member who can restructure a business for sustainable growth of the brand’s distinction or Consulting, Speaking, or Executive Coaching.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership Top Leadership Lessons to Master
Project/Contribution Description:
Provided thought leadership content, coaching, and mentoring of senior executives to ensure they can enable healthier firms and societies.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Built up a subscription platform and virtual support for 650 clients

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7280615952155570179/
https://www.praxisadvisor.com

Award Nominee

Name: Prof. Henrik von Scheel
Organization/Company: Strategic Intelligence I World Economic Forum
Job Title/Position: Cofounder
Country: Switzerland
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Best known as the originator of the 4th Industrial Revolution and the digital themes of today. For the past two decades, he has set the global agenda for nations and leading organizations via the World Economic Forum, serving as co-founder of Strategic Intelligence. Named "the most influential futurist of the century" by CNBC.

As a Professor of Strategic Management and Economics, he has dedicated research to Patternicity a scientific approach to contextual intelligence known and historical cycles and Patterns of Economic Recessions. His most notable, he includes co-authoring 153 Business, Architecture and IT standards such as SAP implementation method. architecture standards for OMG, ISO, IEEE, Leading Practice, and the NATO Architecture Framework.

His work has influenced 24 national economies and 23% of Fortune 500 high-growth companies, earning him recognition from the Financial Times as a leading authority on strategy. Acknowledged as 'the most influential management thinker of our times' by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum the ruler of Dubai.

He serves as an Advisory Council Member for the Artificial Intelligence Act and EU Climate Change Board, where he plays a pivotal role in shaping the Green Deal, FIT for 55, and CBAM (Scope 1-3). Acting Vice-Chair at the World Economic Forum Regulatory Intelligence Committee.

Consistently ranked as the #1 most requested global futurist speaker in recent years. A sought-after advisor on the most challenging and important issues in business today.

Gain more insight at www.von-scheel.com

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leaders of the Year in Technology
Project/Contribution Description:
Best known as the originator of the 4th Industrial Revolution and the digital themes of today. For the past two decades, he has set the global agenda for nations and leading organizations via the World Economic Forum, serving as co-founder of Strategic Intelligence. Named "the most influential futurist of the century" by CNBC.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Named "the most influential futurist of the century" by CNBC. Awarded “Manufacturing Champion 2025” by MEPCA magazine as the most influential thought leader in manufacturing.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/vonscheel/

Supporting File (1): Click

Award Nominee

Name: Stephen Crook
Organization/Company: DelMorgan & Co.
Job Title/Position: Managing Director
Country: United States
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Thought Leader | Managing Director | Investment Banking | Trusted Client Advisor | Big Data / Advanced Analytics / Digital Transformation

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Investment Banking / M&A Thought Leadership
Project/Contribution Description:
Green Boot Studios first net positive movie production studio and campus outside of Austin, TX

Key Achievements and Impact:
Secured top executive producers as project advisors
Secured the top architect in the country to help us design and build the facility
Overall project management of the project

Supporting File (1): Click

Award Nominee

Name: Rodrigo Braga
Organization/Company: Grupo Ourho
Job Title/Position: CTO
Country: Brazil
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
CTO at Grupo Ourho | LinkedIn TOP 1% | TOP Voicer LATAM by Thinkers360 | IT Executive | Digital Transformation | Tech Recruiter | Senior member of the board of Instituto Coalizão Rio | 20k+ followers

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership in HR Recruitment Technology
Project/Contribution Description:
I was a pioneer in developing artificial intelligence for the recruitment and staffing industry in Brazil, having created the country’s first AI solution in the early 2010s.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Through this artificial intelligence, currently used on the cadernonacional.com.br portal, it became possible to identify résumés that match job openings in record time, achieving nearly 98% accuracy without relying on filters or predefined text patterns. The system also works in reverse, identifying suitable job openings based on the résumé content.
Ultimately, we discovered that the product could be applied to virtually any type of content comparison.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://cadernonacional.com.br

Award Nominee

Name: Sudhakar Reddy Gade
Organization/Company: Nirvedha Executive Coaching Solutions Pvt Ltd
Job Title/Position: Founder - Executive Director
Country: India
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
I am an Executive Coach and a consistent top-ranked thought leader on the Thinkers360 platform. Over the past three years, I have maintained a position in the Top 50 Coaches and Top 25 Career Coaches globally, demonstrating sustained influence and engagement in the industry. My work focuses on empowering leaders through [mention one unique method, e.g., strategic career transitions or leadership resilience] to bridge the gap between potential and performance. This nomination recognises my ongoing contributions to the coaching community and my verified track record of thought leadership from 2023 through 2025.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Sustained Thought Leadership Excellence: Top 50 Global Coach (2023-2026)
Project/Contribution Description:
This submission recognises my sustained contribution to the global coaching industry as a top-tier Thought Leader. Unlike single-event achievements, my influence is demonstrated by a three-year consistency of ranking on the Thinkers360 platform, specifically within the highly competitive 'Coaching' and 'Career' categories.

This achievement reflects a dedication to high-quality content creation, active community engagement, and the successful mentorship of professionals transitioning into leadership roles. By consistently ranking in the Top 50 (Coaches) and Top 25 (Career Coaches), I have proven the stability and reach of my thought leadership, validating my methodology and voice among peers and clients alike.

Key Achievements and Impact:
1. Consistently Ranked Top 50 Global Coach: Maintained a position on the Thinkers360 Leaderboard for three consecutive years (2023–2025), proving sustained industry relevance.
2. Top 25 Career Coach: Specialised recognition in the Career Coaching vertical, establishing niche authority beyond general leadership.
3. Verified Impact Score (288 Total): My Thinkers360 portfolio demonstrates a balanced "Thought Leader" profile, with Influencer (151 points) and Author (124 points) as the primary categories.
4. Content & Engagement: This 43%/52 % Author-Influencer split indicates that my ranking is driven by substantive content creation (articles/methodologies) rather than passive network size.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/lead-leadership-enablement-and-development/id1411497125

Supporting File (1): Click
Supporting File (2): Click

Award Nominee

Name: Dr. Ajaya Sankar R
Organization/Company: Trend International Co. LLC
Job Title/Position: Deputy General Manager
Country: Oman
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
> Highly motivated Revenue Growth Lead with a proven record of achieving exceptional results. Focused on developing and implementing strategic initiatives to drive revenue growth and increase market share. Strong analytical skills and expertise in identifying expansion opportunities. Committed to delivering measurable outcomes and exceeding targets.
> 20+ years of experience in sales and marketing roles in Business Development (B2B & B2C), consistently delivering results by implementing commercial strategies.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership in B2B GRC
Project/Contribution Description:
As part of my thought leadership project, I will integrate ESG principles with corporate governance to drive sustainable revenue growth globally.
Project purpose.
Through ethical governance, stakeholder alignment, and business strategies aligned with ESG mandates, the initiative promotes resilient growth. Through this process, organizations move from compliance-driven reporting to models that integrate ESG into their go-to-market strategy and board roles. This work addresses several MENA-specific challenges, including technological disruption and family-owned business dynamics.

Scope and Deliverables
This project will include environmental audits, social impact monitoring, governance reform, and AI-driven sustainability initiatives across sales, procurement, and leadership roles within Gulf corporations. As an international business development leader with 18+ years of experience in the Middle East and India, she targets both B2B and B2C clients.

Key deliverables:
The LinkedIn articles "Adapting Corporate Governance to ESG and Growth Goals" and "Integrating ESG into Corporate Strategy" provide step-by-step frameworks (e.g., ESG audits, board KPIs, and technology integration).
A guide to overcoming MENA governance hurdles, including GRI/TCFD reporting standards and resilient leadership models.
Board members can align commercial goals with sustainability goals by leveraging evidence-based insights into stakeholder trust.

Key Achievements and Impact:
1) Supported organizations in integrating ESG into core strategy using an eight-step governance framework, which helped improve ESG alignment and reduced compliance risk.
2) A replicable model that boards can use to improve accountability, resilience, and stakeholder trust has been provided in widely read articles on MENA governance challenges and future-proof leadership.
3) Extensive revenue growth and market expansion experience to connect ESG and governance insights with commercial outcomes for Middle Eastern and Indian companies, enabling them to link sustainability initiatives with long-term value creation and growth plans.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/effectiveness-corporate-governance-initiatives-based-digital-sankar-xe3mf/?trackingId=74nNR5OcRuaw%2BOHezD4gYw%3D%3D
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/implications-geopolitical-tensions-international-business-sankar-oduef/?trackingId=74nNR5OcRuaw%2BOHezD4gYw%3D%3D
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/integrating-sustainability-esg-criteria-corporate-strategy-sankar-eojcf/?trackingId=74nNR5OcRuaw%2BOHezD4gYw%3D%3D
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/building-long-term-value-how-evolving-corporate-reshaping-sankar-fitnf/?trackingId=74nNR5OcRuaw%2BOHezD4gYw%3D%3D
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/opec-tcfd-can-align-climate-governance-ajaya-sankar-9bhac/?trackingId=74nNR5OcRuaw%2BOHezD4gYw%3D%3D
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/globalization-tokenism-middle-easts-women-boards-ajaya-sankar-mgisc/?trackingId=74nNR5OcRuaw%2BOHezD4gYw%3D%3D
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/future-board-accountability-mena-ai-blockchain-digital-ajaya-sankar-cc72f/?trackingId=74nNR5OcRuaw%2BOHezD4gYw%3D%3D
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/corporate-governance-sovereign-wealth-funds-swfs-investors-sankar-rq5ff/?trackingId=74nNR5OcRuaw%2BOHezD4gYw%3D%3D
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/strengthening-corporate-governance-through-strategies-ajaya-sankar-ecdof/?trackingId=74nNR5OcRuaw%2BOHezD4gYw%3D%3D
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/middle-easts-evolving-corporate-governance-landscape-ajaya-sankar-9osef/?trackingId=74nNR5OcRuaw%2BOHezD4gYw%3D%3D
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/adapting-corporate-governance-esg-growth-goals-guide-ajaya-sankar-idjlf/?trackingId=74nNR5OcRuaw%2BOHezD4gYw%3D%3D
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/rise-esg-gulf-corporations-between-regulatory-mandates-ajaya-sankar-adjrf/?trackingId=74nNR5OcRuaw%2BOHezD4gYw%3D%3D

Award Nominee

Name: Raluca Ioana CIBU BUZAC
Organization/Company: LUMINSPINO
Job Title/Position: Founder and CEO
Country: Romania
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Raluca CIBU BUZAC is Founder and CEO of Luminspino, an advanced process consulting company focused on the complete innovation management lifecycle, both in the private and the public arenas.

Raluca holds an extensive experience in economic development – policy design and implementation, management of EU funded projects, coupled with experience in coordinating and orchestrating multi-stakeholder initiatives at international level.

With Luminspino, Raluca provides innovation management and scaling advisory support for a significant number of European Union-based SMEs developing radical climate innovations, technical assistance through programme and project evaluations for European Commission pilot innovation schemes, as well as advisory work for regional development agencies and line ministries in drawing up guidelines for proposals within the topics of research, innovation, technology transfer, innovative startups and SMEs.

Raluca generated two “signature” services for Luminspino, both endorsed by the European Innovation Council as “Partner services,” and that already demonstrated success – the “Breakthrough to Scale” advanced process mentoring for climate innovators, and the “Learning Networks for First Movers” facilitated process for change makers.

Before Luminspino, Raluca was a prominent member of the Steering and Advisory Bureau of Enterprise Europe Network, and led the West Romania Digital Innovation Hub, the Tehimpuls centre for innovation and technology transfer, and the activities of internationalisation and business support for the West Regional Development Agency in Timisoara.

Moreover, Raluca acts as an evaluator for the European Commission, concerning projects submitted under the EU Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe programmes, I3 – Interregional Innovation Investments, or Regional Innovation Valleys, as well as within DG Regio’s Operational Programmes’ components focused on research and innovation.

At European-wide level, Raluca acts as expert for exploitation of research results, go to market, business planning and access to funding within the BOOSTER platform. As well, Raluca is a coach for the BLUEINVEST community supporting innovative enterprises in the blue economy, and a mentor for the German Innovation Network for Advanced Materials.

Trained with Lead International in sustainability, with Invest Europe in venture capital, with Oxford University in Nature-based Solutions, and certified as innovation expert by Kearney IMP3rove, Raluca is currently working on her PhD in consciousness studies at the International University for Professional Studies in the United States, under the guidance of Dr. Christian de Quincey, American philosopher, and author in the fields of consciousness and cosmology.

With the aim of exploring how alternative states of consciousness inform and influence our everyday lives, Raluca studied “Active Dreaming,” i.e., a body of knowledge and a training programme crafted by Robert Moss, American historian, journalist, and author, and she became certified as “dream teacher,” by the creator of the School of Active Dreaming.

She founded SUNCHILD with the vision to offer active dreaming workshops and coaching, and she already did so in Romania, Jordan, and Germany.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership in Consciousness
Project/Contribution Description:
Beside being a Ph.D. candidate in Consciousness Studies, I am the founder of two enterprises, one focused on innovation and business consulting (Luminspino ), while the other focuses on hosting alternative states of consciousness (ASCs) workshops (SunChild ). In recent years, I have often reflected on how to create a bridge between the two domains of knowledge and practice. Consequently, I laid the conceptual groundwork for a radically innovative consulting service—blending mainstream business and innovation consulting with consciousness research focused on ASCs. My intention here is to support researchers, managers, innovators, and entrepreneurs to broaden their learning and knowledge through new information gathered during facilitated ASC sessions. The aim here is to accelerate innovations and develop visions and strategies for the future that could be potential socio-economic game-changers.
The best-known examples of alternative states of consciousness include dreaming sleep, nondreaming sleep, liminal states such as hypnagogia (transitional state from wakefulness to sleep), or hypnopompia (state of consciousness leading out of sleep), and meditative states.
My passion and interest for practicing, and observing ASCs has grown in recent years, given that our experience of alternative states is conducive to creativity, problem-solving, better decision-making, as well as sentiments of hope, solace, joy, peace, and many more positive ones.
Moreover, as my PhD mentor Christian de Quincey noticed, “our indigenous ancestors have practiced ASCs for millennia and, in doing so, have found ways to avoid or overcome the consequences of split-brains (neocortex vs. limbic system). In alternative states of consciousness, the divisions between thinking and feeling are transcended,” resulting in what de Quincey has termed “feeling our thinking.” When thinking remains “embodied,” there is no disconnect between the neocortex and the limbic system. We could say that when we “feel our thinking,” we are “thinking” with the whole body, not just the brain.
Experiencing deep relaxation, lingering in daydreaming, letting imagination run wild, or even dedicating ourselves to breathing exercises . . . all these “interludes” to the baseline state of consciousness bring inner balance, peace, and joy. During altered states like meditation or nature walks, fresh ideas, images, and inspiration surge onto our mental screen. The intentional and consistent practice of ASCs leads to an overall improved quality of life.
The main intent behind the new consulting service is to create conditions for researchers and managers to experience consciousness shifts—breakthroughs to a new state that enhances creativity and innovation—benefitting from new information revealed during ASC sessions related to their research or strategy.

Key Achievements and Impact:
The name of the service, “Ascendant Innovation” expresses the core intent of the service and acknowledges leadership as a significant ingredient for achieving change triggered by innovation.
The adjective “ascendant,” from the Latin ascendere, refers to rising, either in power or influence. If we consider the metaphor of the light switch, in relation to the psychological meaning of consciousness, “ascendant” in this case can also mean an elevated state of consciousness, and the brighter light of higher consciousness . Moreover, in the context of business management, the term could also imply a competitive advantage, that of the forerunner, who acquires new knowledge from ASCs, unlike mainstream scientists and managers.
The modus operandi for the service will involve two “state-specific” advisory streams:
1. During waking state, the body of knowledge from innovation management and strategy design/execution will be deployed, by primarily relying on Luminspino’s signature/trademark services Breakthrough to Scale and Learning Networks for First Movers. These are recently generated innovative services, already delivering impact.
2. During ASCs, the body of knowledge from active dreaming and meditation practice will be used.
Alongside with the “Ascendant Innovation” service, we propose the launch of a new function and job title within companies and organisations: Chief Consciousness Officer, whose mission would be to re-introduce within mainstream innovation and management practices knowledge lost and overlooked by focusing exclusively on the physical world at the starting point of science. The CCO will be involved in, for example, internal decision-making, strategies, research, organisational culture, and product/service generation, viewed through the lens and contribution of consciousness research.
We plan to develop two training programmes for future CCOs, as follows:
 Basic training (during year 2 of service implementation), potentially containing course topics such as “major worldviews,” “two meanings of ‘consciousness’,” “Plate-Glass versus Looking-Glass science,” “subtle worlds,” “theory and practice of ASCs,” etc.
 Advanced training (during year 4 of the service implementation).

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://sunchild.world/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/11_Ascendant-Innovation.pdf
The New Service "Ascendant Innovation" - https://youtu.be/doN69Ov5n9k
https://sunchild.world/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/1_Alternative-States-of-Consciousness-for-Tapping-into-the-Potential-of-Evolution.pdf
The New Role of Chief Consciousness Officer - https://youtu.be/RScc3Yz3O_I

Supporting File (1): Click
Supporting File (2): Click

Award Nominee

Name: Julie Williamson, PhD
Organization/Company: Karrikins Group
Job Title/Position: CEO
Country: United States
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Keynote Speaker | Partner | Podcast Host | Best Selling Author | Forbes Business Council | CEO Magazine Contributor

Julie Williamson, PhD, is a business strategist, keynote speaker, and author. She is the CEO and Managing Partner at Karrikins Group, a global consulting firm focused on leadership alignment and transformation.

A leading voice in how alignment can transform leaders and organizations, Julie has worked around the world with some of the largest companies, helping them set and execute on strategy and transformation.

Julie is interested in how executive engagement happens and how leadership teams form and un-form. Her deep understanding of social science, combined with her executive experience and business acumen allows her to push past the barriers that hold back teams from finding alignment, transforming organizations, and accelerating growth.

Julie's professional purpose is to help leadership teams and companies embrace the importance of having a completed Diamond Triangle - knowing what they need to do, why they need to do it, and also HOW to do it together as a leadership team. HOW to lead together has been the missing piece for far too long, and Julie's work and energy is completely focused on closing this gap. For more on the Diamond Triangle, see the attached file, The HOW of Leadership.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership in Enterprise Leadership and Transformation
Project/Contribution Description:
Most companies today know what they need to do (their strategies, plans, Board mandates, etc.) and why they need to do it (mission, vision, purpose, etc.). Unfortunately, enterprise level leaders - those that need to span the organization to deliver on enterprise level goals - are not as well grounded in HOW to deliver together as a leadership team. As a result, the best laid plans quickly drift back to business as usual in many transformation efforts, and bold strategies go undelivered.

Julie has built a compelling thought leadership platform and company IP to solve this problem. She is fully dedicated to improving the way enterprise level leaders lead, and thereby improving the results they deliver. She likes to remind leaders that 'nothing changes until someone changes, and that someone is probably you' while she challenges them to activate their own transformation before asking others to work differently.

Through her best selling book, Make HOW Matter, her podcast platform at The Failure Gap, and her publications, Julie is starting to open up new conversations with clients and in the industry about the importance of knowing how to lead together as a horizontal team.

The need for strong horizontal leadership has been around a long time. Julie's work, and by extension the work that Karrikins Group delivers to clients, focuses specifically on solving this narrow problem because she believes that is where she can make a lasting impact on business. She is determined to leave her mark by bringing fresh thinking and accessible tools and resources to leadership teams who are ready to do the hard work and make HOW matter.

She challenges leaders to clarify and connect with the mindsets, group dynamics, and tradeoffs that influence their decisions and behaviors. From there, she and her colleagues work with clients to build commitment to new ways of working together and to fuel the courage to work differently even when it gets hard (which it always does).

When leadership teams have a completed Diamond Triangle (TM) they know what they need to do, why they need to do it, and how to do it together as a team. With that foundation, they are able to deliver on strategic goals, transform their organizations, and exceed market and customer expectations.

HOW has been the missing piece for too long, and it has cost companies billions of dollars in failed transformations, suboptimal strategic execution, and missed market opportunities. It is time for leaders to lean into the work of defining how they want to lead and work together, and Julie's thought leadership provides a roadmap for doing just that.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Julie's book, Make HOW Matter quickly achieved best seller status in 4 out of 5 of its Amazon categories and 5 out of 5 in its Kindle categories.

Over the last five years, Karrikins Group has used Julie's methodologies and frameworks to transform enterprise leadership at S&P 500 companies as well as mid-market and other global organization. She has build a repeatable solution for leadership teams to leverage as they do the work to define how they want to lead together as an enterprise team of peers.

Specific measurable outcomes include:
=> Over 2500 leaders have been impacted by participating in a Karrikins program
=> One client received board approval for a ~$1.5B acquisition after a 6-month alignment sprint with Karrikins Group
=> 93% of leaders surveyed reported immediately applying what they learned after participating in a Karrikins solution
=> Teams on average report a 60% improvement in how well they are working together as a team
=> A mid-market company who worked closely with Karrikins for over a year so a 50%+ increase in growth, which they attributed in part to their work with Karrikins

Supporting URLs/Links:
Book: www.makehowmatter.com
Podcast: www.thefailuregap.com
Karrikins Group: www.karrikinsgroup.com
Bio: www.karrikinsgroup.com/meet-karrikins/julie-williamson/

I wanted to let you know that I was unable to upload our white paper, The HOW of Leadership, which I'm happy to provide over email. Additionally, I had to compress the high res headshot by close to 75% to get it small enough to attach, so I'm not sure if it is still high res.... Happy to provide via a different channel. Thank you!

Supporting File (1): Click

Award Nominee

Name: Mustafa Hafizoglu
Organization/Company: Advisors Turkey
Job Title/Position: Managing Partner
Country: Turkey
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
28 years of complex project/program & product management experience.
Co-founder and past president of PMI Turkey Chapter
Project Management Instructor at Middle East Technical University and Atilim University
Co-author of 4 project management books and writer of two book chapters
International Speaker and Trainer
Managing Director - Advisors Turkey

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership in Project and Product Management
Project/Contribution Description:
Dr. Mustafa founded the PMO Gathering event in Turkiye and organized it twice, under the name PMO Summit in 2025, attracting not only PMO Leaders but also all project management professionals. He initiated the writing of the PMO Manifesto with the contribution of 20 PMO leaders in 2025, delivered keynote speeches on PMOs and projects, and consulted and trained over 100 professionals worldwide.
Founded the SNAx, the first social network analysis tool in the world to explore informal networks of projects.
Founded futureofpmo.com

Key Achievements and Impact:
Founded the futureofpmo.com
Gathered PMOs: https://www.pyozirvesi.com/_files/ugd/5b9952_58a2cdabd26749459749eaafd6118d48.pdf
Founded SNAx: thepmtools.com

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://www.pyozirvesi.com/_files/ugd/5b9952_58a2cdabd26749459749eaafd6118d48.pdf
futureofpmo.com
thepmtools.com

Supporting File (1): Click
Supporting File (2): Click
Supporting File (3): Click

Award Nominee

Name: John Thompson
Organization/Company: The World of Analytics
Job Title/Position: Owner and Principal Consultant
Country: United States
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
John is an international technology executive with over 38 years of experience in the fields of data, advanced analytics, and all forms of artificial intelligence (AI).

While the global Head of AI at EY, John actively led the ideation, design, development, implementation, & use of innovative Gen AI, Foundational AI, & Causal AI solutions, across all of EY's Service Lines, operating functions, geographies, & for EY's clients globally.

John led a team of 400+ staff & contractors was comprised of - an Applied AI Research group, and a Product Development team.

