EFMD has announced the winners of its 2026 Excellence in Practice Awards, honoring partnerships between organizations and educators that show measurable impact in leadership, talent, professional, organizational and ecosystem development.
Now in its 20th edition, this year’s winning cases span AI transformation, female and indigenous leadership, post-crisis cultural change, lifelong learning for aging populations.
“This year’s cohort reflects what makes these awards so meaningful: partnerships between organisations and learning institutions that are genuinely committed to creating change and willing to do the careful, sustained work that real impact requires,” said Eric Cornuel, EFMD President, in a release.
“The winning cases come from very different sectors and parts of the world, yet they share a common thread — a clear sense of purpose, a deep respect between partners, and a focus on learning that translates into lasting value for people, organisations, and society.”
EFMD (European Foundation for Management Development) manages EQUIS, the European business school accreditation and of the three Triple Crown accreditors (AACSB, AMBA, and EQUIS). It was founded in 1972 and has nearly 1,000 institutional members across 92 countries
Gold and Silver winning cases will be presented at the EFMD Executive Development Conference, hosted by University College Dublin on Oct. 7-8.
2026 EFMD EXCELLENCE IN PRACTICE AWARD WINNERS
Orgainzational Development
Gold: Seco Tools & Hult Ashridge Executive Education, Leading transformation from within – Enabling teams to lead transformation at Seco Tools
Seco Tools faced digital disruption, sustainability pressures and the risk of being reduced to a low-cost component supplier. Rather than respond with a conventional training program, the company partnered with Hult Ashridge Executive Education on an organizational development intervention designed to help teams lead transformation from inside the business.
The partnership shifted Seco from what EFMD described as heroic leadership to collective leadership, equipping teams to lead their own strategic change. The program unfolded in three phases: co-inquiry, leadership workstreams and transformation enablement. It used frameworks including Three Horizons and the Impact Triangle to help teams connect strategy, leadership and execution.
According to EFMD, Seco achieved 375% growth in new solution-based commercial models, a 35% rise in sustainable-solutions revenue, a 55% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions, and the company’s largest-ever end-to-end contract at $2 million.
Silver: Sanofi & HEC Paris, From vision to adoption: Putting leaders in the drivers’ seat of data & AI transformation
Sanofi’s ambition was to become a leading digital healthcare company powered by AI. The company needed executives who could speak a shared language around data and AI, understand the business implications, and take strategic ownership of the transformation.
With HEC Paris, Sanofi co-designed DriveDigital, beginning with the company’s top 150 executives to anchor governance and C-suite sponsorship before scaling to 1,500 senior leaders by 2026. The hybrid program combined adaptive virtual learning, high-intensity bootcamps, “Shark Tank”-style use-case pitches and AI-enabled dashboards.
EFMD reports that 224 AI use cases moved from experimentation to portfolio-level decisions, while 93 transformation decisions were taken.
TALENT DEVELOPMENT
Gold: Rio Tinto & AGSM, UNSW, RioInspire: Accelerating Indigenous talent globally
Rio Tinto launched RioInspire after the destruction of the Juukan Gorge rock shelters in 2020, committing to stronger Indigenous representation in leadership and decision-making. Co-created with AGSM at UNSW Sydney, the program was designed to develop Indigenous leaders while bringing cultural insight into enterprise-level leadership.
The program combines on-Country learning, executive-sponsored strategic challenges, targeted coaching and workshops. Its goal is not simply to prepare participants for advancement, but to embed Indigenous perspectives into business decisions across the company.
Four years on, 71 Indigenous leaders have graduated from RioInspire with a 90% completion rate. Promotion rates for participants are double those of non-participants, and retention is significantly stronger, according to EFMD. Graduate-led initiatives have delivered an estimated A$80 million in avoided costs, now embedded in mine design standards, while Rio Tinto’s annual investment in community-owned businesses now exceeds A$1 billion.
Silver: Tiger Brands & Gordon Institute of Business Science, Re-Imagine Tiger: Creating a pipeline of strategic leadership and cultural change
Tiger Brands created Re-Imagine Tiger after its 2017-18 Listeriosis crisis and a board mandate to rebuild leadership, culture and brand. The company partnered with the Gordon Institute of Business Science to design a customized program for Exco-minus-one leaders.
The program focuses on building strategic, humane leaders who can collaborate across functions and use digital and AI tools. The journey combines simulations, African market immersions, action-learning projects and coaching circles, along with a 90-, 180- and 360-day review cadence.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Silver: Helios Towers & Cranfield University, Supercharging prosperity through connectivity
Helios Towers, an independent telecom tower company, operates nearly 15,000 sites across nine African and Middle Eastern markets. As it integrated four newly acquired country markets in just two years, the company needed a cohesive leadership approach that could work across diverse operating cultures.
In partnership with Cranfield University, Helios Towers developed a tailored leadership development program that evolved alongside each acquisition and the strategic priorities that followed. The program placed particular emphasis on advancing female leadership across the group.
