Aecus launches the 2016 edition of its annual Innovation Awards
Consulting firm Aecus has launched the 2016 edition of its ‘Innovation Awards’. Now in its third year, the competition seeks to pinpoint innovative excellence in the outsourcing and services landscape. Companies that wish to enter the contest have until the 30th of June to submit their entries.
Several mega trends, including the likes of globalisation and automation, in combination with the convergence of new technologies, have over the past years come together to spark a wave of disruptive change, impacting practically every industry and market around. As a result, organisations feel the need, or are even being forced, to redesign their business models, and rework the way they operate within their value chains and wider ecosystem. Against the backdrop of the rapidly changing business landscape, innovation, among others, has in recent years grown into one of the top priorities of executives globally. According to a study by BCG, 79% of executives globally rank innovation as either their top-most strategic priority or a top-three priority at their company (the highest score in a decade), while, another study, by Aecus, found that 91% of (senior) managers deem innovation as important to their business. Spending on innovation has kept pace – in 2015 the globe’s 1,000 largest R&D spenders collectively spent $680 billion a year on developing innovations.
Aecus Innovation Awards
In a bid to encourage innovation excellence in the outsourcing domain – ranging from traditional outsourcing (BPO/ITO) and offshoring to analytics, automation and robotics process automation (RPA) – Aecus in 2014 established the ‘Aecus Innovation Awards’. The contest aims at identifying and celebrating the best examples of service providers, technology providers and their clients working together, in new and value-creating ways. “The outsourcing and services landscape has evolved in recent years. A range of new techniques, tools and technologies are changing the work that is done and the outcomes that are achievable. The Aecus Innovation Awards seek to recognise those organisations that are leading the way,” says Rick Simmonds, Partner at Aecus.
Among the winners of the 2015 Awards were CSC and Network Rail (for the roll-out of an application that boosts workplace productivity), Wipro and Telstra (recognised for the delivery of an RPA solution) and IBM and Avon & Somerset Police (for a joint project that used predictive modelling techniques to fight burglary). In total 18 awards were handed out. Other winners of previous years include Airbus, Shop Direct, GSK, Nintendo, Microsoft, TalkTalk and Virgin Trains.
Building on the success of the two previous years, Aecus is in the process of gathering case studies for the 2016 Awards, with entries to be judged on a range of criteria, including the added value realised to the client organisation, the manner how the services provider and client collaborated, and the degree of innovation. In particular the latter is considered as a decisive criteria, says Simmonds. “We are looking to showcase submissions that represent something new or different, and that are seen by the client and provider as innovative. The hurdle for this is going up each year.” The contest is open to all organisations and entries can be submitted up until the 30th of June 2016.
The 20 best submissions will receive an award and will be given the opportunity to showcase their work at the Aecus Innovation Showcase being held on the 17th of November in London. When asked why service providers or clients organisations should participate in the Awards, Simmonds remarks that the competition is an ideal channel for buyers and suppliers to display their successes specifically in the outsourcing domain. “It is an opportunity to gain recognition for achieving success, and for either the client or supplier to applaud their counterparts for their investment in the relationship. It is also an opportunity to share learnings with the wider outsourcing community.”
Companies with questions on the Aecus Innovation Awards or with an interest in entering the competition can contact Julie Consterdine.