In the Applied AI Research Group, the team pioneered the development of LLM & SLM Orchestration, Agents, use of Short & Long Term Memory, Expert Model & MOE Architectures. Also, the team worked on refining our approaches to: advanced prompt engineering, in context learning, building LLMs & SLMs from scratch, fine tuning LLMs & SLMs, & high performance GenAI implementations.

In the product development team, the team built the Intelligence Layer of EY Fabric. We implemented an environment to encompass all the phases of Foundational/Classical AI from model design to moving models in and out of production environments. We defined and disseminated the reference architecture for GenAI use across all of EY. Also, we built a number of leading edge GenAI applications, and an experimentation zone for EY teams to collaborate with internal teams and clients to build new Generative AI applications.

We developed and released:
- One of the world's largest, secure, private GenAI environment, which has been the fastest growing tech service in EY's history serving over 300,000 employees, achieving 99.6% adoption in under a year
- a Synthetic Data Generation Service
- an Enterprise Prompt Engineering & Mgt Service
- a multi tiered orchestration layer
- an agent development & deployment architecture for simple agents, intelligent agents, self replicating agents and polymorphic agents

We built innovative solutions for EY to use internally and then we made those solutions available to our clients around the world. Our group delivered global solutions.

We drove the leading edge of AI at EY. EY uses our work to position itself as a leader in AI

John has been responsible for the global advanced analytics and AI function at a leading biopharmaceutical company where he led a team that developed and deployed over 25 analytical applications in 3 years. John was an Executive Partner at Gartner, where he was management consultant to market leading companies in the areas of digital transformation, data monetization and advanced analytics. Before Gartner, John was responsible for the advanced analytics business unit of the Dell Software Group.

John's fifth and most recent book is - The Path to AGI (Artificial General Intelligence)

Explore the history, current state, and path forward for all three fundamental areas of Artificial Intelligence

When most people talk about AI, they are talking about Generative AI (GenAI). GenAI is useful and valuable, but the field of AI is much more than GenAI. AI has been under active development for over 70 years. This book explores all the nuances and differences in each of the three areas of AI.

As AI moves towards larger and more comprehensive applications and solutions, we will see an evolution of all three areas of AI, and a convergence toward Composite AI. Composite AI will be the state of the art for many years and possibly even decades. Composite AI will grow and evolve into Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).

While AGI is an exciting theme for science fiction movies, it will not arrive in the next few years. The path to AGI will be long and challenging. We discuss the pragmatic and practical path in detail.

The Path to AGI is a reference book and guide for those interested in all types of AI and how these types will merge, integrate, and evolve into one of the most consequential technologies the world has ever seen.

John's fourth book is - Causal Artificial Intelligence, The Next Step in Effective, Efficient, and Practical AI
Discover the next major revolution in data science and AI and how it applies to your organization.

In Causal Artificial Intelligence: The Next Step in Effective, Efficient, and Practical AI, a team of dedicated tech executives delivers a business-focused approach based on a deep and engaging exploration of the models and data used in causal AI.

The book's discussions include both accessible and understandable technical detail and business context and concepts that frame causal AI in familiar business settings.

Useful for both data scientists and business-side professionals, this is an enlightening and easy-to-understand treatment of an essential business topic. A must-read for data scientists, subject matter experts, and business leaders seeking to familiarize themselves with a rapidly growing area of AI application and research.

John is the author of – Data for All, will be published in the Fall of 2022. Written for the general public, the book is an outline of how the world of data works today and how it will work in the near future. Described as a “Revolutionary Manifesto for Data”, the book instructs people in how to protect and manage their data and the data of their loved ones. Data for All communicates how to do this in applied and practical terms.

John is the author of the bestselling book – Building Analytics Teams: Leveraging analytics and artificial intelligence for business improvement. The book was published in June 2020 and outlines how to hire and manage high performance advanced analytics teams. The book outlines how to engage with executives and senior managers. How to select and undertake analytics projects that change and improve how a business operates.

John is co-author of the bestselling book – Analytics: How to win with Intelligence, which debuted on Amazon as the #1 new book in Analytics in 2017. Analytics is a book that guides non-technical executives through the journey of creating an analytics function, funding initiatives, and driving change in business operations through data and applied analytical applications.

Mr. Thompson’s technology expertise includes all aspects of advanced analytics and information management including – descriptive, predictive and prescriptive analytics, artificial intelligence, analytical applications, deep learning, cognitive computing, big data, simulation, optimization, synthetic data, and high-performance computing.

One of John’s primary areas of focus and interest has been to create innovative technologies to increase the value derived by organizations around the world.

John has built start-up organizations from the ground up and he has reengineered business units of Fortune 500 firms to reach their potential. He has directly managed and run - sales, marketing, consulting, support, and product development organizations.

He is a technology leader with expertise and experience spanning all operational areas with a focus on strategy, product innovation, growth and efficient execution.

Thompson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Ferris State University and a MBA in Marketing from DePaul University.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership in AI, AGI, Agents and related Technologies
Project/Contribution Description:
John has written 5 books on data, analytics, AI and AGI. Also, John delivers keynote addresses at conferences, hosts podcasts, and appears as a guest on over 100 podcasts each year. In addition to writing and speaking about the current state and future of AI, John teaches at the University of Michigan on how to develop and manage high performance AI teams. In 2026, John will act as an Innovation Fellow at the University of Michigan where he will be working at the interaction of higher education, technology innovation, and enterprise adoption and use of AI.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Key Awards and Achievements
Top 10 Thought Leader - AI Governance
Top 10 Thought Leader - AI Ethics
Top 10 Thought Leader - AGI
Top 25 Thought Leader - Agentic AI
Top 50 Thought Leader - AI Strategy
Top Thought Leader - Data Science
Top Thought Leader - Artificial Intelligence
Top Thought Leader - Big Data
Top Thought Leader - Data & Analytics
Top AI Consultant
Top Thought Leader - Analytics
Data Leader Shaping the Industry
DataIQ 100 - 2025
Gold Stevie Award - EY Fabric
Artificial Intelligence Excellence Award
DataIQ 100 - 2024

Quantified Impact
$38M+
Payroll savings achieved in the first full year of operations leveraging an AI powered system to predict optimal staffing mix across a network of locations.

74%
Reduction in surgical site sepsis over three years. Resulted in saving lives and millions of dollars in costs while improving patient quality of life and hospital operational efficiency.

Award Winning
European telecom client won prestigious international award for targeted micro banking services in emerging markets.

$47M
First enterprise sale of dual purpose technology designed, developed, and delivered for internal and external use.

10+ Years
Duration of use for a novel AI Application that predicted the best target markets for new product introductions in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry.

1.1M
New customers added in the COVID Era. Through the implementation of 4 targeted operational changes driven by AI insights and findings.

Supporting URLs/Links:
www.theworldofanalytics.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnkthompson/
https://www.amazon.com/Path-AGI-Artificial-General-Intelligence-ebook/dp/B0DYJYVZG2
https://www.amazon.com/Data-All-John-K-Thompson-ebook/dp/B0C3DKYCZK/ref=sr_1_1?crid=J7XCC7O7T59J&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.PHN_coFahQ-mVRSFsBCLxYOM26tdSvkiFHGITTF_vEfGx2M6pJG6HstARby1rsQj-S8Hhb1Bh6w0Ag0kqy_E7-mDlXBQrbDWOG-zODZr-NReyyGYaOw_li2QupH1W1Cyq9mNjYwGWoIzTur3rbwCzZwkgGV-6JQMRI97BBl62HOQ1_DMmZ1lXZp_uXrCQLIOCWlrCxmjVoKY1CuQeS2H1BztqtHrcvfxQ6oHarLvX1I.qoIP2y5g8iGV97zokDd9ZBANb-FPSqmrYjqDWUcyd48&dib_tag=se&keywords=Data+for+all&qid=1765824158&s=digital-text&sprefix=data+for+all%2Cdigital-text%2C147&sr=1-1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1800203160/?bestFormat=true&k=building%20analytics%20teams&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-bk-ww_k0_1_18_de&crid=242R11LRW5DWK&sprefix=Building%20analytics
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1800203160/?bestFormat=true&k=building%20analytics%20teams&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-bk-ww_k0_1_18_de&crid=242R11LRW5DWK&sprefix=Building%20analytics
https://www.amazon.com/Analytics-How-Intelligence-John-Thompson/dp/1634622375/ref=sr_1_1?crid=R0J4MCVPKHJP&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.MpzF3tWEUyUL12AFlkGJogjoUwepmlwhssdGu2TH47RSKEc8nLVAhRudn_tT_6CYOzYa5lUdN03kmKgXtCk3-lGPSXyl4dj573PvgStVe9Dbx2dwB23oEmFStoSHCHn2ulrSAob-DXDpwB1R07naassxlgWezdqzUSyuybILF57OtJaxErzGGdalpZerxw0g.RmzoDnNMhSdYkoppjVfJmP5mBEa9-Ck55-tIjU4vAYQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=analytics+how+to+win+with+intelligence&qid=1765824239&sprefix=Analytics+how+t%2Caps%2C129&sr=8-1
https://www.google.com/search?q=john+k+thompson+ai&rlz=1C1RXQR_enUS1041US1041&oq=&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCQgGECMYJxjqAjIJCAAQIxgnGOoCMgkIARAjGCcY6gIyCQgCECMYJxjqAjIJCAMQIxgnGOoCMgkIBBAjGCcY6gIyCQgFECMYJxjqAjIJCAYQIxgnGOoCMgkIBxAjGCcY6gLSAQoxNjU1MjVqMGo3qAIIsAIB8QX-EQJ8ttnkrvEF_hECfLbZ5K4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Award Nominee

Name: Patrick Van Hull
Organization/Company: Supply Chain Storyteller
Job Title/Position: Supply Chain Strategist and Thought Leader
Country: United States
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Patrick Van Hull is a globally recognized supply chain thought leader who helps executives rethink resilience, digital transformation, and the future of work. Drawing on two decades across practitioner, advisory, and technology roles, he translates complexity into clear, practical narratives that influence how leaders make decisions.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership That Rebuilds Supply Chain Work for an AI-First World
Project/Contribution Description:
Patrick Van Hull’s contribution is sustained thought leadership that reshapes how senior leaders understand supply chains in an era of constant disruption and accelerating AI adoption.

Rather than treating technology as the solution, Patrick challenges the underlying assumptions that define supply chain work itself. His work reframes supply chains as decision systems shaped by human judgment, governance, and capability design. Through keynotes, executive advisory, published writing, and ongoing digital engagement, he helps leaders move beyond incremental automation toward adaptive, AI-enabled operating models.

What distinguishes Patrick’s thought leadership is its grounding in lived experience. Having worked inside global supply chains and alongside executive teams across industries, he bridges strategy and execution, future vision and present reality. His narratives give leaders language for problems they feel but struggle to articulate, and direction for change that is practical rather than theoretical.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Recognized multiple times as a Top 25 Global Supply Chain Thought Leader, reflecting sustained influence rather than episodic visibility

Delivered keynote presentations and executive forums that shape how organizations think about resilience, AI, and the redesign of supply chain roles and processes

Built a trusted, independent voice followed by senior supply chain, operations, and technology leaders across industries

Influenced executive conversations by reframing digital transformation from tool adoption to decision quality, capability development, and human–technology collaboration

Consistently translates complex topics into narratives leaders use to align teams, guide investment, and make better decisions under uncertainty

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://www.scstoryteller.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZLoKPrwljk
https://walton.uark.edu/departments/supplychain/directory/uid/pvanhull/name/Patrick+Van+Hull/

Award Nominee

Name: Pradeep Singh
Organization/Company: Thought Leader of the Year
Job Title/Position: Founder & Chairman
Country: United Arab Emirates
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Capt. Pradeep Singh is a Master Mariner, global entrepreneur, and thought leader operating across shipping, real estate, sustainability, and leadership. Founder & Chairman of Karma Developers, he brings decades of frontline maritime command and advisory influence into cross-border asset strategy and urban development. Harvard-trained and an Amazon bestselling author, he is recognised by Forbes, Arabian Business, and Gulf Business for redefining leadership across industries.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: From Sea to Skyline: Translating Maritime Discipline into Sustainable Leadership & Asset Strategy
Project/Contribution Description:
I am a Master Mariner turned global entrepreneur who has translated decades of maritime command, risk management, and crisis leadership into scalable frameworks for business, real estate, and asset strategy.

My contribution lies in applying maritime discipline—decision-making under uncertainty, capital efficiency, safety culture, and long-term stewardship—to modern leadership challenges across real estate development, maritime advisory, technology, and education. Through my ventures, books, keynote engagements, and advisory roles, I focus on sustainable asset creation, resilient leadership, and value engineering across economic cycles.

This work bridges traditionally siloed sectors—shipping, real estate, and capital strategy—into a unified leadership philosophy grounded in accountability, systems thinking, and future readiness.

Key Achievements and Impact:
• Founded and scaled multiple international businesses across maritime services, real estate development, technology, and advisory services operating in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia
• Recognized with multiple global honors including international knighthoods, honorary doctorates, and leadership awards across business and sustainability
• Author of No Map, Just Vision, an Amazon #1 bestseller, exploring leadership, resilience, and decision-making under pressure
• Regular keynote speaker and panelist at global forums on leadership, sustainability, asset strategy, and risk governance
• Actively mentors entrepreneurs, maritime professionals, and emerging leaders, promoting disciplined capital allocation and long-term value creation
• Advocates for education, seafarer welfare, and women empowerment through sustained philanthropic initiatives

Impact is reflected not only in commercial outcomes but in the adoption of cross-industry leadership principles that emphasize responsibility, resilience, and legacy over short-term gains.

Supporting URLs/Links:
wwww.pradeepsingh.ai
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pradeep_Singh
Https://linkedin.com/in/captps

Award Nominee

Name: Sujay Rao Mandavilli
Organization/Company: Institute for the study of the globalisation of science (Registered)
Job Title/Position: Managing director, Institute for the study of the globalization of science
Country: India
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Sujay Rao Mandavilli is an IT professional and a born-again Anthropologist, researcher and post-colonial thinker with major contributions to various fields of Anthropology and Social Sciences. He completed his Masters in Anthropology from the prestigious “Indira Gandhi National Open University” (IGNOU) in New Delhi, India in 2020 with a first class. He has made major contributions to Anthropological Economics, the Sociology of Science, theories of socio-cultural change, Identity theory, Historiography, language dynamics, scientific method, the philosophy of science, Indo-European studies, the Aryan Problem, and the identity of the Harappans. He also has a large number of basic and foundational contributions to scientific method. His hypothesis is that most fields of Social sciences which are based on a study on social and cultural variables, are based on old Eurocentric paradigms, and that better theories can only come from intellectual multipolarity, and Ethnographic data collected from different parts of the world. He believes this will lead to better scientific research, and greatly boost scientific output in different parts of the world that have hitherto lagged behind the West in scientific research. He also believes intellectual revolutions and enlightenments are required in different parts of the world, like they have taken place in the west.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought leader in the social sciences and the philosophy of science
Project/Contribution Description:
He has published over one hundred core research publications and ten books. All his publications have been republished in Social Science Research Network, or SSRN and through other publishers. He is the Founder-Director of the Institute for the Study of the Globalization of Science (Registered as the Globalization of Science Trust) which is has already started empaneling a group of researchers and scientists to plan its next course of action. He strongly believes that the ‘Globalization of Science’, with a particular emphasis on the social sciences, must become one of the major movements of the Twenty-first century as we move away from colonialism and imperialism. He has also founded a think tank called “Scholars and intellectuals for mankind” (SCHIMA), another think tank called the “Open, transparent, high-quality, and ideology-free science movement” riding piggyback on his large number of publications on scientific method, and a blog called “Abhilasha: This is not utopia”. Among his other missions, are revitalizing pedagogy for the twenty-first century, and reexamining the role of religion in the twenty-first century for which strategies have been devised. He has also launched a youtube channel in furtherance of these goals.

Key Achievements and Impact:
He has published over one hundred core research publications and ten books. All his publications have been republished in Social Science Research Network, or SSRN and through other publishers. He is the Founder-Director of the Institute for the Study of the Globalization of Science (Registered as the Globalization of Science Trust) which is has already started empaneling a group of researchers and scientists to plan its next course of action. He strongly believes that the ‘Globalization of Science’, with a particular emphasis on the social sciences, must become one of the major movements of the Twenty-first century as we move away from colonialism and imperialism. He has also founded a think tank called “Scholars and intellectuals for mankind” (SCHIMA), another think tank called the “Open, transparent, high-quality, and ideology-free science movement” riding piggyback on his large number of publications on scientific method, and a blog called “Abhilasha: This is not utopia”. Among his other missions, are revitalizing pedagogy for the twenty-first century, and reexamining the role of religion in the twenty-first century for which strategies have been devised. He has also launched a youtube channel in furtherance of these goals.

Supporting URLs/Links:
My work is widely available in the internet

Supporting File (1): Click
Supporting File (3): Click

Award Nominee

Name: Vaibhav Satapara
Organization/Company: Global Consultancy
Job Title/Position: Business Consultant
Country: India
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
A business consultant who transforms business for sustainable growth. I provide business consulting services for AI Integration, Branding, Skills and Human resource management, Marketing, Leadership development, Start-up advisory and customized business solutions.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Collaboration of Human Intelligence with Artificial Intelligence
Project/Contribution Description:
With an advent of Artificial Intelligence and it's use in business, lots of people are afraid that their jobs would be replaced by AI tools. Organizations also face dilemma about adoption of AI in business and it's impact on human resources and profitability. Should AI be considered as a competitor to Human Intelligence or as an effective collaborator of humankind ? Please read the article to find out more.

Key Achievements and Impact:
I have been recognized as Top 10 (#2) Thinker for AI Orchestration by Thinkers 360 on 10th December 2025.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7378783940293124097/


Supporting File (1): Click
Supporting File (3): Click

Award Nominee

Name: Zhanna Zhuravleva, Chartered FCIPD
Organization/Company: Tealsen
Job Title/Position: CEO
Country: United Kingdom
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
I’m a Chartered FCIPD HR transformation strategist, HR consultant, and Executive & Generative Coach with 3,500+ hours of executive, team coaching and mentoring.
I help founders and senior teams build values- and product-oriented HR operating models that connect culture, behaviours and delivery.
As author of HR Archetypes Dynamics™ (the 13-level Game–Shadow–Value Matrix) and the 4D Compass™ (SELF–SOFT–SOUL–SPIRIT ), I convert the organisation’s unconscious patterns into a practical lever for transformation, helping businesses optimise costs by eliminating inefficiencies.
My background spans HRD/CHRO roles and advisory across 30+ countries, redesigning talent, performance, learning and wellbeing to raise psychological safety and measurable outcomes.
I blend deep psychology with modern AI HR/HRIS and disciplined operating-model design.

UK-based, working globally.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership in Transformation
Project/Contribution Description:
I created two frameworks that are already successfully used in practice and have gained popularity.

HR Archetype Dynamics is a new way of understanding why transformations fail. I use psychology and an evolutionary approach to identify the “level of the game” an organization is playing. Based on that, we can forecast upcoming risks and challenges and design the HR model that fits this specific evolutionary level. The methodology is innovative, has received wide attention, and I apply it in my work with companies.

The second framework, Compass, fully replaces traditional HR approaches, including performance reviews. It enables companies to move to transparent, continuous feedback and to manage value creation in real time.

Key Achievements and Impact:
I sparked a trend around the idea that transformation should begin with working with the unconscious. I created a methodology that continues to evolve, and a training program based on it has been launched.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://hrzone.com/the-compass-a-dynamic-tool-to-help-end-tick-box-hr/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-hrbps-still-dont-move-needle-metabolic-alignment-zhanna-dfpie/?trackingId=7hZ%2Bp6W5QNaIPEquLcgqEA%3D%3D
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/energy-love-multidimensional-future-human-zhanna-0nlvf/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/hidden-games-value-how-stop-creating-anti-value-start-zhanna-dz7we/

Award Nominee

Name: Goutama Bachtiar
Organization/Company: EC-Council University
Job Title/Position: Industry Advisory Board
Country: Indonesia
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Board Member, Global Advisory Board, Multi-Fellow, Subject Matter Expert.

An accomplished technology advisory leader with over two decades of experience in Governance, Risk and Compliance on IT, Cybersecurity, and Artificial Intelligence.

Awarded as a fellow of multiple global institutes (Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, FINSIA and OneTrust, among others), and recently Cloud Security Alliance Research Fellow, he has over thirty global credentials, is a Global Awards Judge, and an Industry Advisory Board at EC-Council University, International Advisory Board Member at EC-Council, AI CERTs Advisory Board, and Packt Publishing Technology Advisory Board, as well as a Global Blockchain Business Council Regional Ambassador and Accredited Member of Australian Institute of Company Directors. Additionally, he serves as a Subject Matter Expert for ISACA, CompTIA, ISC2, the Open Compliance and Ethics Group, and the Project Management Institute.

In his IT auditing and consulting practices, he's steered 135+ organisations including Fortune 50, 500, Global 500, India 500 & Indonesia 100 companies. He has co-managed multi-million-dollar enterprise IT projects - 20,000 portfolio, program and project hours.

He has been delivering 320+ sessions to a total audience of 13,500+ people, racking up 6,800+ hours as a chairperson, moderator, jury, (keynote) speaker, panellist, trainer, and lecturer, in-person and online, notably for World CIO 200 Summit, Asia Finance Forum, ASEAN-JIF, BIG Awards and ACFE International Fraud Awareness Week.

As a co-author of three books, one Body of Knowledge (ITABoK), inventor of two pending patents, reviewer of major book publishers and Scopus Q1 + WOS journal manuscripts, creator of 55 courseware, notably for O'Reilly, Springer, Wiley, Elsevier, IASA, BJET, Packt, and Manning.

With a portfolio of 350+ articles, white papers, and manuscripts for 30+ media and organisations, he has written and reviewed for ISACA, COBIT, PMI, PMBOK, CSA, TAISE, CCSK, SSRM, OCEG, AECT, ICEM, ZDNet Asia, and e27.co.

Been featured and quoted by O'Reilly, Cloud Security Alliance, CoinTelegraph, FutureCIO, OrtusClub, BusinessWeek ID, CNBC ID, CNN ID, and Routledge.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership in Ethical AI Governance
Project/Contribution Description:
My contribution centres on advancing Ethical AI Governance as an applied, policy-ready discipline that bridges AI Ethics, AI Governance, and enterprise-level GRC.

Through sustained thought leadership, white papers, and executive-level courseware, I focus on translating ethical principles and global AI governance frameworks into practical models that boards, regulators, and senior leaders can operationalise.

Rather than treating AI ethics as a theoretical exercise, my work emphasises accountability, transparency, risk ownership, and institutional oversight, enabling organisations to adopt AI responsibly while preserving public trust and societal legitimacy.