EFMD says the collaboration has supported Helios Towers’ growth into one of the most diversified telecom tower companies in Africa. Today, the company brings mobile connectivity to 151 million people.
Silver: Standard Bank & Gordon Institute of Business Science, Standard Bank retail executive programme: A journey of discovery, innovation and growth
Standard Bank’s Personal and Private Banking business needed leaders who could look beyond their own roles and help implement innovative new operating models in a rapidly changing retail banking environment.
GIBS and Standard Bank co-created a three-tiered program combining academic content on strategy and disruption, international and regional immersions, and action-learning projects tied to real business challenges set by executive sponsors. In 2025, immersions took participants to South Africa, Kenya and China.
Over 12 years and eight cohorts, the program has reached nearly 200 junior- to mid-level executives. More than 60% of action-learning project solutions have been adopted into Standard Bank strategy, and EFMD says an in-depth analysis demonstrated significant return on investment.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Gold: Novo Nordisk & IMD, Building leadership and a Community of Practice to accelerate strategy
Novo Nordisk has grown from a diabetes-focused company into one operating across multiple therapeutic areas, while navigating rapid blockbuster-driven growth and rising execution pressures. Its Global Project Team chairs needed to evolve from project-centric leaders into enterprise leaders capable of integrating complex value chains.
Co-created with IMD, the yearlong program combined tailored learning modules with peer work designed to increase collaboration, build an enterprise mindset and create a Community of Practice. That community was designed to last beyond the formal program itself.
EFMD reports that Social Network Analysis showed a major increase in collaboration, with peer-network comprehensiveness rising from 40% to 95%. All participants agreed the program was a strong investment both personally and for Novo Nordisk, and the Community of Practice continues to run after the program’s completion.
Silver: Tech Mahindra & INSEAD, Velocity at Tech Mahindra: Turning sales capability into a US$1B growth engine
Tech Mahindra faced a familiar challenge in enterprise sales: Revenue was concentrated in a few large accounts, while buying models were shifting toward multistakeholder, transformation-led deals. The company needed client partners who could move from technical solution selling to strategic commercial engagement with CEOs and CFOs.
The Velocity program, co-created with INSEAD and sponsored at the CEO and chief people officer level, combines AI diagnostics across 39 competencies, coaching by former CXOs role-playing skeptical C-suite executives, and learning tied to live multimillion-dollar deals expected to close within two quarters. The program culminates in “Shark Tank”-style finals.
Over 24 months, 156 participants across four cohorts secured more than $1 billion in large multiyear transformation deals, typically worth $75 million to $150 million each. More than 800 sales executives were trained through cascade learning, and the program received Tech Mahindra’s “Game Changing Program FY25” award.
ECOSYSTEM DEVELOPMENT
Gold: Hixon Group & Keele University, Co-creating digital capability: A university–industry partnership model
In Staffordshire, the gap between cyber risk and SME readiness had reached what EFMD called a critical tipping point. Many business leaders also faced an “embarrassment barrier,” making them reluctant to acknowledge gaps in their digital knowledge.
A “triple-helix” partnership between Keele Business School, the North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce and Hixon Group launched the Staffordshire Cyber Resilience Programme. The initiative combined a free scalable training platform, integration into Chamber services and university curriculum, and a funded LLM-based natural-language reporting system.
In six months, the program reached more than 5,000 people. Participating SMEs reported a 60% reduction in cyber incidents, a 73% increase in multi-factor authentication usage and an estimated £300,000 in avoided losses. Aggregated data from the program is now informing regional digital strategy.
Silver: Bangkok Metropolitan Council, Talat Phlu Metropolitan Police Station & Thammasat Business School, Lifelong learning and future skills development system for Thailand’s silver economy: Talat Phlu
As Thailand’s population ages, older adults in inner-city Bangkok districts such as Talat Phlu continue to support themselves through vending, services and informal care work. Those livelihoods are increasingly threatened by digital and platform-based markets.
Thammasat Business School’s Ageing Business & Care Development Centre partnered with the Bangkok Metropolitan Council and Talat Phlu Metropolitan Police Station to create the Ready Senior Project. The initiative was designed as a community-embedded learning ecosystem rather than a stand-alone training program, combining modular practice-based training, intergenerational coaching and community-based digital platforms.
Between 2021 and 2023, the project engaged 628 participants from 317 informal enterprises. About 70% enhanced or launched income-generating activities, food vendors reported average income increases of 30%, and more than 200 job matches were facilitated through community digital platforms.
DON’T MISS: IMPERIAL LAUNCHES LIFELONG LEARNING INITIATIVE TO KEEP WORKERS CURRENT IN THE AGE OF AI AND NEW EXEC ED PROGRAMS TARGET AI, ACCESS & GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS
© Copyright 2026 Poets & Quants. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Poets & Quants, please submit your request HERE.
