Excellence in Service Innovation Awards
At ISSIP, we celebrate the pioneers who are reshaping industries through service innovation. Our annual Excellence in Service Innovation Award honors these outstanding contributors who have introduced groundbreaking solutions with significant impact on business, innovation, and society.
2025 Service Innovation Award Winners
Explore the cutting-edge innovations from our latest awardees. Each winner has demonstrated exceptional creativity and impact in their respective fields.
Overall Winner
Innovation: Growing People & Economies @ Scale & Speed
Summary: Transforming economies towards green, digitalization, and inclusion by AI-driven matching of people with work, education, and entrepreneurship.
Organization: SMRT.bio Global B.V.
Primary Contact: Frank Melis (LI) (DC)
Bart Takkenkamp (LI) (DC), Niels Kerkhof (LI) (DC), Dick van Lieshout (LI) (DC), Klaus Kammermeier (LI) (DC), Ben van der Laan (LI) (DC), Frank Melis (LI) (DC), Joseph Reger (LI) (DC), Roelof Meijer (LI) (DC), Michel Straus (LI) (DC), Jim Schneider (LI) (DC), Lars van der Hoorn (LI) (DC)
Impact to Business
Innovation: Transforming Log Collection & Health checks with Virtual Engineer On-Demand
Summary: Transforming enterprise IT service management. Automated IT health checks, reduced manual labor, error reduction, scalability.
Organization: Cisco Systems
Primary Contact: Nikhil PC (LI) (DC)
Nikhil PC (LI) (DC), Surdeep Batra (LI) (DC), Suraj Pardule (LI) (DC), Sachin Kalucha (LI) (DC), Vaibhav Srivastav (LI) (DC), Jason Coleman (LI) (DC), Rameez RahimM (LI) (DC), Siva Nalluri (LI) (DC)
Impact to Society
Innovation: Global literacy learning with smartphones
Summary: Transforming the landscape of education for underserved populations. AI-powered literacy tools, mobile learning, community engagement.
Organization: Curious Learning
Primary Contact: Tinsley Galyean (LI) (DC)
Tinsley Galyean (LI) (DC), Stephanie Gottwald (LI) (DC), Creesen Naicker (LI) (DC), Jeff Oberlander (LI) (DC)
Impact to Innovation
Innovation: EarthGrid
Summary: Transforming energy. Plasma tunnel boring, infrastructure cost reduction, renewable energy support.
Organization: EarthGrid PBC
Primary Contact: Troy Helming (LI) (DC)
Read all of the Distinguished Recognition Awards here >
Each of these innovations demonstrates the profound impact service innovation can have across various aspects of business, society, and the broader field of innovation.
Awards Team
To recognize and amplify ISSIP member work and initiatives aligned to our mission, ISSIP annually evaluates and recognizes Excellence in Service Innovation with impact for Society, Business and Innovation itself. Meet our Awards Committee which calls for these nominations in the Fall, rigorously and objectively rates submissions, and presents awards in the Spring. Additionally, ISSIP presents a range of awards and recognitions to support development of ISSIP member technical eminence.
Haroon Abbu
(LinkedIn)
Haluk Demirkan
(LinkedIn)
Yassi Moghaddam
(LinkedIn)
Vittaldas Prabhu
(LinkedIn)
Shrikant Parikh
(LinkedIn)
Rajagopa (Gopa) Balakrishnan
(LinkedIn)
Jim Spohrer
(LinkedIn)
Bhuvi Chopra
(LinkedIn)