Key Achievements and Impact:
• Consistently recognised among the top Thought Leaders in AI Governance, AI Ethics, and GRC on Thinkers360, reflecting sustained influence rather than isolated contributions
• Developed and published high-impact thought leadership on Ethical AI Governance that informs board-level discussions, regulatory perspectives, and executive decision-making
• Designed policy-grade white papers and executive courseware that translate complex AI risks into decision-ready governance frameworks for senior stakeholders
• Contributed to shaping cross-sector dialogue at the intersection of corporate governance, academia, and public policy, strengthening trust-based and responsible AI adoption

Supporting URLs/Links:
- LinkedIn; https://www.linkedin.com/in/goutama
- Thinkers360: https://www.thinkers360.com/tl/goutama
- Scholarly Work: https://orcid.org/my-orcid?orcid=0009-0001-1206-981X
- Journal Paper on Ethical AI (Best Paper)
https://doi.org/10.35166/jipm.v8i2.123
- Patent Pending titled Quick Ethical Risk Assessment Method for AI Outputs
https://pdki-indonesia.dgip.go.id/detail/e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855
- CSA TAISE Contributor: https://www.credly.com/earner/earned/badge/43b6b663-8bd3-4de8-ad73-3e98b4cf7745
- CSA TAISE Certificate: https://www.credly.com/earner/earned/badge/1f4a910c-08b0-4035-850a-760a57c3f91d
- CSA Research Fellow https://www.credly.com/earner/earned/badge/850a408a-2228-4071-8222-88149b29a080
- AICT Advisory Board at AI CERTs https://www.aicerts.ai/aict-advisory-board/
- Media Interview by FutureCIO: https://futurecio.tech/execopinion-translating-governance-into-workable-frameworks/

Supporting File (1): Click

Award Nominee

Name: Jonathan Westover
Organization/Company: Human Capital Innovations
Job Title/Position: Founder and CEO
Country: United States
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Dr. Jonathan H. Westover is a best-selling and award-winning author and podcaster, a TopVoice in HR, Innovation, Leadership, Culture, Future of Work, Diversity and Inclusion, Change Management, and Education (Thinkers360), ranked Top 30 in Organizational Culture and Management (Global Gurus), in the Top 200 Biggest Voices in Leadership (LeadersHum), and ScholarGPS ranks him the #14 scholar in the world for job satisfaction research. Jonathan is an educational evangelist, a philanthropist, an angel investor, and an entrepreneur. He is founder and CEO of Human Capital Innovations, the host/producer of multiple shows on the HCI Podcast Network, Chief Academic and Learning Officer of the HCI Academy, and Managing Editor of the Human Capital Leadership Review. As an OD/HR/Leadership consultant, he has worked with organizations across the globe.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership in AI and Work Transformation
Project/Contribution Description:
The HCI Nexus Institute for Work and AI represents a comprehensive, multi-faceted thought leadership ecosystem designed to advance understanding of how artificial intelligence transforms work and organizations while maintaining human-centered approaches. This initiative encompasses five interconnected research and practice centers that collectively address the critical gap between AI adoption enthusiasm and successful implementation.

Purpose: To bridge the concerning divide where 95% of enterprise AI investments fail to deliver promised returns by providing evidence-based frameworks, practical tools, and transformative research that help organizations integrate AI without sacrificing the human capabilities that drive sustainable performance.

Scope: The initiative operates across multiple dimensions:

The Nexus Institute for Work and AI serves as the foundational research engine, producing groundbreaking publications including peer-reviewed academic journals, white papers, and the flagship Annual State of Work & AI Report. This institute establishes new frameworks for understanding human-technology collaboration while providing transparent, reproducible research through open data and methodologies.

The Catalyst Center for Work Innovation democratizes access to world-class transformation resources through implementation-ready playbooks, validated assessment tools, comprehensive framework libraries, template collections, and video learning modules. This center makes sophisticated organizational transformation accessible to leaders at every level, regardless of budget constraints.

The Adaptive Organization Lab creates research-practice partnerships with pioneering organizations to test and validate innovative approaches through applied research collaborations, pilot program development, change readiness assessments, innovation workshops, and professionally documented case studies that contribute to field-advancing knowledge.

The Future of Work Collective builds an exclusive membership community connecting forward-thinking leaders through curated research access, expert roundtables, peer learning networks, and implementation support that accelerates transformation initiatives.

The Work Renaissance Project serves as the flagship visionary research initiative, exploring fundamental questions about work's purpose and human flourishing in the age of intelligent machines through multi-year research agendas, public dialogues, scenario planning resources, innovation challenges, and thought leadership content.

Key Deliverables:

The Augmented Workplace: Building Human-Centered AI Integration represents the culminating intellectual contribution—a comprehensive 14+ hour audiobook that synthesizes cutting-edge research and real-world case studies into actionable strategies. This work addresses critical questions about professional identity preservation, skills-based talent management, employee wellbeing amid disruption, and the practical implementation of AI collaboration frameworks. The book provides evidence-based roadmaps for C-suite executives, HR professionals, educators, and team leaders navigating the tension between technological sophistication and human-centered organizational design.

Additional deliverables include monthly research briefings, quarterly deep-dive reports, implementation guides, diagnostic frameworks, stakeholder engagement strategies, success metrics, communication templates, learning curricula, and multimedia content spanning books, essays, podcasts, and public events.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Research Influence and Reach:
The Nexus Institute research influences how thousands of organizations approach workforce transformation globally and informs policy debates worldwide. The work establishes paradigm-shifting frameworks for human-technology collaboration that balance innovation with human flourishing, creating new standards for evidence-based AI integration strategies.

Democratization of Transformation Resources:
The Catalyst Center has made world-class transformation tools accessible to organizations of all sizes, enabling outcomes previously accessible only to those with significant consulting budgets. Member organizations report achieving sophisticated transformation results without the traditional resource barriers, fundamentally changing the accessibility landscape of organizational change management.

Accelerated Organizational Learning:
Lab partner organizations demonstrate measurably faster, more successful transformations through research-backed confidence in their approaches. Partners gain external validation of innovative methodologies while contributing to field-advancing knowledge, establishing themselves as thought leaders in their industries through professionally produced case studies documenting their transformation journeys.

Community Impact:
Future of Work Collective members consistently report better-informed decision-making, costly misstep avoidance, and the building of more resilient, adaptive organizations. The community creates multiplier effects as member organizations implement learned strategies across their ecosystems, extending impact beyond direct participants.

Paradigm Shift in AI Adoption:
The Augmented Workplace directly challenges the prevailing replacement narrative, shifting discourse from "technology versus humanity" to strategic augmentation. The book's comprehensive treatment of professional identity preservation, wellbeing maintenance, and skills-based approaches provides the missing framework that explains why 95% of AI investments fail—and more importantly, how the critical 5% succeed.

Field-Wide Knowledge Advancement:
Through transparent research methodologies, open data sharing, and reproducible findings, the initiative enables researchers and practitioners globally to validate, build upon, and extend the work. This commitment to research integrity and accessibility amplifies impact far beyond direct organizational partnerships.

Cultural and Social Impact:
The Work Renaissance Project expands collective imagination about organizational possibilities, catalyzes bold experimentation, and contributes to creating futures where both organizations and people thrive. Public dialogues and thought leadership content bring diverse perspectives together—from business, academia, labor, government, and civil society—fostering broader societal conversation about work's future and humanity's relationship with technology.

Measurable Transformation Outcomes:
Organizations implementing the frameworks and methodologies demonstrate quantifiable improvements in AI integration success rates, employee engagement during technological transitions, retention of critical human capabilities, adaptive capacity for navigating uncertainty, and long-term organizational resilience amid disruption.

Educational Impact:
The comprehensive resource libraries, video learning modules, and on-demand training build organizational capability at scale, creating lasting knowledge infrastructure that continues delivering value long after initial implementation. Educational resources serve distributed teams and small to mid-size organizations that previously lacked access to sophisticated transformation guidance.

This body of work represents not just research output but a comprehensive ecosystem that translates academic rigor into practical application, ensuring that evidence-based insights actually transform organizational practice at scale.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://www.innovativehumancapital.com/researchinitiatives
https://a.co/d/aV7XdYo

Award Nominee

Name: Ryan Hamze
Organization/Company: ISG Information Services Group Americas, Inc.
Job Title/Position: Director, Smart Manufacturing & AI
Country: United States
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Ryan is a Director in the Smart Manufacturing advisory group under the Americas Consulting. He leads smart manufacturing initiatives in Industry 4.0/5.0, Generative AI, and digital transformation.

His expertise across multiple sectors includes Manufacturing and Automotive, has a strong focus on sourcing and digital engineering strategies.

Recognized as an industry thought leader in Smart Manufacturing and Generative AI, he is Certified as an ISG Digital & AI Fellow and a winner of the 2024 Chairman’s Club Award. He hosts the “Tales of Dark Factories: Industry 5.0” podcast, which explores the role of AI in smart manufacturing, and consistently ranks among the Thinkers360™ Top 10 and Top 50 Global Thought Leaders in manufacturing, AI, IT operations and IoT.

During Ryan’s 15 years of enterprise IT leadership experience, he has helped organizations achieve double-digit cost reductions and operational efficiencies, leading full-scale digital transformations that have automated millions of dollars in production workflows. He specializes in hyper-automating processes using both legacy enterprise and emerging technologies, focuses largely on reducing operations downtime and similar cost savings efforts.

His special talent is defining technology solutions to real-world business problems.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Applied AI Thought Leadership in Smart Manufacturing
Project/Contribution Description:
Applied AI Thought Leadership in Smart Manufacturing centers on Ryan Hamze’s work translating AI from theory into daily industrial use. His contribution focuses on helping manufacturing leaders understand where AI fits, where it does not, and how to apply it without disrupting operations.

Through his role at ISG, Ryan advises industrial and automotive organizations across North America on practical AI use in factories, engineering, and operations. He helps teams frame real business problems first, then apply AI tools to support decision making, reduce rework, and improve visibility across plant systems. His work avoids abstract models and instead emphasizes repeatable, usable approaches that plant leaders and engineers can trust.

Beyond client work, Ryan actively shapes internal AI adoption by building GPT based tools that support research, delivery, and consulting workflows. He drives internal conversations on responsible AI use, helping teams understand strengths, limits, and risks while keeping humans in control of outcomes.

Ryan also contributes to the broader manufacturing community through published research, conference sessions, and his podcast, Tales of Dark Factories. The podcast explores long term factory trends, human creativity in automated environments, and realistic paths toward Industry 5.0. His content is grounded in field experience and speaks directly to operators, engineers, and executives.

Together, these efforts position Ryan as a thought leader who advances applied AI in smart manufacturing by making complex ideas clear, usable, and relevant to real industrial work.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Ryan has helped manufacturing leaders apply AI in ways that support real plant work rather than theory. His guidance has influenced how teams plan AI use across factories, engineering groups, and operations. Clients and peers rely on his approach to cut rework, shorten decision cycles, and bring clarity to complex systems.

Inside his organization, he helped design and introduce GPT based tools that support research, delivery, and day to day consulting work. These tools improved how teams access information and share knowledge while keeping human judgment at the center. His work also helped shape internal standards for responsible AI use.

His published research and public talks have contributed to clearer understanding of Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0 across the manufacturing community. Through his podcast, Tales of Dark Factories, he reaches practitioners and leaders by sharing real factory challenges and realistic future scenarios.

He also founded an AI focused startup that delivered usable contract analysis tools for small and mid sized businesses. This work demonstrated how AI can be packaged into practical products that non technical users can trust.

Across client work, internal programs, and public content, Ryan’s impact is measured by adoption, repeat use, and sustained trust from manufacturing leaders and practitioners.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://www.thinkers360.com/top-50-global-thought-leaders-and-influencers-on-generative-ai-2024/
https://isg-one.com/about-us/people/ryan-hamze
https://ryanhamze.com
https://aabeyllc.com
https://www.linkedin.com/events/timtalk-darkfactories-thefuture7374365397552214016/theater/
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/manufacturingunscripted_manufacturingunscripted-industry40-industry50-activity-7386772036230094848-iejq?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=member_desktop_web&rcm=ACoAAATQ4iQB92gG59GgMZth9nOirNBf-GS3Hl0
https://www.iotforall.com/ai-to-ai-protocol
https://open.spotify.com/show/7M7w4B59dDn0gbzzrqbAfl?si=13bf8f4bfd734b3d
https://isg-one.com/articles/the-fifth-industrial-revolution-will-not-take-our-jobs
https://isg-one.com/articles/how-do-we-define-industry-5.0
https://isg-one.com/articles/manufacturing-enters-the-age-of-human-machine-collaboration--industry-5.0
https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/news/2022/03/11/2022-innovation-awards-aabey-llc.html
https://www.arabamerica.com/arab-america-foundation-announces-40-under-40-awardees-class-of-2022/
https://lnkd.in/ez--Dju4
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ai-certifications-matter-ryan-hamze-cofkc
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/highlights-wef-future-jobs-report-2025-demand-generative-ryan-hamze-xrwqc
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/we-need-report-ai-slop-button-ryan-hamze-q4alc

Award Nominee

Name: Christophe Martinot
Organization/Company: SeedingEnergy
Job Title/Position: Co-Founder
Country: Spain
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Christophe Martinot is a former executive with over 20 years of leadership experience in the pharmaceutical, FMCG, and global corporate world. Today, he is a trusted advisor, facilitator, and coach, helping organizations, teams, and leaders transform how they work, lead, and deliver value.

Through SeedingEnergy, Christophe guides companies to become more agile, resilient, and genuinely customer-centric — turning big ideas into practical, everyday ways of working. He specializes in leadership development, team effectiveness, and shaping cultures where people feel empowered to SPIRAL UP: to grow continuously, adapt, and thrive through change.

Known for his pragmatic approach and human touch, Christophe partners closely with clients to spark the energy needed to make meaningful change happen — and last.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Spiral Up. Practical leadership for resilient and customer centric organizations.
Project/Contribution Description:
I develop and share thought leadership focused on helping leaders and organizations move from stagnation to sustainable growth. My work addresses leadership mindset, customer centricity, and resilient ways of working. I translate complex transformation challenges into clear principles and practical actions. I apply this work through consulting, executive coaching, teaching, conference speaking, and writing. My scope encompasses global and local organizations, with a strong focus on healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices.

Key Achievements and Impact:
• Influenced leadership teams in multiple global pharmaceutical organizations to shift mindset and decision-making toward customer value
• Supported leadership teams in regaining clarity of purpose, autonomy, and accountability
• Speaker at international conferences on business agility and organizational transformation
• Lecturer in Master's programs at ESADE, IED, and ESEI, shaping future leaders
• Author of Spiral Up, focused on practical leadership and resilience
• Co author of Agile Marketing, Agile Sales, and Agile Customer Centricity manifestos
• Regularly publish articles and insights read by leaders across Europe and the US

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://spiralingup.works
https://www.seedingenergy.com
https://seedingenergy.com/blog/
https://agilesalesmanifesto.org/
https://agilecustomermanifesto.org/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophemartinot/
https://www.thinkers360.com/tl/profiles/view/31262



Supporting File (1): Click

Award Nominee

Name: Dr. Vladimir Bunic
Organization/Company: Converged Security Institute
Job Title/Position: Director
Country: Spain
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Dr. Vladimir Bunić is a dynamic cybersecurity leader with over two decades of experience blending technical expertise with strategic insight. His core strength lies in integrating physical and cyber security into unified, resilient frameworks that protect organisations against modern threats. A highly credentialed professional and Certified Lecturer in Cybersecurity, he is dedicated to advancing education in the field—an effort recognised with the Excellence in Education Award from QAHE.
He holds a PhD in Cyber Security, supported by postgraduate studies in Digital Transformation, International Law, and Project Management, and is currently expanding his strategic capabilities through an MBA in Digital Transformation. In his consulting work, he partners with multidisciplinary teams to identify vulnerabilities in cyber‑physical systems and develop robust security architectures that strengthen organisational resilience.
Passionate about raising global cybersecurity standards, he leads workshops, contributes to professional forums, and promotes digital safety awareness. His mission is to empower organisations and individuals to navigate the evolving threat landscape with confidence, clarity, and a forward‑thinking security mindset.

If you’d like, I can also create a shorter 2–3 sentence version, a speaker‑bio version, or a more executive‑focused version.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Transforming Cyber‑Physical Resilience Through Personal Excellence and Thought Leadership
Project/Contribution Description:
Transforming Cyber‑Physical Resilience Through Personal Excellence and Thought Leadership

My work in converged security and cyber‑physical resilience is grounded in more than two decades of hands‑on leadership, global impact, and a commitment to personal excellence. As a recognised expert in cyber‑physical security, I have contributed to major international initiatives, including serving as a global specialist for Nestlé, where I supported the protection and resilience of more than 1,600 sites worldwide. This role required deep technical expertise, strategic foresight, and the ability to harmonise security practices across diverse regions, cultures, and operational environments.
I have developed industry‑aligned credential pathways, authored the Converged Security Framework, and designed executive‑level programmes that help organisations and professionals navigate the increasingly interconnected threat landscape. As a Certified Lecturer in Cybersecurity and recipient of the QAHE Excellence in Education Award, I translate complex concepts into accessible, actionable knowledge that empowers learners at all levels.
My consulting work focuses on identifying vulnerabilities in cyber‑physical systems and implementing robust, scalable security architectures that strengthen organisational resilience. I collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to build integrated security strategies that align with modern operational realities and emerging risks.
Beyond organisational impact, I actively contribute to global cybersecurity awareness through workshops, professional forums, and thought‑leadership engagements. My mission is to elevate security standards, inspire excellence, and cultivate a culture of resilience across the global security community. Through these efforts, I continue to advance the field and support the next generation of leaders committed to safeguarding our digital‑physical world.

Key Achievements and Impact:
- Global Cyber‑Physical Security Leadership at Scale
Served as a global expert for Nestlé, supporting the protection and resilience of more than 1,600 sites worldwide. Led initiatives that strengthened cyber‑physical security integration, harmonised global standards, and improved organisational readiness across diverse operational environments.
- Creator of the Converged Security Framework
Authored a pioneering model that unifies physical security, cybersecurity, and digital‑era resilience. The framework is now used by practitioners, educators, and organisations seeking structured, actionable guidance for modern threat landscapes.
- Advancement of Global Credentialing and Professional Standards
Designed and delivered industry‑aligned credential pathways, including executive programmes and competency‑based certifications that elevate professional excellence across the converged security domain.
- Award‑Winning Cybersecurity Educator
Recognised with the QAHE Excellence in Education Award for delivering complex cybersecurity and cyber‑physical concepts in an accessible, practitioner‑focused manner. As a Certified Lecturer in Cybersecurity, contributed to the development of future talent and global capacity building.
- Strategic Consulting Impact Across Sectors
Collaborated with multidisciplinary teams to identify vulnerabilities in cyber‑physical systems and implement robust, scalable security architectures. These efforts consistently improved organisational resilience and aligned security capabilities with evolving digital threats.
- Thought Leadership and Community Influence
Actively contributed to global cybersecurity discourse through workshops, forums, and professional networks. Promoted digital safety awareness and inspired a culture of excellence, integrity, and continuous improvement within the security community.
- Academic and Institutional Leadership
As Director of CSI and Dean of Cyber Security at Business Technology Academy, led the development of academic programmes, partnerships, and research initiatives that strengthen global education in cybersecurity and digital transformation.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://www.convergedsecurity.es/publications
https://www.qahe.org/award/vladimir-bunic-ph-d/
https://www.qahe.org/qahe-awards-excellence-in-education-to-vladimir-bunic-ph-d/

Award Nominee

Name: Nirmal Jingar
Organization/Company: Wayfair
Job Title/Position: Technology Leader
Country: United States
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Senior engineering leader driving AI-powered transformation and measurable business impact. At Wayfair, Nirmal leads large-scale platform modernization, delivering hundreds of millions in value through AI, automation, and scalable systems with industry-grade governance. He mentors engineering teams, advances responsible AI adoption, and contributes to Forbes Technology Council, Chief AI Officer community, and university AI education to bridge industry and academia.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership in Enterprise AI, Productivity and Responsible Innovation
Project/Contribution Description:
This submission represents a multi-year body of work focused on advancing enterprise AI from isolated experimentation to trusted, large-scale execution that measurably improves productivity, collaboration, and business outcomes. The core contribution is the design, delivery, and leadership of AI-driven platform modernization and governance frameworks powering mission-critical supply chain and operational systems at scale.

The purpose of this initiative was clear: eliminate fragmentation, unlock engineering productivity, and enable AI adoption that executives, engineers, and operators could trust. The scope spanned end-to-end modernization of legacy platforms, introduction of intelligent decision services, AI-assisted software development, and the creation of deterministic governance mechanisms that make AI explainable, auditable, and safe in production.

Key deliverables included unifying dozens of fragmented systems into shared, scalable platforms; redesigning high-throughput services to reduce end-to-end latency from approximately five seconds to under five hundred milliseconds; and embedding observability, ownership, and operational controls into every layer. These platforms now support billions of dollars in annual operations and have delivered hundreds of millions of dollars in enterprise value through cost reduction, reliability gains, and optimized decision-making.

A defining element of this contribution is responsible AI at scale. Rather than treating governance as policy or documentation, it was engineered directly into production systems through deterministic logic, audit trails, standardized interfaces, and safety controls. This enabled widespread adoption of generative AI and automation while reducing risk, improving compliance, and accelerating confidence across the organization.

Equally important was the people impact. This work involved leading and mentoring a 30+ person organization of managers, staff engineers, and senior technologists, aligning cross-functional teams around shared platforms and outcomes. Beyond the enterprise, the contribution extends to thought leadership through the Forbes Technology Council, Chief AI Officer peer groups, and direct collaboration with universities to help shape future AI curricula and bridge the gap between education and industry needs.

Together, this body of work represents a holistic contribution that combines innovation, execution, collaboration, and leadership to define what enterprise AI looks like when it truly works.

Key Achievements and Impact:
This work delivered sustained, measurable impact across business performance, engineering productivity, and responsible AI adoption at enterprise scale.

From a business outcomes perspective, the initiatives delivered $300M+ in annual enterprise value through AI-enabled supply chain optimization, platform consolidation, and intelligent decision services supporting mission-critical operations. System modernization reduced end-to-end latency from approximately 5 seconds to under 500 milliseconds, enabling faster, higher-quality decisions and materially improving customer experience. Technology cost was reduced by 60% by consolidating platforms, eliminating duplicate systems, and modernizing legacy architectures to more scalable and resilient foundations.

Operational reliability improved significantly. High-priority production incidents were reduced by over 80% through stronger governance, observability, deterministic decision logic, and clear ownership models. These improvements contributed an additional $100M in annual operational savings while increasing trust in AI-driven outcomes across engineering, operations, and executive stakeholders.

From a productivity and collaboration standpoint, the work unified dozens of previously siloed teams onto shared platforms, tooling, and architectural standards. AI-assisted software development was introduced across the organization, accelerating design, coding, testing, and incident response. This reduced cycle time, improved code quality, and allowed engineers to focus on higher-value work rather than maintenance and duplication. Teams adopted shared documentation, review practices, and platform-first development, significantly reducing cross-team friction and handoffs.

In responsible AI and governance, explainability, auditability, and safety controls were embedded directly into production systems rather than applied post hoc. This enabled broad adoption of generative AI and intelligent automation without increasing risk, while meeting internal governance and compliance expectations.

Beyond the organization, the impact extends to industry and education. Contributions through the Forbes Technology Council, Chief AI Officer peer community, and direct collaboration with universities have influenced AI governance practices, executive decision-making, and curriculum design, helping shape how AI is built, governed, and taught at scale.

Supporting URLs/Links:
Cannot provide the public urls as this is an internal supply chain systems. If you need docs please let me know as I need to take permission from the PR team before sharing.

Award Nominee

Name: LoriLynn Smith, MBA, PMP
Organization/Company: Strategic Edge Partners
Job Title/Position: Chief Strategist
Country: Canada
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Lori Lynn Smith is a Strategic Leadership Director with over two decades of experience guiding organizations through complex change. Her work centers on leadership clarity, presence, and building sustainable performance in demanding environments.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership in Leadership Clarity and Sustainable Performance
Project/Contribution Description:
My work focuses on strategic leadership clarity in complex, high-pressure environments. Through Strategic Edge Partners and my Strategy Rebel platform, I develop practical leadership frameworks that help senior leaders think clearly, communicate with authority, and sustain performance during transformation.

A central contribution is the ALIGN Framework, a five-step structure designed to stabilize leadership presence under pressure. It is used in executive advisory work, facilitation sessions, and thought leadership content to support clearer decision-making, stronger communication, and steadier leadership behavior during change.

The scope of my work includes executive advisory, leadership facilitation, published writing, and public speaking. Key deliverables include leadership frameworks, applied thought leadership articles, keynote presentations, and advisory engagements that translate clarity and presence into measurable organizational outcomes.

