Behind the Scenes of the 2025 SSON Europe Impact Awards

From employee engagement to business resilience, the 2025 SSON Europe Impact Awards celebrated the outstanding achievements shaping the Global Business Services (GBS) landscape. Held during Shared Services and Outsourcing Week Europe 2025, the awards highlighted organizations that are delivering exceptional business initiatives but also embedding long-term, people-centric transformations across their operations. To take us behind the scenes of the judging process, we spoke with Vanessa Rechter, Global Business Services Transformation Head at Kerry Group, who served as one of the judges for this year’s awards. 

Can you talk us through the judging process?

Rechter explained that the judging process is difficult but collaborative. Each award category is assigned two judges, who are then sent the applications. Rechter and another judge then go through the submissions individually and, based on a specific set of criteria, “we each shortlist five entries.” Once shortlisted, the judges reconvene to align on their decisions. “We got together, discussed the submissions and which ones were on our shortlist, and then aligned from there,” she added. “A couple of weeks before the gala, we meet again to choose the runner-up and the winner. It’s always tough because the submissions are so strong, but in our case, we were fully aligned from the beginning.”

What criteria do you use to identify a winning submission?

A “well-structured overview” is a great place to start, Rechter shares. “It has to be simple to understand, but the strategy must be very clear,” she noted. For her, the winning submissions not only show a strong connection between the initiative and broader business objectives but also demonstrate measurable, tangible results. She emphasized that “It’s not just about the financial results, “but what I look for is where you can really measure impact, but  in terms of people and services.” She then states that she also looks for evidence in how the organizations have overcome their challenges and the lessons from these hardships. 

Without giving too much away, was there a particular story that stood out to you?

For Rechter, there was one transformation that particularly stood out. She shares that “there was one transformation that had people truly at the heart of it. They took a people-centric approach, which drove collaboration and created a continuous improvement mindset.” She went on to explain that this initiative didn’t just deliver on cost-saving goals but also significantly improved employee engagement, reduced attrition, and cultivated a mindset of continuous improvement. 

What advice would you give to those considering applying next year?

Rechter advises future applicants to “be open and honest about the challenges and how you overcome them.” She emphasized making sure “your submissions clearly outline what the strategy delivers and that it is concise and to the point.  She also encourages applicants to highlight the people and service impact on the overall initiative.