
This year’s crop of winners, the most in the 12-year history of the awards, epitomizes the term “talent development” and reaches across the globe, representing six countries and four continents. “Our learning and development organization ensures that we develop a talent base that has both the technical skill and the leadership mindset to deliver new ideas to help our clients build stronger businesses,” says Francisco D’Souza, CEO of Cognizant, the number 1 company.
The BEST Awards recognize organizations that demonstrate enterprise-wide success as a result of employee learning and development. We are looking for organizations that get it: They use the learning function as a strategic business tool to get results.
“Employee turnover is a critical issue not only for our company but for the entire industry, which has a turnover rate of more than 100 percent,” explains Carmen Murrell Randall, director of field training services at G4S Secure Solutions. While G4S’s attrition rate is only a fraction of that, employee retention remains crucial to competitive advantage. “Our company doesn’t produce a tangible product; our employees are our product,” Randall adds.
Award winners must demonstrate that they are excellent in many aspects of the learning function:
- Learning has an enterprise-wide role—involved in the executive team, creating solutions to business issues, and setting organizational strategy.
- Learning has value in the organization’s culture—learning opportunities for employees, C-level involvement, learning for growth of the organization, and innovation.
- Learning links to individual and organizational performance—alignment with the business, efficiency, measurement of the effectiveness of learning, and success with nontraining solutions for business needs.
- Investment is made in learning and performance initiatives.
1. Cognizant Technology Solutions
2. University Health System
3. The Aerospace Corporation
4. Mindtree Limited
5. Tech Mahindra
6. Deloitte LLP
7. Verizon
8. IBM Corporation
9. Walgreens
10. MGM Resorts International
11. Quanta Computer
12. FM Global
13. Sutherland Global Services
14. TELUS
15. WNS Global Services (P)
16. WakeMed Health & Hospitals
17. Lupin Limited
18. Kaohsiung City Government
19. ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company
20. Valvoline Instant Oil Change
21. Hilton Worldwide
22. Seattle Children's
23. Sprint
24. Taipei Medical University Hospital
25. Gables Residential
26. G4S Secure Solutions (USA) Inc.
27. Ryan
28. American Cancer Society
29. New York Community Bancorp
30. OptumRx
31. Bridgepoint Education
32. TouchPoint Support Services
33. Türkiye İş Bankasi A.Ş.
34. American Infrastructure
35. UPS
36. Teknosa Ic & Dis Ticaret A.Ş.
37. Coca-Cola Sabco (Pty)
38. Navy Federal Credit Union
39. University of Virginia Health System
40. BB&T Corporation
41. Bass & Associates, P.C.
42. Signature HealthCARE
43. Health Care Service Corporation
44. ITU AbsorbTech
45. McAfee. Part of Intel Security
46. USAA