Key Achievements and Impact:
• Led and advised large-scale technology and transformation programs across healthcare and enterprise environments over two decades
• Advanced to Director of Strategic Partnerships & Delivery, responsible for guiding senior teams and complex delivery portfolios
• Developed and published the ALIGN Framework, now used as a practical leadership tool across advisory, speaking, and content platforms
• Recognized with Best Leadership Excellence in Transformation and Delivery in North America (2025)
• Selected as a speaker for the Euro Global She Leads – She Empowers Conclave, presenting on leadership clarity and performance
• Published thought leadership focused on sustainable performance, leadership presence, and decision-making under pressure
• Built a growing leadership audience through LinkedIn, podcast appearances, and upcoming video content focused on clarity over burnout

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://www.lorilynnsmith.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorilynnsmith

https://bestofbestreview.com/awards/lori-lynn-smith-best-leadership-excellence-in-transformation-and-delivery-in-north-america-of-2025
https://usanews.com/newsroom/lori-lynn-smith-redefining-leadership-and-clarity-in-high-stakes-environments
https://ceotimes.com/lori-lynn-smith-leading-with-clarity-and-strength-in-high-pressure-leadership
https://bestofbestreview.com/awards/lori-lynn-smith-best-leadership-excellence-in-transformation-and-delivery-in-north-america-of-2025
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/top-10-selfmade-women-to-watch-in-2026/ar-AA1UW4bQ
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/top-10-inspiring-women-leaders-in-2026/ar-AA1UXfxT

https://womenthrivemagazine.com

Supporting File (1): Click
Supporting File (2): Click

Award Nominee

Name: Jay Stansell
Organization/Company: Product Coalition
Job Title/Position: CEO & Founder
Country: Portugal, Portuguese Republic
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Jay Stansell is CEO and Founder of Product Coalition, one of the largest product management communities with 500,000+ professionals across Medium, LinkedIn, and Substack. He hosts a top-rated PM podcast with 100+ episodes and leads Find Your Grind as President and CPO.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership in Product Management Community Building
Project/Contribution Description:
Product Coalition is one of the largest product management communities globally, serving 500,000+ professionals across Medium, LinkedIn, and Substack. Through editorial leadership, podcast production with 100+ episodes featuring industry leaders, and thought-provoking content, the platform shapes how product managers think about their craft.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Built a community of 500,000+ product professionals across Medium, LinkedIn, and Substack. Produced 100+ podcast episodes featuring industry leaders. Published thousands of articles from 900+ contributing writers. Reached global audience spanning tech hubs from Silicon Valley to Singapore.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://productcoalition.comhttps://linkedin.com/in/jaystansellhttps://medium.productcoalition.com

Award Nominee

Name: Carlo Tortora Brayda
Organization/Company: Cyber Eagle Project Inc.
Job Title/Position: CEO
Country: United States
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
CEO Cyber Eagle. Chairman of National Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Security ISAO, Chairman The Tortora Brayda Institute for AI & Cybersecurity, a global Think Tank to improve the effectiveness of partnerships in the private and public sectors. The ISAO aligns with Government Cyber policy and supports Cyber diplomacy and private sector growth within the NATO community.
Judge on United Nations' AI for Good Innovation Factory for North America and also Global Contest, 2020-2023. Selected as Judge for the new AI for Good Contest for Climate Change in partnership with ITU, UNESCO, FAO, IAEA, and World Bank at COP 28.
Former CEO of Gorilla Corporation, the leading global partner marketing and sales agency for the technology sector. Gorilla drives hundreds of millions of dollars annually for its vendor clients.
Special Constituent Member of the World Economic Forum and an expert contributor to the G20 for Global Risk Assessment.
Fellow of the British Computer Society, Freeman of the City of London, and a Hidalgo d'España.
Global Leader for the Forbes Technology Council Cybersecurity Group and contributes thought leadership articles on channel strategy, cybersecurity, and AI. Won two Forbes recognition awards in 2023, and one in 2024. https://councils.forbes.com/u/15e589e1-5251-4b45-a03c-1c662051d440
https://twitter.com/tortorabrayda
https://www.youtube.com/@tortorabraydainstitute/videos

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Sovereign AI and Quantum Ready Cybersecurity: Architecting Digital Deterrence for Critical Infrastructure
Project/Contribution Description:
Over the past year, my work has focused on redefining cybersecurity leadership for a world entering the AI and post quantum era. Rather than approaching cyber risk as a reactive operational problem, I have advanced a sovereign grade architectural model designed to protect critical infrastructure, financial systems, and national institutions through predictive, agentic, and policy aligned cybersecurity.

The core contribution is the development and advocacy of a Sovereign Cyber Architecture built on three integrated layers.

The first layer consists of specialized AI cybersecurity agents capable of threat anticipation, anomaly detection, compliance automation, and coordinated response. These agents are designed to operate not merely as detection tools but as autonomous contributors to resilience, integrating telemetry, behavioral analytics, and contextual intelligence.

The second layer is a Command Nexus model, a Center of Excellence framework that combines digital twins, cyber range capabilities, funding alignment, and executive level risk visualization. This layer bridges technical controls with board level decision making, enabling institutions to move from technical security posture to strategic resilience posture.

The third layer is a federated cybersecurity marketplace that curates nationally vetted vendors and solution providers under a governance aligned model. This ensures that sovereign, NATO aligned, and regionally compliant technology ecosystems can operate with trust, interoperability, and accountability.

In parallel, I have advanced the integration of post quantum readiness into mainstream cyber governance. This includes the development of quantum risk assessment frameworks aligned with emerging NIST standards and financial sector regulatory guidance, as well as thought leadership around the distinction between cryptographic risk and systemic trust infrastructure risk in the event of a future quantum disruption.

My work has extended beyond technical architecture into public private collaboration. Through engagements across Europe, the Gulf region, and Africa, I have supported dialogues on sovereign digital infrastructure, AI governance, and national cybersecurity capacity building. These initiatives emphasize that resilience is not only a technical problem but a geopolitical and economic one.

In addition, I have published and spoken extensively on the convergence of AI, cybersecurity, and systemic risk, including the environmental impact of AI scale, the limits of purely reactive security models, and the need for predictive deterrence frameworks. The guiding thesis is simple: cybersecurity must evolve from a defensive function to a strategic pillar of national continuity.

This body of work contributes a coherent doctrine for the AI age, aligning technology, governance, and capital formation into a unified approach to digital deterrence.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Designed a sovereign grade cybersecurity platform architecture structured to scale from early pilots to multi jurisdiction deployments, supported by detailed financial modeling projecting growth from initial revenue to multi billion dollar potential by 2030.

• Contributed to the formal activation of a national level joint venture in the Gulf region aligned with Vision 2030 objectives, targeting large scale, multi year AI and cybersecurity infrastructure deployment at sovereign level.

• Advanced quantum readiness initiatives through structured assessment proposals for banks and insurers, aligning post quantum transition planning with emerging regulatory, central bank, and financial stability priorities.

• Integrated continuous monitoring, attack surface intelligence, dark web analytics, and API driven risk scoring into a unified architecture designed to provide executive level security visibility while enabling federated marketplace integration.

• Established cross border strategic dialogues with governmental, regulatory, and institutional stakeholders across Europe, Africa, and the GCC, positioning sovereign AI cybersecurity as a public private partnership framework rather than a standalone product solution.

• Developed a three pillar predictive risk framework combining credit risk, market risk, and operational risk into an AI driven correlated analytics model designed to anticipate systemic exposure rather than merely detect incidents.

Collectively, these initiatives represent a structural shift from reactive incident response toward predictive, sovereign aligned cyber resilience grounded in governance, architecture, and strategic foresight.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://councils.forbes.com/profile/Carlo-Tortora-Brayda-Chief-Executive-Officer-Cyber-Eagle-Cyber-Eagle-Project-Inc/15e589e1-5251-4b45-a03c-1c662051d440
https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2026/01/29/the-neuro-intuitive-frontier-how-cybersecurity-will-interface-into-the-human-mind/
https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2025/06/25/polymorphic-defense-cybersecurity-for-an-ai-driven-threat-landscape/
https://cybereagle.ai/

Supporting File (1): Click

Award Nominee

Name: Jane Anderson
Organization/Company: Jane Anderson
Job Title/Position: Coach & growth strategist
Country: Australia
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Jane Anderson helps senior B2B consultants package their expertise into clear offers, price with confidence, and build scalable businesses without burning out. She works hands-on with clients to sharpen positioning, create thought leadership assets, and install practical systems that support growth. Through Women With Influence and Practice in a Box, her frameworks turn expertise into commercial results.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Commercialisation of thought leadership - turning expertise into economic infrastructure
Project/Contribution Description:
This work began with a pattern I couldn’t ignore.

After years in senior corporate roles and later as a coach and adviser, I repeatedly encountered highly experienced consultants with extraordinary capability and deeply fragile business models. These weren’t start-ups or early-stage founders. They were former partners, directors, principals, and senior advisers with decades of judgement behind them. Many had spent years building other people’s businesses. When they stepped into their own practices, they were operating alone, overworked, and second-guessing decisions that carried six-figure consequences.

The dominant thought leadership and coaching ecosystem wasn’t built for how they actually work.

Most models assume time is abundant and feedback can wait. They reward visibility over decision quality and treat content output as progress. That approach works tolerably well where mistakes are cheap. It fails in expert-led businesses, where a single pricing decision can add or remove six figures from annual revenue, a poorly framed proposal can stall a multi-year engagement, and a late capacity decision can trigger burnout just as momentum builds.

The purpose of my work was to redesign thought leadership around this reality.

Women With Influence and Practice in a Box exist to help senior B2B consultants move from selling time to selling intellectual property. This involves packaging judgement, frameworks, and experience into offers that create leverage and choice, allowing clients to regain control over capacity, pricing, and growth rather than trading hours for revenue.

A second purpose is to build operating infrastructure that allows expertise to compound. Through systemised workflows, dashboards, and decision frameworks, clients no longer carry the entire business in their head. Cognitive load reduces, decisions speed up, and space opens for higher-value work and long-term sustainability.

The third purpose is to shorten feedback loops. Expert-led businesses operate in compressed cycles. Waiting weeks between sessions creates commercial drag. My model provides timely feedback on proposals, pricing, and positioning so small missteps don’t become structural problems.

Achieving this required a structural shift in how coaching is delivered. Traditional models prioritise teaching concepts live and sending people away to apply them alone. For senior practitioners, that’s backwards. They don’t need theory from scratch. They need a place to pressure-test thinking, refine judgement, and remove friction from execution in real time.
Scope and key deliverables
Women With Influence was built as an application-only advisory community for senior B2B consultants. Clients are grouped into cohorts of five based on revenue stage, because the problems at $AU250,000 are fundamentally different to those at $AU800,000 or seven figures.

Weekly sessions focus on working on the practice, not talking about it. Clients complete pre-work in advance using a flipped learning approach, so session time is spent polishing decisions, pressure-testing ideas, and accelerating progress.

The most significant deliverable is speed of feedback. Clients submit proposals, pricing models, sales emails, and presentation decks at the moment they matter. Turnaround is within twenty-four hours, supported by asynchronous coaching across shared systems and messaging.

Practice in a Box emerged from the same observation. I repeatedly saw capable consultants hit the same growth ceiling. Demand increased, capacity collapsed, work spilled into weekends, and growth stalled not due to lack of expertise but lack of infrastructure.

Practice in a Box is a fully systemised operating model built inside Asana. It includes workflows, dashboards, decision frameworks, and standard operating procedures that mirror how high-performing thought leadership businesses actually run. Implementation is white glove and done one practice at a time, working directly inside the business to map processes, clean up delivery, and install systems that allow work to scale beyond the founder.

Across both initiatives, tailored AI tools, an app-based learning environment, and the Rockstar VA Program support execution by reducing friction rather than adding noise.

Key Achievements and Impact:
The most influential element of this work is the tracking system that underpins both programs. While it can serve as a reporting tool, its strength is in the decision-making framework that makes growth observable and predictable.

What makes this system materially different from traditional thought leadership models is it shifts influence from visibility to decision quality. Instead of optimising for content volume, audience growth, or personal brand reach, the system measures whether expertise is translating into sustainable commercial outcomes. Thought leadership becomes infrastructure that supports better judgement over time rather than performance that seeks attention.

The system was developed after years of watching consultants rely on self-reported progress. Traditional coaching relies on how busy someone feels or what they remember doing, creating long delays between cause and effect. By the time a problem becomes visible, momentum is already lost. The tracking system removes that lag.

It’s built on a small set of evidence-based leading indicators captured daily, grounded in research on sustainable networks, trust, and decision load, including Robin Dunbar’s work on relationship limits. These metrics track what actually drives an expert practice forward rather than what looks impressive on paper.
Each client completes a short daily input covering revenue creation activity, capacity utilisation, relationship development, and delivery load. This data flows into live Power BI dashboards, giving real-time visibility across every practice I support.

Because I work with a deliberately small and curated community, patterns appear early. Capacity strain, over-delivery, stalled business development, or misaligned offers show up in the data before clients feel them, allowing intervention at the level of structure rather than symptoms.

Within four to six weeks of implementation, clients typically reclaim ten to fifteen hours per week, measured through reductions in founder-held tasks and reactive work. In one leadership advisory practice, tracking showed over 30% of the founder’s time was absorbed by rework and coordination. After workflows and delegation protocols were installed, this dropped below 10%, enabling six months of content to be completed in advance and eliminating weekend work within eight weeks.

Across twelve documented practices, capacity utilisation increased by 30% to 50% within ninety days. In three cases, effective capacity increased more than fivefold through redesigned delivery models, tighter offer boundaries, and removal of low-leverage bespoke work.

Revenue growth followed structural correction rather than visibility spikes. In 2025 alone, clients generated more than $AU28 million in new revenue directly attributable to these frameworks. One consultant scaled from $AU80,000 to $AU800,000 over twenty-four months by shifting from hourly advisory to packaged intellectual property. Another grew from $AU250,000 to over $AU800,000 after resolving a capacity ceiling caused by over-delivery to legacy clients. Several six-to-seven-figure transitions occurred by correcting relationship economics, where fewer than 20% of clients were consuming more than 50% of available capacity.

My average client tenure exceeds four years without contracts. One client has attended weekly sessions for seven years, using Friday sessions solely for live sales accountability, shifting her business from sporadic revenue to consistent deal flow.
While this work is delivered through Women With Influence and Practice in a Box, the underlying model applies to any high-trust, high-value professional service where judgement, not content volume, drives results.

Systemically, this work keeps experienced women in consulting at the peak of their contribution. Clients build small support teams as their practices stabilise, creating employment for assistants, operations managers, and specialists. Based on observed revenue and team growth patterns, scaling one hundred women through this model generates a ripple effect exceeding $AU50 million in revenue and job creation.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://jane-anderson.com.au/podcasts/episode-101-global-workplace-expert-and-author-dr-michelle-gibbings
https://jane-anderson.com.au/podcasts/episode-100-leadership-communication-expert-arabella-macpherson
https://jane-anderson.com.au/podcasts/episode-99-founder-facilitator-and-life-leadership-coach-gillian-smith
https://jane-anderson.com.au/podcasts/episode-98-technology-adoption-and-ai-expert-inbal-rodnay
https://jane-anderson.com.au/podcasts/episode-97-leadership-expert-kylee-leota
https://jane-anderson.com.au/podcasts/episode-67-emma-mcqueen
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/episode-36-interview-with-marketing-expert-ny-times/id1242229133?i=1000432881420
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3J4t4IwxuBfxW2yqsUGpwP?si=baaa5945a0b84322
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1RqAtf28s6lAUKF7zABprQ?si=JYfy9wmhSDqFlfGV4qXKYA
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/episode-199-amplifying-your-influence-with-jane-anderson/id1495612230?i=1000706698769
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/ep18-from-expert-to-influencer-with-jane-anderson/id1696418162?i=1000622962738
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/grow-your-consulting-business-in-conversation-with/id989168672?i=1000705196306
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/we-all-have-a-personal-brand-is-yours-working-for/id1740646651?i=1000697465402

https://jane-anderson.com.au/insights/referrals-with-influence
https://jane-anderson.com.au/insights/crank-up-your-creativity-in-business
https://jane-anderson.com.au/insights/presenting-vs-presenting-with-influence
https://jane-anderson.com.au/insights/struggling-with-sales-confidence-ask-have-you-sold-to-yourself
https://jane-anderson.com.au/insights/what-to-do-if-youre-scared-of-outreach-as-a-consultant
https://jane-anderson.com.au/insights/tight-builds-trust-trust-creates-growth
https://jane-anderson.com.au/insights/how-to-write-a-consulting-business-proposal
https://jane-anderson.com.au/insights/how-much-is-avoidance-really-costing-you-whats-the-cost-of-inaction-in-your-business
https://jane-anderson.com.au/insights/why-traditional-digital-marketing-falls-short-for-thought-leaders-on-linkedin
https://jane-anderson.com.au/insights/are-you-playing-above-the-line-why-your-leadership-mindset-matters
https://jane-anderson.com.au/insights/how-do-consultants-measure-success-metrics-that-matter
https://jane-anderson.com.au/insights/consulting-practice-vs-thought-leadership-practice-which-is-right-for-you
https://jane-anderson.com.au/insights/bringing-control-back-in-your-practice-through-business-development
https://jane-anderson.com.au/insights/why-the-most-successful-experts-work-with-a-coach-or-mentor
https://jane-anderson.com.au/insights/when-is-humanisation-better-than-automation-in-your-practice
https://jane-anderson.com.au/insights/set-yourself-up-for-business-longevity
https://jane-anderson.com.au/insights/consultant-or-speaker
https://jane-anderson.com.au/insights/does-your-client-know-theyre-in-a-sales-meeting
https://jane-anderson.com.au/insights/are-you-using-the-language-of-your-customer


Supporting File (1): Click
Supporting File (2): Click

Award Nominee

Name: Svitlana Samko
Organization/Company: Verizon Connect, W2business
Job Title/Position: Senior Technical Project Manager
Country: Ireland
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Experienced Senior Manager with 18 years of success in managing and leading innovative teams. Demonstrated ability to develop strategies to drive product-centric culture and agile processes. Proven record of delivering projects on-time and under budget.

I am passionate about empowering individuals and driving their learning and development to help them progress in their careers.

In summary, I am driven by a deep passion for mentoring and guiding others in the tech industry. Through my roles as a mentor, coach, e-Mentor, community leader, volunteer, and speaker, I have strived to create a positive and lasting impact. My dedication to helping individuals develop their skills and progress in their careers is at the core of my work.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Thought Leader of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Advancing Human-Centered AI and Transformational Leadership in Technology
Project/Contribution Description:
Svitlana Samko is a global technology executive, TEDx speaker, and strategic advocate for human-centered digital transformation. Her thought leadership focuses on the intersection of artificial intelligence, leadership psychology, project governance, and inclusive innovation.

Through conference keynotes, executive forums, professional publications, mentoring initiatives, and global community engagement, she translates complex technological evolution into actionable leadership frameworks. Her work equips technology leaders to implement AI responsibly, manage large-scale transformation programs, and cultivate resilient, emotionally intelligent teams.

Her thought leadership contributions center on:

Responsible and human-centric AI adoption

Strategic digital transformation governance

Leadership psychology in high-performance tech environments

Women’s advancement and inclusive leadership in STEM

Sustainable innovation through cross-functional collaboration

By integrating enterprise delivery experience with public thought leadership, she provides both conceptual clarity and operational practicality. Her insights are grounded in real-world execution within global technical environments, strengthening their relevance and credibility.

Key Achievements and Impact:
1. Recognized Industry Authority

2025 Tech Leader Award recipient

TEDx Speaker addressing leadership and transformation themes

President of Toastmasters, shaping next-generation communicators and leaders

2. Intellectual Contribution & Influence

Regular conference speaker and panel expert on AI, transformation, and leadership

Contributor to professional communities focused on digital innovation

Recognized mentor and advisor within global tech ecosystems

3. Strategic Ecosystem Impact

Influenced technology professionals and executives to adopt structured, ethical AI governance

Advanced frameworks for integrating emotional intelligence into digital transformation programs

Actively supported diversity and inclusion initiatives within technology sectors

4. Community Leadership & Mentorship

Mentor to emerging technology leaders and women in tech

Builder of professional communities focused on innovation and growth

Advocate for responsible technology adoption and leadership accountability

Impact Statement

Svitlana’s thought leadership drives measurable change by aligning technological innovation with human capability. Her frameworks empower organizations not only to implement emerging technologies, but to do so with strategic clarity, ethical responsibility, and leadership maturity.

Her influence extends beyond individual events - shaping professional mindsets, strengthening leadership pipelines, and contributing to a more inclusive and sustainable global technology ecosystem.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://sessionize.com/svitlanasamko/

Award Nominee

Name: Michael Fauscette
Organization/Company: Arion Research LLC
Job Title/Position: CEO & Chief Analyst
Country: United States
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
High-tech leader, board member, software industry analyst, author and podcast host. He is a thought leader and published author on emerging trends in business software, AI, agentic and generative AI, digital transformation, and customer experience. Michael is a Thinkers360 Top Voice 2023, 2024 and 2025, and Ambassador for Agentic AI, as well as a Top Ten Thought Leader in Agentic AI, Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, AI Governance, AI Orchestration, and CRM.

Michael is the Founder, CEO & Chief Analyst at Arion Research, a global AI and cloud advisory firm; advisor to G2 and 180Ops, Board Chair at LocatorX; and board member and Fractional Chief Strategy Officer at SpotLogic. Formerly Michael was the Chief Research Officer at unicorn startup G2. Prior to G2, Michael led IDC’s worldwide enterprise software application research group for almost ten years. An ex-US Naval Officer, he held executive roles with 9 software companies including Autodesk and PeopleSoft; and 6 technology startups.

Books: “Building the Digital Workforce” - Sept 2025; “The Complete Agentic AI Readiness Assessment” - Dec 2025

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Analyst of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Defining the Agentic AI Era: Research, Frameworks, and Practical Guidance for Enterprise Transformation
Project/Contribution Description:
Over the past year, Michael Fauscette has been at the forefront of helping enterprises understand and prepare for the shift to agentic AI. Through his role as Founder, CEO & Chief Analyst at Arion Research, he has delivered advisory services, published original research, and provided strategic guidance to organizations navigating AI adoption and digital transformation.
His contributions include two published books: "Building the Digital Workforce" (September 2025), which provides a practical framework for integrating AI-driven automation into enterprise operations, and "The Complete Agentic AI Readiness Assessment" (December 2025), which gives organizations a structured methodology for evaluating their readiness to deploy agentic AI systems. Both works bridge the gap between emerging technology trends and actionable enterprise strategy.
Beyond publishing, Michael has served as a recognized thought leader and analyst across the AI ecosystem, contributing insights through his podcast, speaking engagements, advisory work, and ongoing research. His scope spans agentic AI, generative AI, AI governance, AI orchestration, CRM, and broader digital transformation, with a consistent focus on helping business leaders make informed technology decisions.

Key Achievements and Impact:
-Named a Thinkers360 Top Voice for three consecutive years (2023, 2024, 2025) and selected as Ambassador for Agentic AI
-Ranked as a Top Ten Thought Leader across six categories: Agentic AI, Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, AI Governance, AI Orchestration, and CRM
-Published two books in 2025 focused on enterprise AI readiness and workforce transformation
-Delivered advisory and analyst services to global enterprises through Arion Research, helping organizations develop AI strategies and evaluate technology investments
-Contributed to board-level strategy at multiple organizations including LocatorX (Board Chair) and SpotLogic (board member and Fractional Chief Strategy Officer)
-Host of the Disambiguation Podcast: published 45 episodes in 2025
-Cohost In the Hot Seat on the Playrz Production Network (PPN)
-Published 94 Articles on Arion Research blog, topics were heavily focused on Agentic AI, AI Governance, the Digital Workforce, and enterprise AI topics throughout the year.
-Published 21 analyst Research Reports.
-Appeared as a regular panelist on Analysts Gone Wild live show.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://www.yourdigitalworkforce.com/, https://www.digitalworkforce.work/, https://www.arionresearch.com/blog, https://www.arionresearch.com/research-reports, https://www.disambiguationpod.com/

Award Nominee

Name: Jeff KAGAN
Organization/Company: Jeff Kagan
Job Title/Position: Industry Analyst, Strategic Advisor, Columnist, Influencer
Country: United States
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Industry Analyst. Strategic Advisor. Columnist.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Analyst of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership in AI, 5G, Wireless, Telecom and Technology
Project/Contribution Description:
Use the same photo you have on file.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Advising the CEO, CMO, CAIO and senior level executives how to increase their visibility in a noisy and chaotic industry.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://www.google.com/search?q=jeff+kagan&oq=&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCQgAECMYJxjqAjIJCAAQIxgnGOoCMgkIARAjGCcY6gIyCQgCECMYJxjqAjIJCAMQIxgnGOoCMgkIBBAjGCcY6gIyCQgFECMYJxjqAjIPCAYQABhCGLQCGOoCGNsFMg8IBxAAGEIYtAIY6gIY2wXSAQkzMzY1ajBqMTWoAgiwAgHxBWxWvXq2UHaM8QVsVr16tlB2jA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Award Nominee

Name: Maribel Lopez
Organization/Company: Lopez Research
Job Title/Position: Technology Industry Analyst
Country: United States
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Technology Industry Analyst | Enterprise AI: Infrastructure, Agentic Systems, Governance & CX | Host, AI with Maribel Lopez

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Analyst of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Leading the Enterprise Pivot: From AI Experimentation to Agentic Production
Project/Contribution Description:
In 2025 and 2026, Maribel Lopez served as a critical bridge for enterprises navigating the "POC Purgatory." As the founder of Lopez Research, Maribel’s primary contribution was the development of a strategic framework for Agentic AI Governance and Observability. While the industry focused on the novelty of LLMs, Maribel pivoted her research to address the systemic failures in enterprise deployment, specifically why 95% of AI projects were failing to reach production.

Her work involved:

Independent Research & Analysis: Conducting deep-dive assessments into AI infrastructure, agentic systems, and the "semantic layer," helping CXOs understand the technical dependencies of autonomous agents.

Multichannel Market Education: Synthesizing complex technical shifts into actionable insights through the AI with Maribel Lopez podcast, Forbes columns, and high-impact industry reports (e.g., "Why 2026 is the Year Enterprise AI Gets Real").

Strategic Advisory: Directly pressure-testing the positioning of major technology vendors and guiding enterprise buyers on how to move from "innovative theater" to measurable ROI by prioritizing governance and human-in-the-loop protocols.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Maribel’s impact is defined by her ability to drive market clarity and provide a vendor-neutral "reality check" during a period of peak AI hype.

Market Leadership in Agentic AI: Recognized as a primary voice in the shift toward Agentic AI Governance. Her 2025–2026 research correctly predicted the rise of "autonomous digital teammates" and established the industry standard for auditing and securing multi-agent workflows.

Quantifiable Audience Reach: * Maintained a top-tier global ranking on Thinkers360 across AI, Digital Transformation, and Future of Work.

Produced over 50+ deep-dive articles/blogs and reached thousands of monthly listeners via her podcast, providing a platform for "counter-consensus" positions that challenged standard vendor narratives.

Direct Industry Influence: * Advised leading organizations on the "Production-Ready" roadmap, contributing to a measurable shift in how enterprises allocate AI budgets—moving away from broad experimentation toward governed, scalable agents.

Delivered major keynotes at industry-defining events like Cisco Live! 2025 and AWS re:Invent 2025, where she served as a lead analyst providing real-time synthesis of "Full-Stack AI Maturity."

The "Right-Time" Legacy: Successfully evolved her "Right-Time Experience" (RTE) methodology to include Generative and Predictive AI, helping retailers and service providers improve NPS and efficiency by delivering contextual, automated support at the edge.

Award Nominee

Name: Elitsa Krumova
Organization/Company: elitsakrumova.com
Job Title/Position: Global Thought Leader and B2B Tech Influencer
Country: Bulgaria
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Elitsa Krumova is a recognised Global Thought Leader & B2B Tech Influencer, both in Marketing & Advertising and in the IT industry. Her diverse educational background, with BA Hons in Advertising & Marketing Communications, MA in Creative Advertising and a BA in IT & Computer Sciences, is her unique tool which enables her to foresee the trends not only in consumer behaviour and technology, but also to predict the future projections of current tendencies in society and life in general. She offers services (influencer marketing, thought leadership, consulting, blogging, content creation, speaking) at elitsakrumova.com, her personal brand.

2025:
• Thinkers360 Ambassador for Emerging Technology
• Thought Leader & B2B Tech Influencer of the Year 2025: Elitsa Krumova
• Global B2B Tech Thought Leader of the Year 2025: Elitsa Krumova
• Leading Tech Influencer & Marketing Expert 2025 – USA: Elitsa Krumova
• Top 10 Tech Influencers to Follow in 2025 by insight.tech, sponsored by Intel
• Top 10 Instagram IoT Influencers in 2025 – FeedSpot
• Top 10 Thought Leaders in Robotics 2025
• Top 25 Thought Leaders in Emerging Technology 2025
• Top 25 Thought Leaders in Personal Branding 2025
• Top 25 Thought Leaders in Transformation 2025
• Top 25 Thought Leaders in Manufacturing 2025
• Top 25 Thought Leaders in Smart Cities 2025
• Top 25 Thought Leaders in Automotive 2025
• Top 100 Thought Leaders EMEA 2025
• Top 100 Thought Leaders in Future of Work 2025
• Top 50 Thought Leaders in RPA 2025
• Top 50 Thought Leaders in Diversity & Inclusion 2025
• Top 100 Thought Leaders in IoT 2025
• Top 50 Thought Leaders in 5G 2025
• Top 50 Thought Leaders in AR/VR 2025
• Top 10 IoT Influencers in 2025

2024:
• Best Technology Influencer 2024
• Global Power Leader in Marketing & Communications 2024 Award
• Best B2B Influencer Marketing Service of the Year 2024
• Personal Branding Top 100 Thought Leaders & Influencers
• Global Gold Winner of the WomenTech Network Global Awards 2024 | Category “Women in Tech Community Award (Individual/Public Voting)” – 1st Place
• Senator of the G20 – World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF)
• Most Innovative Tech Influencer & Marketing Expert 2024: Elitsa Krumova

2023:
• Best Thought Leadership Entrepreneur 2023
• 5G Top 100 Thought Leaders & Influencers
• AR/VR Top 100 Thought Leaders & Influencers
• IoT Top 100 Thought Leaders & Influencers

2022:
• IoTPL Woman of the Year Award 2022
• 1st in “IoTPL Top 100 Thought Leaders & Influencers 2022”
• Top 50 Brand Ambassadors 2023
• 50 Most Powerful AI Influencers 2022
• 50 AI in Business Influencers 2022
• Top 100 IoT Influencers 2022

2021:
• IoTPL Woman of the Year Award 2021
• 3rd in “IoTPL Top 100 Thought Leaders & Influencers 2021”
• Top 25 Industrial IoT Influencers 2021
• Top 50 Women in Tech Influencers 2021
• 5 IoT Influencers 2021
• Who’s Who in IoT Connectivity
• Who’s Who in Digital Experience
• Who’s Who in Data Science & Machine Learning

2020:
• 5th in “IoTPL Top 100 Thought Leaders & Influencers 2020”
• Top 100 Global Thought Leaders & Influencers 2020
• Women in Tech: Top 50 Women Influencers 2020

https://www.elitsakrumova.com/
https://www.elitsakrumova.com/blog/
https://x.com/Eli_Krumova
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elitsa-krumova/
https://www.instagram.com/elitsa_krumova
https://www.threads.net/@elitsa_krumova
https://www.youtube.com/c/EliKrumova
https://www.facebook.com/ElitsaKrumovaEK
https://www.tiktok.com/@elitsa_krumova
https://patreon.com/ElitsaKrumova

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Author of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Top Article 2025
Project/Contribution Description:
As a leading B2B tech influencer and thought leader in emerging technologies, I authored the article “The Future of Machining: Key Trends and Innovations”, providing an in-depth, forward-looking exploration of how AI, robotics, and advanced automation are revolutionizing machining processes, industrial manufacturing, CNC operations, and machine shops in the era of Industry 4.0. This piece highlights game-changing innovations, data-driven strategies, and smarter automation approaches that enhance efficiency, precision, and sustainability while addressing the disruptive yet beneficial impact of these technologies on specialized sectors. Published and syndicated across industry platforms—including RoboticsTomorrow, where it was officially recognized and featured as a Top Article of 2025 in their December 2025 year-end roundup—the article has gained significant traction and visibility in the robotics, factory automation, and manufacturing communities for its insightful analysis and visionary perspective on future machining trends. This contribution underscores my ongoing commitment to bridging technical innovation with strategic thought leadership, inspiring professionals and organizations to adopt cutting-edge solutions in emerging technologies.

Key Achievements and Impact:
As a globally recognized Thought Leader and B2B Tech Influencer in emerging and future technologies, my work has delivered measurable influence and impact across the tech ecosystem in 2025 and beyond. Key quantifiable achievements include:
- Named a Thinkers360 Top Voice of 2025 and included in the annual Top Voices list across multiple leaderboards (Robotics, Automotive, Personal Branding), as well as Thinkers360 Top Voice EMEA 2025 (Robotics, Automotive, Smart Cities), reflecting high rankings based on authored content, engagement, and peer recognition.
- Appointed Thinkers360 Ambassador for Emerging Technology in 2025, contributing to platform initiatives and thought leadership in AI, robotics, IoT, and related fields.
- Authored “The Future of Machining: Key Trends and Innovations” on behalf of DELMIA (Dassault Systèmes), which was officially recognized as a Top Article of 2025 by RoboticsTomorrow and featured in their December 2025 year-end roundup; the piece has gained significant industry traction, amplifying discussions on AI-driven robotics and automation in manufacturing, CNC, and machine shops.
- Earned multiple prestigious awards in 2025, including Thought Leader & B2B Tech Influencer of the Year 2025, Global B2B Tech Thought Leader of the Year 2025, and Leading Tech Influencer & Marketing Expert 2025 – USA, alongside top rankings such as Top 10 Tech Influencers to Follow in 2025 (insight.tech, sponsored by Intel), Top 10 IoT Influencers in 2025, Top 10 Instagram IoT Influencers in 2025, Top 50 Thought Leaders in Automotive 2025, and Top 25 Thought Leaders in Emerging Technology 2025.
- Built a strong personal brand with high engagement metrics on platforms like LinkedIn (over 31,000 followers as of early 2026), consistently driving visibility for emerging tech trends, inspiring professionals, and promoting inclusion (e.g., as a vocal advocate for Women in Tech and recipient of related recognitions like the 2024 WomenTech Network Global Gold Winner in Women in Tech Community Award).
- Contributed to broader industry impact through syndication on platforms like RoboticsTomorrow, authoritative leaderboards, and global events, fostering adoption of innovative technologies in industrial automation and digital transformation while mentoring and encouraging future generations in tech.
These achievements have elevated discourse on emerging technologies, influenced B2B decision-makers, and advanced diversity and innovation in the global tech community, with ongoing contributions measured through rankings, awards, content reach, and community endorsements.

Supporting URLs/Links:
Below is the list of the specialized industry publications, in which my article “The Future of Machining: Key Trends and Innovations” has appeared:
https://www.roboticstomorrow.com/article/2025/02/the-future-of-machining-key-trends-and-innovations/24066
https://www.logisticsit.com/articles/2025/02/06/the-future-of-machining-key-trends-and-innovations
https://www.itrportal.com/articles/2025/02/09/the-future-of-machining-key-trends-and-innovations/
https://www.pandct.com/news/the-future-of-machining-key-trends-and-innovations
https://www.dpaonthenet.net/article/215842/The-future-of-machining–Key-trends-and-innovations.aspx
https://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/html5/reader/production/default.aspx?pubname=&edid=eb92735b-4f72-452b-8448-cddca6760752&pnum=24
https://www.giant.pandct.com/news/the-future-of-machining-key-trends-and-innovations
The whole article in my blog:
https://www.elitsakrumova.com/2024/11/26/the-future-of-machining/
The article on DELMIA’s website:
https://blog.3ds.com/brands/delmia/the-future-of-machining-key-trends-and-innovations

Here are relevant links, highlighting key recognitions, the Top Article of 2025, profile, and related content:
https://www.roboticstomorrow.com/article/2025/02/2025-top-article-the-future-of-machining-key-trends-and-innovations/24066
(Top Article of 2025: “The Future of Machining: Key Trends and Innovations” recognized and featured by RoboticsTomorrow in their year-end roundup)
https://www.thinkers360.com/tl/elitsakrumova
(My official Thinkers360 profile as a Global Thought Leader and B2B Tech Influencer, including awards like Thinkers360 Ambassador for Emerging Technology and Top Voices listings)
https://www.thinkers360.com/announcing-the-thinkers360-top-voices-of-2025-the-definitive-list-of-leading-experts
(Announcement of Thinkers360 Top Voices of 2025, featuring my inclusion in Robotics, Automotive, and Personal Branding leaderboards)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elitsa-krumova
(My LinkedIn profile showcasing ongoing thought leadership, posts, engagement in emerging tech, awards, and recognitions)
https://www.womentech.net/nominee/Elitsa/Krumova/142819
(Nomination/profile for Women in Tech Global Awards, highlighting my contributions as a Global Thought Leader and B2B Tech Influencer, with details on Women in Tech advocacy)
https://www.thinkers360.com/tl/thought_leaders/experts?topic=113
(Thinkers360 Top Global Experts page in Emerging Technology, listing me among leading voices)
https://www.thinkers360.com/the-years-most-popular-articles-from-thinkers360-thought-leaders-2025
(Thinkers360's 2025 most popular articles roundup from thought leaders, featuring my contributions in emerging tech topics)
https://newhybridcloud.cio.com/optimize-your-edge-for-business-advantage/the-edge-plays-a-starring-role-in-modern-digital-transformation
(Featured quote and mention as a global thought leader and tech influencer in an article on edge computing and digital transformation)
https://app.favikon.com/business/profile/6624379bf6dc34c696c101b9
(Favikon influence profile recognizing me as a globally recognized B2B tech influencer and thought leader)
https://www.elitsakrumova.com
(My personal brand website with portfolio of articles, thought leadership, and influencer work in AI, IoT, robotics, and more)


Supporting File (1): Click
Supporting File (2): Click
Supporting File (3): Click

Award Nominee

Name: RAJESH LINGAM
Organization/Company: Adobe Inc
Job Title/Position: AI Engineering Leader | Enterprise GenAI Evaluation Architect
Country: United States
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Rajesh Lingam is an AI systems architect with over 20 years of experience in enterprise technology, cloud infrastructure, and distributed systems. As AI becomes embedded in everyday life, his writing focuses on building trustworthy, production-grade AI systems grounded in evaluation, governance, and reliability. Through his books and research, he helps organizations translate innovation into responsible, scalable real-world impact.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Author of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Advancing Trustworthy AI Through Evaluation-Driven Enterprise Systems
Project/Contribution Description:
As AI systems increasingly influence decisions across industries—including education, healthcare, and enterprise platforms—adoption remains constrained by concerns around reliability, bias, accountability, and transparency. This contribution advances a framework for evaluation-driven AI systems that embed measurable validation, governance, and trust mechanisms directly into production environments. Rather than treating AI quality as a post-release testing activity, this work positions evaluation as core infrastructure—enabling organizations to deploy scalable, responsible, and production-grade AI with confidence.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Advanced the concept of evaluation-driven AI as foundational infrastructure for building trustworthy, production-grade enterprise systems

• Reduced AI validation cycles from months to weeks by implementing structured evaluation and governance frameworks in enterprise environments

• Increased adoption of AI-powered solutions by 18% across multiple enterprise AI applications by embedding measurable trust mechanisms

• Translated research on reliability, bias mitigation, and accountability into scalable, production-grade deployment models

• Contributed to industry dialogue on responsible AI through published work bridging innovation with operational governance

Supporting URLs/Links:
TrustOps Amazon Book Link : https://a.co/d/05cpexaM
IGIGlobal Chapter Book Link: https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/integrating-trustworthiness-into-the-ai-lifecycle-trustworthiness/403357
SCRS Fellow : https://scrs.in/scrs-fellow/1453
Speaker : https://icetcc.com/speakers/
ORCID : https://orcid.org/0009-0008-4183-5756
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5sB4xKIAAAAJ&hl=en
Business Awards Judge : https://www.bintelligence.com/judge/rajesh-lingam
Media Article: https://www.thehansindia.com/technology/tech-news/beyond-boundaries-how-rajesh-lingams-global-journey-shaped-trust-and-intelligence-in-modern-software-systems-1033582

Supporting File (1): Click

Award Nominee

Name: Abdurahman Kajumba
Organization/Company: Qatar airways
Job Title/Position: Acting final load and dispatch coordinator
Country: Qatar
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
I am a non fiction author who is a leader in my company.

I love reading books and writing everyday.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Author of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Applied psychology for better living
Project/Contribution Description:
https://a.co/d/iLJQhbb

Key Achievements and Impact:
The best book I believe to change the mindset of mellinilas in the coming years

Award Nominee

Name: Simon Hill
Organization/Company: Wazoku
Job Title/Position: CEO & Founder
Country: Sweden
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Simon Hill is a globally recognised innovation leader, CEO of Wazoku, creator of the xV decision-intelligence model, and author of Expected Value. He advises governments and enterprises worldwide, champions crowd-powered innovation, and is a Forbes contributor shaping the future of innovation performance.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Author of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Expected Value: The System to Measure, Prove & Scale Value
Project/Contribution Description:
Expected Value (published in September 2025), is my latest award-winning book that introduces the xV model, a breakthrough decision-intelligence framework redefining how organisations measure, prioritise, and deliver innovation. The book addresses a long-standing challenge in the innovation field: the lack of a clear, quantitative way to evaluate early-stage ideas.

Drawing on years of research, real-world application across global enterprises, and national-level innovation programmes, Expected Value codifies a rigorous methodology built around four core factors: Confidence, Value, Time Sensitivity, and Strategic Fit. It transforms intuition-led decision making into transparent, evidence-based evaluation with measurable performance outcomes.

Key deliverables include the xV model, the Strategic Fit Radar, a full operational playbook for innovation leaders, and the award-winning book itself, recognised for its originality, clarity, and practical impact. Published globally, Expected Value is reshaping how organisations build innovation portfolios, assess risk, and unlock new value, establishing a new benchmark for innovation excellence.

Key Achievements and Impact:
xV delivers a unique and world-first predictive, leading measure of innovation value from the moment an idea is created. For the first time, organisations can quantify the future financial value of an idea before investment decisions are made. By directly connecting innovation and finance, xV provides a dynamic monetary value ($) for every innovation opportunity, enabling clear comparisons, smarter resource allocation, and measurable performance across entire portfolios.

This capability has already generated significant impact:

Financial clarity: xV enables organisations to forecast and compare innovation value in dollar terms, improving investment decisions and boosting realised value by 20–40%.

Predictive accuracy: Early-stage valuation accuracy has improved by up to 30%, reducing wasted spend and strengthening portfolio performance.

Speed to decision: Evaluation time for new ideas has decreased by up to 60%, accelerating mobilisation and delivery.

Portfolio uplift: Organisations using xV report a 25% increase in viable ideas progressing to delivery through more confident, evidence-based prioritisation.

Government and national impact: Adopted within multiple public-sector programmes, xV supports transparent funding decisions, portfolio governance, and national innovation ecosystem design.

Global influence: As codified in the award-winning book Expected Value (published Sept 2025), the model has been adopted by 30+ enterprises and government bodies, and its content has reached over 1 million professionals globally.

xV has redefined how innovation is measured and managed, bringing rigour, financial precision, and predictive insight to a field long dominated by intuition.

Supporting URLs/Links:
www.xvbook.com
https://open.spotify.com/show/3GQhsB3hC7iTGp5u11IrqC?si=47786871c760406f

Award Nominee

Name: Danny Wareham
Organization/Company: Firgun Ltd
Job Title/Position: Culture & Engagement Director
Country: United Kingdom
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Danny believes that happy bees make tasty honey.
With a purposeful culture, strategy and support systems, high performance becomes a side effect.

He is a psychologist, author, accredited coach, and psychometrician whose work lies at the intersection of leadership, culture and personality, with a focus on individual differences – especially the “dark triad” traits of narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism.

An expert in culture and leadership dynamics, Danny has been recognised among the Global Top 25 Thought Leaders on Culture and in Leadership and has spent nearly 30-years in contact centre, retail and fintech industries, designing cultures, leadership systems, and strategies in which energy, clarity, and collaboration multiply success.

He is the founder of Firgun, a consultancy whose Hebrew name captures his core motivation: “the genuine, sincere and pure happiness for another person’s accomplishment or experience”, whose clients include Worldpay, M&G Investment Bank, and LEGO.

He lives in Stoke-on-Trent, UK, with his partner, Charlene.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Author of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership in Constellation Leadership
Project/Contribution Description:
Who leads when the leader is not in the room?
'Constellation: Leadership reimagined for a connected age' provides the first ever academic research into a 'leader-less' form of leadership, where purpose, culture and context, rather than people at the top, become the guiding forces.

This ground-breaking study draws on psychology, organisational science, and fresh empirical evidence to reveal a revolutionary approach to leadership for a world too complex for hierarchies to keep pace.

This is not a reworking of old theories. It is a new map.

The book has 2 core purposes:

1. To introduce the first ever academic research in an accessible and practical way, highlighting how culture can provide the behavioural influence needed for leadership in a complex time. This would be made available for academics and practitioners to critique and build upon; and

2. To provide a practical framework and approach to creating the environment, culture and structures in real-world organisations, which leadership practitioners can utilise.

With reviews from Henley Business School, The Institute of Leadership, the Association for Business Psychology, LEGO, the Contact Centre Management Association, Glasgow Caledonian University and more, Constellation has already achieved those goals.

Key Achievements and Impact:
The book is currently shortlisted for Book of the Year at the Business book Awards 2026.
It is also nominated for Book of the Year at the Institute of Leadership awards.

Reviews are 100% 5-star, with praise acknowledging that this "...book should be on every business leader's desk."

Other praise for Constellation inlcudes:
‘Constellation Leadership may well be the leadership of tomorrow. It takes you on a thought-provoking journey through leadership history, relatable case studies, and an invitation to explore the real power of organisational culture.’
- Jo Garland
Director, Customer Engagement (EMEA), the LEGO Group

‘Constellation leadership is a wonderful book that shines light on how leading can work collectively. We know that leading is a collective process but struggle to find ways to make that practice tangible and accessible. This book is giving you access to the why and the how of leading by the many. It nudges you to learn and put your reading into practice, which is, to me, a must for any good book.’
- Professor Bernd Vogel
Director, Henley Centre for Leadership UK & Africa, Henley Business School, University of Reading

‘Grounded in research yet highly readable, Constellation explores leaderless leadership with clarity and engaging prose, offering fresh insights for navigating today’s connected world.’
- Melanie Robinson
Deputy CEO, The Institute of Leadership

‘It’s so practical, relatable, and beautifully underpinned by research. One of the clearest and most usable explanations I’ve seen of what actually needs to be true for psychological safety to exist – especially in distributed and hybrid teams.’
- Marion Anderson
HR Leader & PhD Researcher in psychological safety at Glasgow Caledonian University

‘In an age where the contact centre evolves with technology, I love hearing of new approaches to enable individuals to excel within their roles. Constellation leadership definitely gives food for thought and to think about organisation structure a little differently.’
- Kate Knowles
Services Director, Contact Centre Management Association (CCMA)

‘The way it connects history, research, and practical insight makes what could be complex ideas accessible, without ever dumbing them down. Reframing culture as a leader in its own right, is a refreshing new perspective that will resonate strongly. Constellation will be powerful and relevant for leaders and organisations’
- Martin Teasdale
Founder of The Team Leader Community™ & Get Out Of Wrap podcast

‘Constellation Leadership is a fascinating concept. The book takes the reader on a voyage of exploration, showing how leadership can be reimagined in fresh and thought-provoking ways.’
- Judith Germain
Leadership Impact Catalyst and Founder, The Maverick Paradox

Supporting URLs/Links:

HR Magazine (a global publication) recognises Constellation in Best HR Books:
https://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/content/features/best-of-hr-books-december-2025

People & Culture Association discussing the book:
https://www.linkedin.com/events/constellation-underinvestigatio7414284658462498818/

3rd Party article, linking Constellation with other models for transformational impact:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/single-most-important-skill-you-ignoring-leaders-guide-method-hiring-hymqe/

Book reviews from Amazon (100% 5-star):
https://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/1836887973/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_show_all_btm?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews

Business Book Awards: Shortlisted
https://www.businessbookawards.co.uk/entries-2026/

3rd Party article, linking Constellation with networking:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/neuroscience-7-am-handshake-why-structured-networking-biological-i8ase

Award Nominee

Name: Dr. Lilly Mbinglo
Organization/Company: THE ARK NPS & Regent University
Job Title/Position: Founder & CEO and Director & Professor of MS/MBA in Accounting at Regent University
Country: United States
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Dr. Lilly Mbinglo is a licensed, industry-leading CPA with extensive experience, an Accounting Professor, TEDx Speaker, published author, and expert strategist for individuals, businesses, and nonprofits.
As the founder and CEO of a respected CPA firm, she has dedicated her career to empowering clients with financial and tax clarity, strategic business growth, and lasting impact. She has also been recognized among the Top 25 Thought Leaders in Finance by Thinkers360.

She has authored several books available on Amazon:
???? 2025 Business Planner – Guide to Tax Strategies and Business Success
???? The Fabric of a Shero: Business Success Tips from a Shero Who Did It All
???? Hire Your Kids, Save Taxes, and Build a Legacy
???? From Vows to Ventures: Building a Successful Business Partnership for Married Couples

Dr. Lilly also hosts the online program Tax Conversation Strategies (TCS) on Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn, where she shares the latest tax ideas and strategies.
As a Director for the MS. of Accounting program at Regent University , as well as an Accounting Professor for the MBA and MS of Accounting programs at Regent University.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Consultant of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership & Consultant in Finance
Project/Contribution Description:
At her firm, The Ark NPS, she and her team provide a comprehensive suite of specialized accounting and tax services to clients in all 50 states, including:
✅ Business and nonprofit registration (and structure optimization)
✅ Bookkeeping and accounting
✅ Tax preparation, advisory, and strategic coaching
✅ Tax planning and year-round tax strategies
✅ Leveraging the tax code to reduce liability
✅ Tax resolution
✅ Business valuation services
✅ Business partnership consulting
✅ Nonprofit board setup and training
✅ Nonprofit budgeting and compliance
The Ark NPS has been ranked the #1 Certified Public Accountant firm in Chesapeake, VA by BusinessRate and the #1 Best Accounting Firm in Chesapeake, VA by ThreeBestRated (TBR). Dr. Lilly has also been named among Thinkers360 Top Voices in North America 2025.

Key Achievements and Impact:
1. The Ark NPS has been ranked the #1 Certified Public Accountant firm in Chesapeake, VA by BusinessRate and the #1 Best Accounting Firm in Chesapeake, VA by ThreeBestRated (TBR). Dr. Lilly has also been named among Thinkers360 Top Voices in North America 2025.

2. Author of 7 books:
???? 2025 Business Planner – Guide to Tax Strategies and Business Success
???? The Fabric of a Shero: Business Success Tips from a Shero Who Did It All
???? Hire Your Kids, Save Taxes, and Build a Legacy
???? From Vows to Ventures: Building a Successful Business Partnership for Married Couples
????Letters To My Amazing Kidpreneurs
????Letters To My Super Teenpreneurs
????Letters to My Current And Future Clients: Straight Talk, Wisdom, and Smart Strategies for Every Stage of Entrepreneurship

3. Appointed Director for the MS. of Accounting program at Regent University

4. Host of Tax Conversation Strategies (TCS) on Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn, where she shares the latest tax ideas and strategies.

5. TedX Speaker

6. 40 Acts of Impacts:
- Proved free professional tax preparation to 40 hardworking individuals earning under $50,000.
- 40 Young Dreamers, Book Gifts
- 40 Children Sponsored

Supporting URLs/Links:
1. Tax Conversations Program
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzCKVz4SsII&t=6s

2. Published Books on Amazon
https://a.co/d/0aFH57Xw

3. Dr. Lilly Mbinglo Featured on WTKR News 3 TV – National Spotlight Moment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCFx-EuFjgM

4. Regent University
https://www.regent.edu/faculty/lilly-mbinglo/

Award Nominee

Name: Tom Laine
Organization/Company: Manna InsectOy Ltd
Job Title/Position: CMO
Country: Finland
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Earlier achievements and honorable mentions:
Ranked #6 on Thinkers360 list of Top 50 Global Thought Leaders & Influencers on #HR (2022)
Ranked #1 on Finnish supernetworker list by SuperLinked (2020)
Ranked #2 on Thinkers360 list of Top 50 Global Thought Leaders & Influencers on #social (2020)
The 1st Finnish "Top Voices of Linkedin" Winner (2019)
"Alumni of the year" for Turku UAS (2019)
"Recruitment deed of the year" finalist (2018)
Best selling author (2017)
TEDx speaker (2017)
Rise Global's no. 4 on Top 100 HR Influencers List (December 2016)

Executed over 1.700 trainings / consultations for clients across Europe, Middle East, Asia, Australia and the United States of America since 2011, 70.000+ attendees, topics being Linkedin, B2B marketing, Social Selling, Social Media Recruitment and Employer Branding.

Over 80.000 followers across social media, incl. Linkedin, X/Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest - at Pinterest achieved over 1.2 million views per month at best.

Social media specialist in:
- Social Media recruitment & employer branding
- Social Media job hunting & personal branding
- Social Selling and B2B Marketing
- LinkedIn expertise since 2004, the most networked person in Finland in LinkedIn.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Consultant of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Building Thought Leadership in Insect Farming
Project/Contribution Description:
When starting as a part-time CMO with Manna Insect approx. 3 years ago, the company was one of many startups entering the novell industry of insect farming. The target was to clearly differentiate the company from others, build a strong personal brand for its CEO, and position the company as the thought leader in insect farming, especially that of Black Soldier Fly (BSF) farming. The table was wide open, no actual marketing had been done prior to this, but the CEO had already some recognition as a skilled individual and a specialist in BSF farming.

Key Achievements and Impact:
During this time the company has become a market leader in insect farming technologies with customers in over 40 countries across 6 continents, far more and more widely sprerad than any other company working in the same niche. On top of that, the company has gained significant following at Linkedin with Tom's content strategy and execution, and achieved a clear thought leadership status in its field of expertise, especially with content series run as free webinars, article series, podcast series, free online courses, and Linkedin content series such as "Insect Industry ABC", and "Q&A series". This all on top of sharing widely industry news, tips and research, that has helped the whole industry get wider recognition. Tom has been working on this content all by himself, with the insect industry insight help from the CEO.

During the last year Tom has also been involved in setting up a new central hub for insect farmers globally, the Insect Farm Hub (https://www.insectfarmhub.com/), and a marketplace for insect products and services, the recently launched BSF Market (https://bsfmarket.com/). Both of which are first of its kind in the industry.

Almost no paid advertising is done, with the exception of small budget paid advert at an African newsletter for chicken farmers, and specialized small budget marketing campaigns at Linkedin and with Google Ads.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/mannainsect/
https://www.insectfarmhub.com/
https://bsfmarket.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@mannainsectofficial
https://open.spotify.com/show/1IjQ9hi34mUzqBWzhqg7vz

Award Nominee

Name: Yemi Oluseun
Organization/Company: The Change Hive
Job Title/Position: Founder & Principal Advisor
Country: United Kingdom
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Yemi Oluseun is a transformation and retention strategist with 15+ years’ experience advising founders, executives, and PE-backed leadership teams. She specialises in retention-led growth, revenue operations, and organisational capability in regulated and growth-stage environments, including financial services, fintech, and B2B SaaS.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Consultant of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Retention-Led Growth & Organisational Capability in Regulated and PE-Backed Environments
Project/Contribution Description:
Over the past year, I have advised founders, executives, and private-equity-backed leadership teams on strengthening retention, revenue operations, and operating discipline. My work focuses on redesigning how organisations retain customers, govern revenue, and make decisions under scale and regulatory pressure.

Engagements typically combine strategic diagnostics, operating model design, and executive decision support, helping organisations move beyond fragile growth toward defensible, long-term value creation.

Key Achievements and Impact:
→ Supported leadership teams in reducing revenue fragility by embedding retention as an organisational capability rather than a functional metric.
→ Improved executive decision quality across the customer and revenue lifecycle through clearer ownership, routines, and governance.
→ Enabled PE-backed and regulated organisations to align retention strategy with valuation, risk management, and operational resilience.
→ Contributed thought leadership through published articles and commentary, shaping practitioner and policy discussions on retention and organisational resilience.
→ Recognised for professional impact and thought leadership, including ABM MPower Award (Commended), Elite Business Top 100 UK SME, U.S. Department of State YTILI Innovation Fellow & Pitch Winner, alongside consistently high client satisfaction (4.8/5 review rating).

Supporting URLs/Links:
www.thechangehive.co

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGxvFiJm7M/c62AV2t-HlR_jBb6xbYrLg/view?utm_content=DAGxvFiJm7M&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h07a5a8691c

https://yemioluseun.substack.com

https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6995466533246263297/

Award Nominee

Name: Ileana Scemtovici, EMBA
Organization/Company: ISTINNOVA
Job Title/Position: Fractional CRO | Finance Transformation Exec | NED & Board Member | GTM, RevOps, Pricing | Governanc
Country: Romania
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Consultant of the Year nominee: FinOps and finance transformation leader delivering measurable, repeatable client impact. I redesign operating models, embed governance, and automate workflows (ERP/RPA/analytics) to cut decision debt. Proven results: 30–50% efficiency gains, faster closes, stronger control. Experience includes telecom M&A stabilization and Oracle global compliance (65K+ cards, 75+ countries).

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Consultant of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Finance Transformation That Pays for Itself: Automation, Controls, Outcomes
Project/Contribution Description:
Over the past year, I delivered a consulting-led finance transformation portfolio focused on one core outcome: building finance functions that pay for themselves through measurable efficiency, stronger controls, and faster decision-making. The work targets the “messy middle” where cost overruns and risk hide: fragmented spend data, manual handoffs, unclear ownership, and governance that exists on paper but not in operations.

My approach combines FinOps discipline with finance operating-model redesign. I start with a diagnostic of decision debt (where delays, rework, and ambiguity create avoidable cost). From there, I design a pragmatic target operating model: clear accountability, controls-by-design, and a cadence that turns reporting into action. I then translate that model into execution through process redesign and enabling technology, integrating ERP and adjacent tools, automating workflows via RPA where appropriate, and implementing analytics dashboards that make unit economics, spend drivers, and variances visible in near real time.

The deliverables typically include: an end-to-end transformation blueprint, redesigned process maps and control points, governance routines (roles, forums, escalation paths, KPIs), automation opportunities and implementation backlog, and executive-ready dashboards for forecasting and performance management. Where confidentiality applies, results and examples are provided in anonymized form and can be substantiated upon request.

The consistent outcome is a finance organization that moves from reactive reporting to proactive control, reducing inefficiency, improving compliance posture, and enabling leaders to make faster, higher-quality trade-offs.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Delivered 30–50% reduction in process inefficiencies by integrating ERP/CRM/SaaS workflows, automation and AI-driven analytics.
Reduced operational bottlenecks by ~50% through workflow redesign and automation (RPA + standardized controls).
Built real-time budgeting/forecasting dashboards integrating finance + operational data to improve visibility and decision cadence.
Led digital finance transformation and integration work in a telecom M&A context (AP/compliance/supplier data/process alignment).
Strengthened governance by aligning processes and reporting to GDPR/IFRS/SOC 2 requirements; embedded controls into day-to-day operations.
Earlier proof of scale: managed Oracle’s global corporate card compliance portfolio (65,000+ cards across 75+ countries) and improved risk controls; delivered 125%+ of DSO target in OTC operations.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ancaileanascemtovici/
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/gafaiorg_gafai-aiforhumanity-romaniaai-activity-7407253284136136704-oOy1?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAD6DWcB0Go5DXiwC7_74dCIxt6C9_2dH8c
https://www.strategicdepth.com/p/welcome-to-strategic-depth
https://www.strategicdepth.com/s/the-boardroom-operating-system
https://www.strategicdepth.com/about
https://www.strategicdepth.com/p/digital-fluency-boardrooms-system-literacy
https://www.strategicdepth.com/p/decision-debt-the-silent-killer
https://www.strategicdepth.com/p/why-your-finance-stack-is-slowing
https://www.strategicdepth.com/p/rewiring-the-core-end-to-end-financial
https://www.strategicdepth.com/p/the-future-fit-finance-function-mastering
https://www.strategicdepth.com/archive
https://www.istinnova.com/insights-frameworks-istinnova
https://www.istinnova.com/the-messy-future-adapting-your-fixing-skills-for-emerging-challenges
https://www.istinnova.com/the-alchemy-of-the-edge-how-gold-diggers-forge-innovation-and-redefine-the-map
https://www.istinnova.com/the-gold-rush-career-when-to-dig-for-gold-and-when-to-sell-shovels
https://www.istinnova.com/the-shovel-sellers-secret-how-to-build-a-lasting-business
https://www.gaca.co.ke/team/
https://eliteleaders.club/
https://gofund.me/345f73a11
https://www.wytechconsulting.com/


Supporting File (1): Click
Supporting File (2): Click
Supporting File (3): Click

Award Nominee

Name: Francisco Javier Echeverria Dazarola
Organization/Company: Polpaico Soluciones
Job Title/Position: Director Innovation & Digital Transformation
Country: Chile
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Digital Transformation & Innovation Executive | Business Strategy | AI Adoption | Operational Excellence

Francisco is a senior executive with over 15 years of experience leading digital transformation, innovation, and data-driven strategy across industrial, retail, and service sectors in Latin America.

As Head of Digital Transformation & Innovation at Polpaico Soluciones, he drives the company’s evolution toward Industry 4.0 — aligning AI adoption, cultural change, and business strategy to deliver measurable impact on productivity, competitiveness, and sustainability.

He is passionate about building ambidextrous organizations that balance operational excellence with innovation at scale, fostering a culture where technology, people, and purpose converge.

Speaker and advisor on topics such as:
– Business-first Digital Transformation
– AI & Productivity Enablement
– Change Leadership and Culture of Innovation
– Ecosystem Collaboration & Open Innovation

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Consultant of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Building Ambidextrous Organizations through Applied AI, Governance, Culture and Scalable Business Impact
Project/Contribution Description:
Led and structured a Digital Transformation agenda focused on applying AI, automation and emerging technologies to real business problems. The initiative included the creation of a Digital Transformation Office and Centers of Excellence to govern experimentation, protect critical information and enable scalable adoption. The approach emphasized digital maturity, cultural change, agile experimentation and ambidextrous leadership to balance operational excellence with future innovation.

Key Achievements and Impact:
• Established governance models for AI and automation enabling controlled experimentation and scalable deployment.
• Reduced fragmentation by aligning technology initiatives with business strategy and EBITDA impact.
• Accelerated digital maturity through agile pilots, clear stage-gate models and cross-functional collaboration.
• Strengthened organizational capabilities to adopt emerging technologies with discipline and long-term sustainability.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rha_K0II07Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCwf4TPAN4A

Supporting File (1): Click
Supporting File (3): Click

Award Nominee

Name: Capt Pradeep Singh
Organization/Company: Aethon group
Job Title/Position: Group Chairman
Country: United Arab Emirates
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Master Mariner and global enterprise leader driving governance-led growth across maritime, real estate and technology sectors. Led 30,000+ international compliance inspections and developed thought leadership on disciplined asset creation, financial literacy and strategic value building. Active mentor and advocate for transforming professionals into long-term value creators.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Entrepreneur of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Capt pradeep Singh - From Sea to World
Project/Contribution Description:
Through a multidisciplinary career spanning maritime safety, enterprise governance and asset strategy, I have developed and promoted a practical framework for disciplined leadership and long-term value creation. My thought leadership focuses on maritime compliance reform, financial literacy for seafarers, asset ownership mindset, and governance-driven growth. Through published books, industry articles, keynote engagements and mentoring initiatives, I advocate transforming professionals from operators to strategic value creators.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Led over 30,000 tanker inspections globally under international safety frameworks, strengthening compliance standards across multiple jurisdictions. Mentored 300+ maritime professionals in leadership and financial literacy. Authored books on disciplined asset creation and leadership philosophy. Featured in global business publications including Forbes, Gulf Business and Entrepreneur. Recognized for advancing governance-led enterprise growth and sustainable long-term value creation.

Supporting URLs/Links:
www.pradeepsingh.ai
https://linkedin.com/in/captps
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pradeep_Singh

Award Nominee

Name: Tom Koulopoulos
Organization/Company: Delphi Group
Job Title/Position: Chairman
Country: United States
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Serial entrepreneur Tom Koulopoulos is driven by a relentless curiosity that has led him to start five companies, including an Inc. 500 firm. His most recent venture, Plexicam, has developed a novel series of patented products designed specifically for virtual presenters and communicators, now used by more than 30,000 professionals around the globe in fields ranging from law and healthcare to virtual events and education. Alongside building innovative businesses, he is also the author of 15 books focused on AI, innovation, and the future of work.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Entrepreneur of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Entrepreneur of the Year
Project/Contribution Description:
Serial entrepreneur Tom Koulopoulos is driven by a relentless curiosity that has led him to start five companies, including an Inc. 500 firm. His most recent venture, Plexicam, has developed a novel series of patented products designed specifically for virtual presenters and communicators, now used by more than 30,000 professionals around the globe in fields ranging from law and healthcare to virtual events and education. Alongside building innovative businesses, he is also the author of 15 books focused on AI, innovation, and the future of work.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Serial entrepreneur Tom Koulopoulos is driven by a relentless curiosity that has led him to start five companies, including an Inc. 500 firm. His most recent venture, Plexicam, has developed a novel series of patented products designed specifically for virtual presenters and communicators, now used by more than 30,000 professionals around the globe in fields ranging from law and healthcare to virtual events and education. Alongside building innovative businesses, he is also the author of 15 books focused on AI, innovation, and the future of work.

Award Nominee

Name: Mira Brancu
Organization/Company: Towerscope
Job Title/Position: Founder & Consulting Psychologist
Country: United States
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Dr. Mira Brancu is a former federal healthcare research executive and current Founder of award-winning social impact consultancy Towerscope, helping HR and business leaders navigate through retention, burnout, uncertainty, power dynamics & high pressure in large, complex systems. As a Duke University faculty member, she emphasizes evidence-based frameworks for building healthy, engaged, and adaptive leadership teams. She is also co-authored two books on navigating workplace politics, and is a Psychology Today columnist and host of The Hard Skills podcast.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Entrepreneur of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Social Impact Consulting Company Equal Matching Donations
Project/Contribution Description:
I have built a social impact firm, Towerscope, that invests money, time, and in-kind gifts to people and organizations that support underserved and underrepresented women's leadership, professional, and economic success. We have demonstrated that gender equity can be embedded into core business operations and serve as a replicable model for other organizations, while maintaining financial sustainability and delivering measurable social impact.

Key Achievements and Impact:
In any given year, 70-90% of the vendors we use are women-owned small businesses. We've set an audacious goal of donating 20% of time and profits to serving the needs of emerging and underserved women in leadership—a benchmark that has been met and often exceeded. In fact, for most years, including last year, we matched dollar for dollar: for every dollar we received in profit, we donated an equal amount in time or in-kind support toward mentorship, free or reduced cost consulting and coaching services, or volunteer work (current total donated time is nearly 2,000 hours, all contributed by the founder. Towerscope also publicly tracks and shares its impact through an annual scorecard distributed to stakeholders and published on the company website (https://gotowerscope.com/social-impact). This transparency demonstrates accountability and provides a blueprint for other businesses to follow. We were awarded the Corporate Philanthropy Award in 2021 by the Triangle Business Journal for this impact and Dr. Mira Brancu, the founder, was a finalist for the elite Transform Ten award in 2025. In 2023, I also founded the Towerscpe Leadership Academy as part of this social impact effort. The Academy is priced below non-profit rates to maximize accessibility, and approximately 50% of members participate for free or at reduced cost based on need. This has enabled highly talented, ambitious women from underserved backgrounds to access world-class leadership development that would otherwise be financially out of reach. We've served approximately 45 women across 4 countries (including the U.S.) in leadership roles. Multiple participants have already been promoted or attained new high-impact leadership roles. A Duke University research study on the program found that participants preferred this methodology to prior leadership trainings and experienced growth in advocacy, teamwork, remaining authentic to self while aligning with senior leadership, increased role preparedness, and a decrease in burnout.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://gotowerscope.com
https://gotowerscope.com/towerscope-leadership-academy

Award Nominee

Name: Elitsa Krumova
Organization/Company: elitsakrumova.com
Job Title/Position: Global Thought Leader and B2B Tech Influencer
Country: Bulgaria
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Elitsa Krumova is a recognised Global Thought Leader & B2B Tech Influencer, both in Marketing & Advertising and in the IT industry. Her diverse educational background, with BA Hons in Advertising & Marketing Communications, MA in Creative Advertising and a BA in IT & Computer Sciences, is her unique tool which enables her to foresee the trends not only in consumer behaviour and technology, but also to predict the future projections of current tendencies in society and life in general. She offers services (influencer marketing, thought leadership, consulting, blogging, content creation, speaking) at elitsakrumova.com, her personal brand.

2025:
• Thinkers360 Ambassador for Emerging Technology
• Thought Leader & B2B Tech Influencer of the Year 2025: Elitsa Krumova
• Global B2B Tech Thought Leader of the Year 2025: Elitsa Krumova
• Leading Tech Influencer & Marketing Expert 2025 – USA: Elitsa Krumova
• Top 10 Tech Influencers to Follow in 2025 by insight.tech, sponsored by Intel
• Top 10 Instagram IoT Influencers in 2025 – FeedSpot
• Top 10 Thought Leaders in Robotics 2025
• Top 25 Thought Leaders in Emerging Technology 2025
• Top 25 Thought Leaders in Personal Branding 2025
• Top 25 Thought Leaders in Transformation 2025
• Top 25 Thought Leaders in Manufacturing 2025
• Top 25 Thought Leaders in Smart Cities 2025
• Top 25 Thought Leaders in Automotive 2025
• Top 100 Thought Leaders EMEA 2025
• Top 100 Thought Leaders in Future of Work 2025
• Top 50 Thought Leaders in RPA 2025
• Top 50 Thought Leaders in Diversity & Inclusion 2025
• Top 100 Thought Leaders in IoT 2025
• Top 50 Thought Leaders in 5G 2025
• Top 50 Thought Leaders in AR/VR 2025
• Top 10 IoT Influencers in 2025

2024:
• Best Technology Influencer 2024
• Global Power Leader in Marketing & Communications 2024 Award
• Best B2B Influencer Marketing Service of the Year 2024
• Personal Branding Top 100 Thought Leaders & Influencers
• Global Gold Winner of the WomenTech Network Global Awards 2024 | Category “Women in Tech Community Award (Individual/Public Voting)” – 1st Place
• Senator of the G20 – World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF)
• Most Innovative Tech Influencer & Marketing Expert 2024: Elitsa Krumova

2023:
• Best Thought Leadership Entrepreneur 2023
• 5G Top 100 Thought Leaders & Influencers
• AR/VR Top 100 Thought Leaders & Influencers
• IoT Top 100 Thought Leaders & Influencers

2022:
• IoTPL Woman of the Year Award 2022
• 1st in “IoTPL Top 100 Thought Leaders & Influencers 2022”
• Top 50 Brand Ambassadors 2023
• 50 Most Powerful AI Influencers 2022
• 50 AI in Business Influencers 2022
• Top 100 IoT Influencers 2022

2021:
• IoTPL Woman of the Year Award 2021
• 3rd in “IoTPL Top 100 Thought Leaders & Influencers 2021”
• Top 25 Industrial IoT Influencers 2021
• Top 50 Women in Tech Influencers 2021
• 5 IoT Influencers 2021
• Who’s Who in IoT Connectivity
• Who’s Who in Digital Experience
• Who’s Who in Data Science & Machine Learning

2020:
• 5th in “IoTPL Top 100 Thought Leaders & Influencers 2020”
• Top 100 Global Thought Leaders & Influencers 2020
• Women in Tech: Top 50 Women Influencers 2020

https://www.elitsakrumova.com/
https://www.elitsakrumova.com/blog/
https://x.com/Eli_Krumova
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elitsa-krumova/
https://www.instagram.com/elitsa_krumova
https://www.threads.net/@elitsa_krumova
https://www.youtube.com/c/EliKrumova
https://www.facebook.com/ElitsaKrumovaEK
https://www.tiktok.com/@elitsa_krumova
https://patreon.com/ElitsaKrumova

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Influencer of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Influencer of the Year in Emerging Technologies
Project/Contribution Description:
As a leading Global Thought Leader and B2B Tech Influencer specializing in emerging and future technologies—including AI, IoT, robotics, manufacturing, cybersecurity, smart cities, automotive innovation, and digital transformation—I have consistently shaped industry discourse, aiming to inspire professionals, and driven adoption of cutting-edge solutions through high-impact thought leadership and influencer activities. My contributions in 2025, particularly regarding the Influencer of the Year category, are highlighted by my appointment as Thinkers360 Ambassador for Emerging Technology, where I actively supported platform initiatives, amplified expert voices, and advanced B2B influencer marketing in emerging tech domains. This role, combined with my inclusion in the Thinkers360 Top Voices of 2025 (across Robotics, Automotive, and Personal Branding leaderboards) and Thinkers360 Top Voices EMEA 2025 (Robotics, Automotive, Smart Cities), underscores my sustained influence in fostering insightful conversations on future technologies. I authored influential content, such as the Top Article of 2025 “The Future of Machining: Key Trends and Innovations” for DELMIA (Dassault Systèmes), syndicated on RoboticsTomorrow and recognized in their year-end roundup for its visionary analysis of AI and robotics in industrial automation and manufacturing. These efforts, alongside top rankings like Top 25 Thought Leaders in Emerging Technology 2025, Top 10 Tech Influencers to Follow in 2025 (insight.tech, sponsored by Intel), and awards including Thought Leader & B2B Tech Influencer of the Year 2025, Global B2B Tech Thought Leader of the Year 2025, and Leading Tech Influencer & Marketing Expert 2025 – USA, have elevated global awareness of emerging tech trends, bridged technical innovation with strategic branding, promoted diversity (e.g., as a Women in Tech advocate), and influenced B2B decision-makers and communities worldwide. I aim my work to inspire the next generation of tech professionals while forecasting societal impacts of transformative technologies.

Key Achievements and Impact:
As a globally recognized Global Thought Leader and B2B Tech Influencer in emerging and future technologies (including AI, IoT, robotics, smart cities, automotive innovation, and digital transformation), my work in 2025 has driven significant measurable influence, industry recognition, and community impact in the Influencer of the Year category. Key quantifiable achievements and specific impacts include:
• Appointed Thinkers360 Ambassador for Emerging Technology in 2025, contributing to platform growth, expert amplification, and B2B influencer marketing initiatives in emerging tech domains, as highlighted on Thinkers360 profiles and announcements.
• Named in the Thinkers360 Top Voices of 2025 (across Robotics, Automotive, and Personal Branding leaderboards) and Thinkers360 Top Voices EMEA 2025 (Robotics, Automotive, Smart Cities), reflecting high rankings driven by authored content, engagement, peer endorsements, and thought leadership impact.
• Authored “The Future of Machining: Key Trends and Innovations” on behalf of DELMIA (Dassault Systèmes), recognized as a Top Article of 2025 by RoboticsTomorrow and featured in their year-end roundup (December 2025), generating substantial traction in robotics, factory automation, industrial manufacturing, and AI/robotics communities for its forward-looking insights on Industry 4.0 transformations.
• Earned multiple 2025 awards, including Thought Leader & B2B Tech Influencer of the Year 2025, Global B2B Tech Thought Leader of the Year 2025, and Leading Tech Influencer & Marketing Expert 2025 – USA, alongside top rankings such as Top 10 Tech Influencers to Follow in 2025 (insight.tech, sponsored by Intel), Top 10 IoT Influencers in 2025, Top 10 Instagram IoT Influencers in 2025, Top 25 Thought Leaders in Emerging Technology 2025, Top 10 Thought Leaders in Robotics 2025, and inclusion in Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Smart Cities 2025.
• Maintained a robust personal brand with over 31,000 LinkedIn followers (as of early 2026), consistently achieving high engagement through posts, articles, and discussions on emerging tech trends, inspiring B2B professionals, decision-makers, and audiences while promoting diversity and inclusion (e.g., as a nominee and advocate in Women in Tech Global Awards 2025/2026 categories, building on prior recognitions like WomenTech Network Global Gold Winner).
• Amplified industry discourse through syndication on platforms like RoboticsTomorrow, Onalytica, and Thinkers360, contributing to broader adoption of emerging technologies in automation, manufacturing, and digital transformation, while mentoring emerging professionals and forecasting societal/tech trends.
These achievements have elevated global conversations on emerging technologies, influenced B2B strategies and innovation adoption, advanced women in tech representation, and fostered inclusive growth in the tech ecosystem, with ongoing impact measured via rankings, awards, content visibility, community endorsements, and follower growth.

Supporting URLs/Links:
Here are relevant links supporting my nomination for the Influencer of the Year category in the Thinkers360 Annual Awards:

https://www.thinkers360.com/tl/elitsakrumova
(Official Thinkers360 profile: Thinkers360 Ambassador for Emerging Technology, Top Voices 2025 inclusions in Robotics/Automotive/Personal Branding, and multiple top rankings in emerging tech)

https://www.thinkers360.com/announcing-the-thinkers360-top-voices-of-2025-the-definitive-list-of-leading-experts
(Thinkers360 official announcement of Top Voices 2025 winners, featuring my inclusion across key leaderboards)

https://www.thinkers360.com/tl/thought_leaders/experts?topic=113
(Thinkers360 Top Global Experts in Emerging Technology leaderboard, ranking me among premier thought leaders and influencers)

https://www.thinkers360.com/top-50-global-thought-leaders-and-influencers-on-smart-cities-2025
(Thinkers360 Top 50 Global Thought Leaders & Influencers on Smart Cities 2025, highlighting influence in IoT and related emerging domains)

https://www.roboticstomorrow.com/article/2025/02/2025-top-article-the-future-of-machining-key-trends-and-innovations/24066
(Top Article of 2025 recognition: “The Future of Machining: Key Trends and Innovations” on AI/robotics in industrial automation, featured by RoboticsTomorrow)

https://www.womentech.net/nominee/Elitsa/Krumova/142819
(Women in Tech Global Awards nomination/profile: recognized as top Global Thought Leader and B2B Tech Influencer in Emerging Technology, with advocacy focus
)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/elitsa-krumova
(LinkedIn profile: 31,000+ followers, high-engagement content on emerging tech trends, awards, and influencer endorsements)

https://www.elitsakrumova.com
(Personal brand website: portfolio of thought leadership articles, influencer work, and services in AI, IoT, robotics, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies)

https://www.elitsakrumova.com/2025/08/21/thinkers360-emerging-technology
(Announcement of Thinkers360 Ambassador for Emerging Technology role and contributions to B2B influencer marketing in emerging tech)

https://www.elitsakrumova.com/2025/10/05/thinkers360-top-voices-2025-award-winners
(Announcement of Thinkers360 Top Voices 2025 inclusion in Robotics, Automotive, and Personal Branding leaderboards)

https://www.elitsakrumova.com/2026/01/18/my-article-is-recognized-as-a-top-article-of-2025-and-is-gaining-popularity-in-the-industry
(Announcement of Top Article of 2025 recognition and amplified industry reach for AI/robotics content)

https://www.elitsakrumova.com/about
(About page detailing recognitions: Thinkers360 Ambassador, Top 10/Top 25/Top 50 rankings in emerging tech, robotics, IoT, and awards like Thought Leader & B2B Tech Influencer of the Year 2025)

These external and personal brand links provide verifiable evidence of sustained global influence, prestigious awards, ambassador contributions, high-impact content, and leadership in emerging technologies throughout 2025, directly supporting the Influencer of the Year criteria.

Award Nominee

Name: Ryan Hamze
Organization/Company: ISG Information Services Group Americas, Inc.
Job Title/Position: Director, Smart Manufacturing & AI
Country: United States
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Ryan is a Director in the Smart Manufacturing advisory group under the Americas Consulting. He leads smart manufacturing initiatives in Industry 4.0/5.0, Generative AI, and digital transformation.

His expertise across multiple sectors includes Manufacturing and Automotive, has a strong focus on sourcing and digital engineering strategies.

Recognized as an industry thought leader in Smart Manufacturing and Generative AI, he is Certified as an ISG Digital & AI Fellow and a winner of the 2024 Chairman’s Club Award. He hosts the “Tales of Dark Factories: Industry 5.0” podcast, which explores the role of AI in smart manufacturing, and consistently ranks among the Thinkers360™ Top 10 and Top 50 Global Thought Leaders in manufacturing, AI, IT operations and IoT.

During Ryan’s 15 years of enterprise IT leadership experience, he has helped organizations achieve double-digit cost reductions and operational efficiencies, leading full-scale digital transformations that have automated millions of dollars in production workflows. He specializes in hyper-automating processes using both legacy enterprise and emerging technologies, focuses largely on reducing operations downtime and similar cost savings efforts.

His special talent is defining technology solutions to real-world business problems.

https://www.ryanhamze.com

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Influencer of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Applied AI Thought Leadership in Smart Manufacturing
Project/Contribution Description:
Ryan is a researcher and delivery director focused on applied artificial intelligence in manufacturing. He shares his work through articles, podcasts, speaking engagements, and hands on product development, including his podcast Tales of Dark Factories.

At ISG, he helps industrial teams select AI use cases, drive adoption, and lead cost reduction programs supported by AI. He also builds internal GPT tools that improve research speed and strengthen client deliverables.

Outside ISG, he founded Aabey LLC and created Contract Analyzer Pro to support small business contract review. His approach is simple: make artificial intelligence understandable and useful for real factory work.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Recognized as an ISG Digital and AI Fellow and a Chairman’s Club Award recipient.
Led programs that delivered double digit cost reductions and measurable downtime improvements across multiple sites.
Built Contract Analyzer Pro, an offline contract review tool that flags key clauses and risks.
Published multiple articles and white papers and regularly speaks on Industry 4.0, Industry 5.0, and dark factories.
Hosts Tales of Dark Factories and shares practical factory stories with leaders and practitioners.
Serves Kansas through FlagshipKansas.Tech and the Kansas State Department of Education Digital Technology Cluster Review Committee, and is the Kansas lead for the Arab America Foundation, alongside mentoring and local volunteer roles.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://www.thinkers360.com/top-50-global-thought-leaders-and-influencers-on-generative-ai-2024/
https://ryanhamze.com/
https://isg-one.com/about-us/people/ryan-hamze
https://aabeyllc.com/
https://open.spotify.com/show/7M7w4B59dDn0gbzzrqbAfl
https://flagshipkansas.tech/leadership/ryan-hamze
https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/news/2022/03/11/2022-innovation-awards-aabey-llc.html

Award Nominee

Name: Braden Kelley
Organization/Company: Human-Centered Change and Innovation
Job Title/Position: Founder
Country: United States
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Braden Kelley (@innovate on Twitter) is a popular keynote speaker and workshop leader focusing on human-centered design, innovation, change and digital transformation, and has been advising companies on how to increase their revenue and cut their costs since 1996. He has maximized profits for companies while living and working in the UK, Germany, and the United States. Braden earned his MBA from London Business School.

Braden works with global clients to create more success in their innovation, change and digital transformation programs through the appropriate mix of training, inspiration, and tools. Braden specializes in the creation of a strong, sustainable organizational capability for continuous change, innovation, and digital reinvention.

His new book 'Charting Change' (SECOND EDITION) for Palgrave Macmillan focuses on the best practices and next practices of organizational change, and introduces his new collaborative, visual Change Planning Toolkit™ that is designed to get everyone literally all on the same page for change.

Braden has worked with a variety of industries including: financial services, healthcare, marketing, technology, retail, insurance, online services, mobile telecommunications, and more.

Braden is also a co-founder of the popular InnovationExcellence.com. He is passionate about innovation and social business, and has been commissioned by companies (including Innocentive, Planview and Imaginatik) to write white papers and case studies, but has also written 650+ articles for publications including The Washington Post, Wired, The Atlantic, European Business Review, Texas Enterprise, ProjectManagement.com, and more.

His international clients include Microsoft, Expedia, AB Inbev, BASF, Misys, HomeAway.com, Roche, Bank of Montreal, OSF Healthcare, Wunderman, the U.S. Navy and more.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Influencer of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Serving the global Human-Centered Change and Innovation community
Project/Contribution Description:
After building up the world's most popular global innovation community (Innovation Excellence) and selling it, I have returned to my roots of trying to make human-centered change, innovation and experience design insights accessible for the greater good

Key Achievements and Impact:
Our roster of contributing authors and community members continue to grow and we continue to look out for emerging talent with amazing insights to share with the global Human-Centered Change & Innovation community. Keep innovating!

Supporting URLs/Links:
http://blogginginnovation.com

Award Nominee

Name: Damian Piñero
Organization/Company: Cima Academy
Job Title/Position: Talent Management
Country: Argentina
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Vender no es un acto de presión. Es una forma de pensamiento en acción.
Un diálogo donde las palabras, las preguntas y los silencios construyen realidades posibles.

Mi interés está en la intersección entre la estrategia comercial y el comportamiento humano: cómo deciden las personas, qué las mueve a confiar y por qué algunas conversaciones generan valor mientras otras solo generan ruido.

Trabajo con ventas B2B y liderazgo comercial desde una mirada crítica. No creo en fórmulas universales ni en discursos motivacionales vacíos. Me interesa el criterio, la escucha profunda y las decisiones que sostienen resultados cuando el contexto se vuelve incierto.

Entiendo la venta como un espacio de comprensión antes que de intercambio. Una estrategia solo cobra vida cuando tiene sentido para quienes la ejecutan y para quienes la reciben.

Pienso las ventas como un oficio que se aprende, se cuestiona y se mejora constantemente. No para cerrar más operaciones, sino para elevar el estándar de la profesión y devolverle profundidad a una práctica que muchas veces se simplifica en exceso.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Influencer of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Transformación de la Cultura Comercial: Del Mal Vendedor a la Excelencia en el Servicio al Cliente.
Project/Contribution Description:
A través de mi obra literaria y mi actividad constante en Thinkers360, he desarrollado un marco analítico integral que expone las deficiencias en el ciclo de ventas y la atención al cliente. Mi contribución se centra en profesionalizar el sector comercial, basándome en mis dos libros publicados que funcionan como una hoja de ruta para eliminar la mediocridad operativa y fomentar relaciones de confianza a largo plazo entre empresas y consumidores. He publicado 23 artículos especializados que sirven de guía para líderes

Key Achievements and Impact:
Autoría de dos libros: Publicación de dos obras centradas en la crítica constructiva y la mejora de los procesos de ventas y atención al cliente.

Reconocimiento en Thinkers360: Alcance de un puntaje de liderazgo de pensamiento de 455 puntos y la obtención de 6 insignias de excelencia en categorías clave del mercado.

Producción de contenido: Generación de 23 artículos técnicos y de opinión con alto nivel de interacción, impactando en la visión de profesionales del sector en el mercado hispanohablante.

Validación de expertos: Consolidación de una red de influencia basada en la integridad comercial y la ética en el servicio.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://www.favikon.com/es/blog/top-sales-influencers-argentina

Supporting File (1): Click
Supporting File (2): Click

Award Nominee

Name: Kalilur Rahman
Organization/Company: zinnov
Job Title/Position: Senior GCC Advisor Pharma and Healthcare
Country: India
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Kalilur Rahman is a technology leader, an author, speaker, and a curious lifelong learner helping organizations in propelling the Digital Transformation journey.

* About me:
**** I am a self-driven, technology savvy, initiative-taking, lifelong learner and a people-centered servant leader
**** I am an avid networker with a very large social media following (****800K+ in LinkedIn) and share knowledge profusely.
**** I am a quizzer and the thirst for knowledge keeps me on my toes to learn and share continuously
**** I lead by example, and manage, mentor and empower all parties to ensure excellence from the team and self
**** Have innovation and thought leadership focus and is a keen writer.
**** I am an author of “Science Of Selenium” by BPB Publications along with One Self-published book and second manuscript in writing
**** Innovations in Testing - Published via Kindle Direct
**** I enjoy aligning with a vision and influencing strategy.
**** I have played roles such as CoE Lead, Program Lead, Solution Architect, Transformation Lead, and Delivery Lead for large-scale delivery; Led multi-vendor teams in multi-geography locations for business-critical programs.
**** I have enabled leaders to refine their business strategies and turn them into operational reality through the successful delivery of transformation objectives.
**** I am skilled in Program, Portfolio and Project Management, Leadership, Planning, Telecommunications, Healthcare, Life Sciences delivery, Consulting, Solution Architecture, Technical Architecture, Enterprise Application Integration, End-to-end Agile Delivery, Strategic Innovation, Test Strategy, Mentoring, Coaching, Stakeholder Management, Benefits Realization

**** My Personal Website is at http://www.kalilurrahman.work
**** My Amazon Author website is at https://www.amazon.com/author/kalilurrahman

**** Follow me on:
Twitter: @krahman

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Influencer of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Thought Leadership Excellence in LinkedIn
Project/Contribution Description:
In a year, had total Impressions of 29.9M with an exceptional readh to over 2.31M Unique Members
with a Broad Impact on the Total Followers count of 779K

Key Achievements and Impact:
Wide reach, impact

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://kalilurrahman.github.io/linkedin.html

Award Nominee

Name: delia vulpe
Organization/Company: SBS SOFTWARE
Job Title/Position: Analyst Relations Manager
Country: France, French Republic
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
I lead Analyst and Influencer Relations at SBS Software, managing global engagement with firms like Gartner, Forrester, IDC, Celent, Chartis, and IBS Intelligence. With 15+ years in banking and enterprise tech, I bridge finance and innovation to shape market perception, elevate SBS’s visibility, and drive thought leadership across the fintech ecosystem.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Influencer of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: How Analyst Relations Influence Banking Software Decisions
Project/Contribution Description:
This year, I led a comprehensive transformation of SBS Software’s Analyst Relations and Influencer Relations function, elevating our visibility, credibility, and influence across the global fintech and banking technology ecosystem. My work focused on strengthening analyst engagement, amplifying SBS’s presence in industry conversations, and building a structured, scalable approach to external influence.

## **Purpose**

The purpose of this initiative was to ensure SBS is consistently represented as a leading, innovative, and trusted vendor in the eyes of analysts, influencers, and enterprise buyers. Analyst insights and influencer narratives significantly shape market perception and purchasing decisions—especially in core banking and digital transformation. My goal was to position SBS at the forefront of these conversations through disciplined execution, strategic storytelling, and relationship‑driven influence.

## **Scope**

### **1. Analyst Engagement & Market Visibility**
- Managed **17 analyst briefings** across multiple domains.
- Coordinated **14 submissions** to top firms including Gartner, Forrester, Celent, Chartis, Everest, IDC, IBSI, NelsonHall, and QKS.
- Secured **30 industry awards**, including **11 Leader‑category wins**, strengthening SBS’s competitive positioning.
- Negotiated printing rights **below market value**, expanding SBS’s external reach.

### **2. Strategic Influence & Thought Leadership**
- Advanced the **Gartner Peer Insights and Customer Loyalty Programme**, improving external credibility.
- Co‑authored **two analyst articles**, enhancing SBS’s thought‑leadership footprint.
- Achieved analyst mentions in **IBSI press releases** and **Open Banking Expo**, increasing brand recognition.
- Engaged non‑analyst influencers (Open Banking Expo, The Paypers), broadening SBS’s influence network.

### **3. Process Excellence & Internal Enablement**
- Delivered **analyst briefing training** to improve internal readiness.
- Created **three standardized procedures** (submissions, inquiries, awards), bringing structure and consistency.
- Improved internal understanding of analyst expectations, ensuring timely, high‑quality delivery.
- Promoted analyst insights internally and amplified SBS visibility on LinkedIn.

### **4. Leadership & Cross‑Functional Collaboration**
- Led teams **outside my formal scope** (MLP programme, lending project), demonstrating adaptability.
- Acted as a trusted bridge between SBS and the analyst community, adding structure and credibility.
- Received a **positive 360° review** for communication, collaboration, and relationship‑building.
- Built peer relationships beyond SBS, strengthening industry connections.
- Gartner rated SBS’s challenge in finding a strong AR manager as **“9 out of 10,”** underscoring the impact of this role.

## **Influence & Impact**

A major part of my contribution this year has been driving influence both inside and outside SBS.

**Internally**, I educated colleagues on the strategic importance of industry analysts and how their insights shape enterprise buying decisions. This created a cultural shift: teams became more curious, more collaborative, and far more open to analyst expectations. As a result, information flowed more easily, questions were addressed proactively, and teams were less defensive when approached for input—transforming AR from a “task” into a shared strategic priority.

**Externally**, I strengthened every analyst relationship across Gartner, Forrester, IDC, Celent, Chartis, Everest, IBSI, and QKS, ensuring SBS is viewed as a credible, responsive, and high‑value partner. To elevate the profession and promote analysts’ work, I launched a **weekly LinkedIn article series** covering topics such as:
- *The Secret Allies of Analyst Relations: Analysts’ CSMs*
- *Industry Analyst Research: To Participate or Not?*
- *Inside the Analyst Briefing Room: The Role You Don’t See*
- *Advocating for Industry Analysts Inside the Organization*
- *How Analyst Relations Influence Banking Software Decisions*

This series has helped educate the market, amplify analysts’ contributions, and position SBS as an analyst‑friendly vendor.

My influence was also recognized externally: **Carter Lusher featured me in his “Friday’s AR Pros to Follow,”** highlighting my growing visibility and credibility within the global analyst relations community.

## **Key Deliverables**

- 17 analyst briefings executed with precision
- 14 major analyst submissions delivered on time
- 30 industry awards secured, including 11 Leader wins
- Two co‑authored analyst articles
- Standardized processes for submissions, inquiries, and awards
- Strengthened influencer network and external visibility
- Enhanced internal alignment with analyst expectations
- Expanded SBS’s presence across analyst reports, press releases, and industry platforms

Key Achievements and Impact:
- Strengthened SBS’s global analyst presence by delivering 17 high‑quality analyst briefings and 14 major submissions across Gartner, Forrester, IDC, Celent, Chartis, Everest, IBSI, NelsonHall, and QKS — significantly improving SBS’s visibility in industry evaluations.
- Secured 30 industry awards, including 11 in the Leader category, elevating SBS’s competitive positioning and credibility in the banking technology market.
- Rebuilt and enhanced analyst relationships, earning positive feedback from all firms and increasing SBS’s mentions in press releases, industry events, and analyst commentary.
- Advanced Gartner Peer Insights and the Customer Loyalty Programme, resulting in renewed client engagement and stronger external validation.
- Launched a weekly LinkedIn thought‑leadership series promoting analyst work and educating the market on Analyst Relations, increasing SBS’s visibility and positioning you as a respected AR voice.
- Recognized externally as a rising AR leader, including being featured by Carter Lusher in his “Friday’s AR Pros to Follow” — reinforcing your influence within the global AR community.
- Improved internal culture around Analyst Relations by educating colleagues on the strategic value of analysts, resulting in greater collaboration, curiosity, and reduced defensiveness when engaging with AR processes.
- Introduced structure and operational excellence through three new standardized procedures (submissions, inquiries, awards), improved briefing readiness, and consistent on‑time delivery.
- Negotiated below‑market printing rights, expanding SBS’s external reach while optimizing costs.
- Demonstrated leadership beyond scope, contributing to the MLP programme, lending project, and RFP AI initiative, showcasing adaptability and cross‑functional impact.
- Strengthened SBS’s influencer ecosystem, engaging non‑analyst influencers (Open Banking Expo, The Paypers) and amplifying SBS’s presence across fintech networks.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-analyst-relations-influence-banking-software-delia-vulpe-mba-mmtfe
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/secret-allies-analyst-relations-analysts-csms-delia-vulpe-mba-z8sye
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/industry-analysts-research-participate-delia-vulpe-mba-putee
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/inside-analyst-briefing-room-role-you-dont-see-delia-vulpe-mba-2hmxe
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/advocating-industry-analysts-inside-organization-delia-vulpe-mba-eleqe
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/delia-vulpe_archat-analystrelations-arcommunity-activity-7374789575237484545-VuBT?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAACx__wQBfpvaS2J42vofcuxvcpZuhVbozgo
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/delia-vulpe_analystrelations-forresterarcouncil-sbs-activity-7381747164370341888-letm?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAACx__wQBfpvaS2J42vofcuxvcpZuhVbozgo

Award Nominee

Name: Dr. Suman Ghosh
Organization/Company: British Telecom
Job Title/Position: Lead Project Manager
Country: India
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
I am a global ICT transformation, project management, and cybersecurity leader with 22+ years of experience delivering large-scale telecom and digital initiatives across EMEA and APAC. A world-record holder with 250+ global certifications, I am also an acting Cyber Ambassador (Govt. of India), CCIO volunteer, mentor, and multi-award-winning professional recognized for driving resilience, governance, and community impact.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Influencer of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Influencing Cyber Resilience, Ethical AI, and Project Leadership at Scale
Project/Contribution Description:
I have consistently leveraged my professional platform to influence cybersecurity resilience, responsible technology adoption, and structured project governance across enterprises and the broader community. My contribution spans thought leadership, mentoring, national cyber awareness initiatives, and industry advocacy.

As a Lead Project Manager at BT Group, I influence secure ICT service delivery across global programs, ensuring cybersecurity is embedded into governance, delivery, and decision-making. Beyond corporate boundaries, I actively serve as a Cyber Ambassador under the Government of India’s cybersecurity awareness mission, a CCIO volunteer supporting cybercrime victims, and a Brand Ambassador for organizations promoting ethical AI, cybersecurity education, and professional excellence.

Through articles, community sessions, panel discussions, mentoring programs, and advisory roles, I translate complex cybersecurity and governance concepts into actionable insights for professionals, students, and leaders—bridging the gap between strategy, execution, and societal impact.

Key Achievements and Impact:
Influenced 100+ professionals and students through structured mentoring, cyber awareness sessions, and leadership programs (PMI, GMI, MentorTogether, CCIO).

Recognized as Top 100 Cybersecurity Influencer 2025 (CyberFrat) and Cybersecurity Influencer of the Year for sustained thought leadership.

Acted as Cyber Ambassador (MeitY, Govt. of India), supporting national cyber safety awareness and digital trust initiatives.

Supported real cybercrime interventions as a CCIO volunteer, helping victims recover financially and emotionally.

World Record holder with 216+ global certifications, reinforcing credibility and continuous learning leadership.

Regular contributor to LinkedIn thought leadership content on cybersecurity, PMO governance, AI risk, and leadership—reaching a global audience

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://www.facebook.com/projectmanagement.ie/photos/in-our-article-suman-ghosh-examines-the-mpls-network-upgrade-project-from-a-proj/806717014791931/?_rdr
https://glantorx.com/2025/04/03/dr-suman-ghosh-a-visionary-leader-in-it-cybersecurity-and-mentorship/
https://www.iafindia.com/mr-suman-ghosh/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntg5wr5SpJg
https://www.iapm-cert.net/documents/magazine/IAPM_Magazine_December_2022.pdf
https://www.iapm.net/en/blog/mastering-projects/
https://www.iapm.net/en/blog/project-close-out/

Supporting File (1): Click
Supporting File (2): Click
Supporting File (3): Click

Award Nominee

Name: Svitlana Samko
Organization/Company: Verizon Connect, W2business
Job Title/Position: Senior Technical Project Manager
Country: Ireland
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Experienced Senior Manager with 18 years of success in managing and leading innovative teams. Demonstrated ability to develop strategies to drive product-centric culture and agile processes. Proven record of delivering projects on-time and under budget.

I am passionate about empowering individuals and driving their learning and development to help them progress in their careers.

In summary, I am driven by a deep passion for mentoring and guiding others in the tech industry. Through my roles as a mentor, coach, e-Mentor, community leader, volunteer, and speaker, I have strived to create a positive and lasting impact. My dedication to helping individuals develop their skills and progress in their careers is at the core of my work.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Influencer of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Driving Global Tech Leadership Through Digital Influence, Mentorship, and Human-Centered Innovation
Project/Contribution Description:
Svitlana Samko is a global technology leader, TEDx speaker, and digital mentor whose influence extends across conferences, professional communities, and social media platforms.

Through her Instagram platforms — IT Mentor Lana and W2Business Academy — she delivers practical guidance on AI adoption, project leadership, career growth in tech, and women’s advancement in business. Her content translates complex technical and strategic concepts into accessible, actionable insights for a global audience of technology professionals, aspiring leaders, and entrepreneurs.

Her influence is built on three integrated pillars:

1. Educational Influence

Micro-learning content on AI, digital transformation, and leadership

Practical project management and executive growth strategies

Real-world case studies from enterprise technology environments

2. Career & Leadership Mentorship

Guidance for women transitioning into tech leadership roles

Structured advice for professionals seeking global career advancement

Confidence-building and communication development frameworks

3. Community Building

Creation of an engaged online ecosystem focused on growth, empowerment, and innovation

Cross-platform amplification of thought leadership from conferences and speaking engagements

Collaboration with professionals, founders, and technology leaders

Her digital presence reinforces and scales the insights she shares on global stages, creating continuous influence beyond physical events.

Key Achievements and Impact:
1. Multi-Platform Digital Influence

Active leadership presence on Instagram through IT Mentor Lana and W2Business Academy

Consistent content delivery focused on technology, AI, leadership, and professional growth

Strong engagement within a targeted professional audience

2. Industry Credibility

2025 Tech Leader Award recipient

TEDx Speaker with international audience reach

President of Toastmasters, mentoring future leaders and communicators

3. Measurable Professional Impact

Guided professionals in advancing into leadership roles within tech

Influenced adoption of structured digital transformation practices

Supported women entering and scaling within technology careers

4. Ecosystem Influence

Bridges executive leadership and digital mentorship communities

Promotes ethical AI and responsible innovation practices

Actively contributes to inclusive leadership conversations in global tech spaces

Impact Statement

Svitlana’s influence is distinguished by substance and scalability. She combines enterprise-level execution expertise with accessible digital education, creating measurable impact across both corporate and individual growth trajectories.

Her platforms empower professionals to:

Navigate AI-driven transformation confidently

Build leadership authority in technical environments

Transition from operational roles to strategic positions

Strengthen communication and executive presence

Through consistent, high-value digital engagement and global speaking visibility, she has established herself as a credible and trusted voice shaping the next generation of technology leaders.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://sessionize.com/svitlanasamko/
Instagram — IT Mentor Lana (@itmentor.lana) - https://www.instagram.com/itmentor.lana/
Instagram — W2Business Academy (@w2business_academy) - https://www.instagram.com/w2business_academy/

Award Nominee

Name: Lauren Clemett
Organization/Company: The Audacious Agency
Job Title/Position: CEO
Country: Australia
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Lauren is a global thought leader in personal branding, with over three decades in brand management. As a sought-after keynote speaker, Lauren empowers leaders to build powerful personal brands, boldly standing out as sought-after, credible brand champions.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Speaker of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: The Brand Navigator
Project/Contribution Description:
The Brand Navigator, Lauren Clemett is an award-winning Neurobranding expert.

Told as a child that she had wordblindness and would never be able to read or write properly, she went on to become a 9 time best selling author and now uses her dyslexia as her greatest asset - helping others understand how the brain sees personal brands.

She has worked at leading advertising agencies and in brand management since before the internet, helping launch hundreds of global brands and appears in worldwide media, as the sought after personal branding specialist.

As a keynote speaker, Lauren shares how business owners can turn distraction into attraction and get a clear direction to stand out from the crowd and drive their own success, gain focus, rewire resilience and build consistent self-confidence.

Her keynotes are based on the proven profile building and resilience lessons covered in her best-selling books "Finding Your Brand True North" and "The Itty Bitty Shitty Committee" and her unique insight helps audiences to ditch distraction, cut through the noise of AI & social media, avoid wasting money on actions that don't deliver ROI, and create natural attraction by focusing on foundational principles that adapt to any market change or challenge.

In a world where independent operators struggle with motivation and compliance, direct sellers need constant engagement, and professional service providers juggle promotion with business, leaders need to communicate and connect with confidence to get back on track. They need to find their brand true north to become...Magnetic Leaders!

Key Achievements and Impact:
Lauren is regularly invited to speak on international, national, and community stages, both live, online and in hybrid models, from audiences of over 700 to leadership trainings of 20.

As a professional speaker, she presents at franchise, direct sales and business organisations conferences, creates leadership events and delivers to empowered groups of business owners. In the past 12 months, she has spoken for international brands such as Juice Plus & Arbonne, national franchise Explore Property, Battery world and associations including Worldskills, The Celebrants Society and the REIQ to name a few.

In addition to her paid speaking engagements, she also donates low or no cost prsesentations for at least 3 events each year to support organisations close to her heart - those where women are invited to learn how to overcome self-doubt and build global brands. These include She-Talks, Powerhouse Collective and Mumsafe.

Most recently, she launched her new Keynote "Rewire Resilience", introducing the psychology of success to help business leaders and changemakers identify and silence the negative internal voices that keep them small, safe, and invisible.
She introduced the "Itty Bitty Shitty Committee" - that chaotic board of directors in our heads - and handed the gavel to overrule them, showing the audience how to turn self-doubt into a superpower so they can build a visible, credible, and profitable personal brand that leaves a lasting legacy.

This engaging, insightful and hilarious keynote uses props and characters to meet and beat the members of the committee that are our loudest internal critics, replacing them with a big, BOLD, brilliant board. The keynotes have received rave reviews, leading to multiple advance bookings, selling out books at the events and leading to requests for interviews on podcasts and online media.

Lauren is also an on-faculty coach at Mainstage, one of the leading professional speaker trainers, assisting with their award-winning program, the Speaker Business Academy. She mentors up-and-coming speakers to help them build stand-out profiles, guiding them to create engaging personal brands and speaks at events such as the Global Speakers Summit, as part of the vital training provided back to the speaking industry to improve standards and enable quality speakers to become sought-after professionals. One member sent this personal message to Lauren: "You've been a fabulous addition to the coaching team - you share your knowledge and experience so generously, and your straightforward advice is exactly what's needed. I personally got loads from your direct feedback to me, and your coaching of others."

Karen Corban, founder of The Speaker Alchemy Network, where she recently ran a workshop pro-bono, also said: "Lauren recently spoke at our online Speakers Alchemy Network, and she truly captivated our members. Her presentation on being bold, brave, and audacious while growing your profile through awards was not only high-energy but also highly engaging and personal. She had everyone thinking about how they could better position themselves and leverage awards to elevate their business. The feedback from our members has been overwhelmingly positive, with comments like “funny,” “engaging,” " inspiring'' and “the information is gold.” Lauren is fantastic to work with—professional, organised, and incredibly fun. She brought so much value to our group and I would invite her back as a speaker without hesitation."



As a professional speaker, Lauren is one of the few who walks the talk, delivers consistenlty and gives back to the industry.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://yourbrandtruenorth.com/
https://ittybittyshittycommittee.co/

Supporting File (1): Click

Award Nominee

Name: Anthony Berryhill, FRSA
Organization/Company: Elite College Hacker
Job Title/Position: Founder & CEO
Country: United States
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Non-Executive Director (NED) | High-Stakes Education & Talent Advisor | Former VP, PIMCO | Fellow, FRSA, FRGS | 3x National Champion Debate Coach | PMP | Board Member, Women’s Foundation of NC

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Speaker of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Training Today's Championship Advocates
Project/Contribution Description:
My speaking work sits at the intersection of three domains that rarely coexist in a single practitioner: elite academic instruction, championship debate coaching, and corporate learning design. The through-line across all three is a single idea — that communications architecture is the most undervalued and underleveraged skill in both professional and academic achievement, and that access to it has historically been rationed by privilege.My speaking platform spans four distinct audiences and contexts. At the academic level I serve on Harvard University's instructional staff, teaching Negotiation, Public Policy Capstone, and Democratic Theory, and have delivered invited lectures at Yale, Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, Grinnell College, and the University of North Carolina. At the professional level I have presented to the National Speech and Debate Association's 140,000-member global body — the largest organization of its kind in the world — on college admissions strategy, communications leadership, and debate pedagogy. At the corporate level I have delivered training and keynotes for organizations including PIMCO and GLG on learning design, negotiation, and professional communications. At the public level I have appeared on National Public Radio, multiple nationally distributed podcasts, and international media platforms reaching audiences across the US, Gulf, APAC, and Europe.The purpose of my speaking work is consistent across all contexts: to demonstrate that the communications principles producing national debate champions are the same principles producing Harvard admissions, corporate promotions, and organizational transformation — and that these principles are teachable, replicable, and accessible to anyone regardless of background.

Key Achievements and Impact:
My speaking impact is documented across measurable competitive, academic, and organizational outcomes — not just audience attendance figures.
At the national competition level, students who attended my workshops and presentations have produced a 76% national winning record across 20+ years, 18 state champions across three states, and top-10 finishes at NSDA National Championships for six consecutive years. In 2024 I coached the #2 overall speaker in the United States — direct evidence that my communications frameworks produce elite-level results when applied. In 2025 students I coached pro bono at underfunded Louisiana Title I schools won the overall state debate championship across multiple divisions simultaneously — demonstrating that my frameworks work regardless of resource level.
At the institutional level my Harvard teaching record includes four distinct guest lecture engagements on speaking and presentation specifically: covering Professor Nick Coburn-Palo's undergraduate Public Speaking Workshop for a full week on "Debate, Persuasion, and Influence"; delivering the Public Policy Masters Capstone Workshop on "Presenting Academic Research" for graduate students; and teaching "Persuasion, Debate, and Mediation" for the Negotiation course on two separate occasions. These four engagements span undergraduate, graduate, and master's level audiences simultaneously — a rare range reflecting the breadth and adaptability of my communications methodology across academic contexts.
I was invited by Yale Medical and Dental Schools specifically to train minority applicants in written and oral communication skills — a targeted deployment of my communications methodology for high-stakes professional contexts. I led Yale Teaching Day for 160 PhD students on teaching undergraduate audiences — recognized as a communications expert by Yale's Teaching Center at the doctoral level.
At the organizational level my communications-centered learning design produced a 75% reduction in time-to-productivity at GLG and a 33% increase in new-hire productivity — outcomes adopted as the global standard across APAC and EMEA. At PIMCO my frameworks informed learning pathways for ten global business units simultaneously.
My public speaking credentials include the 2018 America's Greatest Thinker national title, the 2025 Professional Speech and Debate Association Spontaneous Debate championship, and nomination for the National Speech and Debate Association Hall of Fame Legends — the organization's highest lifetime honor representing 140,000 members globally. I was named the Most Influential Business Leader to Watch 2025 by Enterprise World and recognized as the 2024 Oxford Global Equity Champion for my work democratizing access to elite communications education.
Presentations to the NSDA's 140,000-member body, the Association of Asian American Yale Alumni, Victory Briefs Institute, and National Public Radio collectively represent a documented reach of over 150,000 people across a single calendar year — with content available in perpetuity through recorded and distributed formats.

Supporting URLs/Links:
Personal Media and Features:
https://theenterpriseworld.com/business-leader-anthony-berryhill/
https://theenterpriseworld.com/anthony-berryhill-elite-college-hacker/
https://www.npr.org/2008/03/12/88161456/ivy-league-schools-open-doors-to-low-income
https://growstrongleaders.com/anthony-berryhill/
https://xraised.com/videos/elite-college-admissions-strategy-with-anthony-berryhill-of-elite-college-hacker/
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/TcPYC7LHbHs
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WzSfe9ibTOw
Speaking and Thought Leadership:
https://www.speechanddebate.org/college-admissions-webinar/
https://www.aaaya.org/post/recording-college-admissions-coach-chat
https://youtu.be/d3acHbeKVUw?si=H9Od5INY-2DXWiC-
Academic Publications:
https://undergrad.stanford.edu/programs/pwr/publications-prizes-and-awards/boothe-prize-essays
https://nfhs.org/stories/how-students-of-color-can-dream-bigger-through-debate
Student Results — Verified External Sources:
Taipei American School TOC International Public Forum Champions 2017 — Anthony Berryhill named as on-site coach in the official Asian Debate League account:
https://asiandebateleague.com/2017/05/09/2017-05-01-students-impressive-accomplishment-from-the-us-national-tournament-of-champions/
Victory Briefs official announcement of Taipei American School TOC championship:
https://www.vbidebate.com/vbriefly/2017/05/04/taipei-american-cp-wins-the-ipf-toc
Institute for Speech and Debate faculty profile — Anthony Berryhill listed with full coaching record including #2 speaker at NSDA Nationals:
https://ispeechanddebate.com/faculty-locations/online/
NSDA Nationals History — official results archive documenting national championship outcomes:
https://www.speechanddebate.org/nationals-history/
TOC official results archive — University of Kentucky:
https://ci.uky.edu/debate/toc/results/toc-results

Supporting File (1): Click
Supporting File (2): Click
Supporting File (3): Click

Award Nominee

Name: Raed Ahsan
Organization/Company: Rtelligenc
Job Title/Position: Chief Executive Officer
Country: Saudi Arabia
Website/LinkedIn Profile URL: Click
Thinkers360 Profile URL: Click
Short Bio/Description:
Raed Ahsan is a distinguished expert in the integration of emerging technologies within the global security landscape. With a career defined by a forward-thinking approach to risk management, Raed specializes in bridging the gap between Physical Security Infrastructure and Autonomous AI Systems.

Currently focused on the rapid evolution of Smart City ecosystems and Giga-project resilience, Raed has become a sought-after voice for his insights into how the Middle East can leverage "Agentic AI" to protect its most ambitious urban developments. His work emphasizes the transition from traditional, reactive surveillance to predictive, self-healing security networks, a critical component of the Saudi Vision 2030 roadmap.

Known for his ability to translate complex technical architectures into actionable business strategies, Raed has advised various stakeholders on the deployment of sensor-fusion technologies and the ethical implementation of autonomous patrolling. He is a passionate advocate for "Security by Design," ensuring that the digital foundations of the future remain impenetrable to the threats of tomorrow.

Awards Category Selection

Major Category: Personal Excellence
Sub-Category: Speaker of the Year

Submission Content

Submission Title: Advancing Global Cybersecurity Awareness Through High-Impact Speaking and Live Cyberattack Demonstrations
Project/Contribution Description:
Raed Ahsan is a globally renowned cybersecurity speaker and multi-award-winning cyber expert dedicated to advancing cybersecurity awareness, AI security, and digital safety across industries. Through keynote presentations, live demonstrations, and technical workshops, Raed has educated global audiences on emerging cyber threats, ethical hacking, ransomware attacks, and the evolving intersection of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.

His speaking engagements focus on translating complex cybersecurity concepts into practical knowledge that organizations, professionals, and students can apply immediately. Raed is particularly known for performing live demonstrations of real-world cyberattacks, allowing audiences to understand how attackers exploit vulnerabilities and how organizations can defend against them.

Over the past year, Raed has delivered talks at leading global cybersecurity and technology events, addressing topics such as ransomware threats, AI-powered cyberattacks, industrial control system (ICS) security, and digital risk management. His presentations combine technical expertise with engaging storytelling to inspire professionals and organizations to strengthen their cybersecurity posture.

In addition to conference keynotes, Raed actively contributes to cybersecurity education through workshops, training programs, and thought leadership content. His mission is to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world cybersecurity practices, empowering the next generation of cybersecurity professionals and helping organizations stay ahead of evolving cyber threats.

Key Achievements and Impact:
• Delivered keynote presentations and technical talks at major international cybersecurity and technology conferences, including Black Hat Middle East and Africa, GISEC, Security Middle East, ISACA, and many more.

• Recognized as a Top 25 Global Thought Leader in AI Infrastructure by Thinkers360.

• Conducted live ethical hacking demonstrations that showcased real-world cyberattack techniques and practical defense strategies, significantly increasing audience engagement and cybersecurity awareness.

• Speaker at international conferences, cybersecurity summits, and technology forums addressing topics such as ransomware threats, AI security, digital forensics, and critical infrastructure protection.

• Founder of Rtelligenc, delivering cybersecurity consulting, education, and thought leadership initiatives.

• Delivered cybersecurity training and educational content through online platforms, helping professionals and students understand ethical hacking, network security, and digital investigation techniques.

• Recognized internationally for contributions to cybersecurity awareness and education, including awards for leadership and impact in the cybersecurity community.

Through his speaking engagements and educational initiatives, Raed has helped thousands of professionals, students, and organizations better understand cyber risks and adopt stronger cybersecurity practices.

Supporting URLs/Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/raed-ahsan_vision2030-kpmg-raedahsan-activity-7429139154996916224-gjtB?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=member_desktop_web&rcm=ACoAADCVw8cBC0dVSYo30WFJgg2RU5xcfFpjlAE

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/raed-ahsan_raedahsan-cybersecurity-security-activity-7363850706778210304-fu3y?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=member_desktop_web&rcm=ACoAADCVw8cBC0dVSYo30WFJgg2RU5xcfFpjlAE

https://securitymiddleeastconference.com/speakers/

https://boldjourney.com/an-inspired-chat-with-raed-ahsan-of-riyadh-highlight/

https://blackhatmea.com/speaker/raed-ahsan-1?utm_source=%7C/bin/id

https://www.intelligentciso.com/2025/07/15/unmasking-cyberthreats-an-ethical-hackers-view-from-the-frontline/

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/raed-ahsan_raedahsan-cysecmena2025-cybersecurityresearcheroftheyear-activity-7329079610971676673-Df07?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=member_desktop_web&rcm=ACoAADCVw8cBC0dVSYo30WFJgg2RU5xcfFpjlAE