Consultancy & Training Acumen Centre wins Stevie Award

• Maltese entrepreneur amongst international highfliers

'Having worked with large organisations and being a recipient of a string of awards has certainly been gratifying. However, being the only company in 2012 to win a Stevie Award, whilst competing amongst international companies, in an organisation that is as yet a small enterprise, is exhilarating,' Executive Director, Consultancy & Training Acumen Centre Ltd, Vanessa Borg, told BusinessToday.

Consultancy & Training Acumen Centre was named the winner of a Bronze Stevie® Award in the Company of the Year - Business Service category in the 2012 Annual International Business Awards. More than 3,200 nominations from organisations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories, including management awards, company/organisation awards, marketing awards, public relations awards, customer service awards, human resources awards, new product awards, IT awards, website awards and more.  Stevie Award winners were selected by more than 300 executives worldwide who participated in the judging process this year.

The 2012 IBAs received entries from more than 50 nations and territories. Honorees were determined through two months of preliminary judging and two weeks of final judging.

Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word for "crowned", the awards will be presented to winners at a gala awards banquet at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Seoul, South Korea on 15 October 2012.

"Entries to the IBAs grew substantially this year," said Michael Gallagher, president and founder of the Stevie Awards.

"Despite slow economic conditions in much of the world, the quality of nominations was outstanding, demonstrating that there are many companies that are innovating and growing regardless."

"Our company is involved in pragmatic solutions for today, seeking breakthrough strategies for tomorrow. We support companies to be irresistible to customers and investors, innovative, responsible and stimulating to their workforce," outlined Borg.

She added: "The culmination of activities to reach this standard, have very often been managed single-handedly. This could be looked at, as inspirational to other new entrepreneurs. In Malta, only 15% are self employed females from all self-employed persons. This recognition could serve as an incentive to entice more women to join the working population. 

"Additionally, our company focuses on nurturing talent, which is crucial for the Maltese economy, as the country's human resources has over the years built Malta's economy, attracting further international investments.

"Consultancy & Training Acumen Centre has helped businesses reach new performance heights, whether it's setting goals and creating a business plan, developing people, or devising clear, authentic communications channels. We add value where it counts! The company enjoys a strong customer portfolio, retaining an ongoing relationship with 85% of its top clients for the past four years and carries more than 60 companies within its client base.

"It is equipped with extensive experience in supporting a wide array of customers, ranging from established organisations having a turnover in excess of €150 million and employing circa 5,000 employees, to individuals on the verge of starting up their business.

"Since conception, the company is proud of having delivered training to over 62,000 participants, and has spear-headed projects within the Hospitality, Manufacturing, Education, Tourism, Information Technology, Communications, Retail, I-Gaming, Financial Services and Public Sector."

"We tailor, sculpt and mind-match services with ever greater precision. We are constantly allocating extensive time on researching and evaluating best practices, writing articles and investing in personal development to ensure that we are sharing high impact knowledge embedded within strong work ethics standards.

"In 2011, the company opted to gather direct client feedback to conduct an internal fitness test on how it is being perceived as adding value to its clients. A full list of feedback shared may be sourced directly from the website www.acumencentre.com."

"We are proud to have enhanced the talents of people in Malta, Belgium, Bermuda, Czech Republic, Gibraltar, Hungary, Libya, Portugal, Russia, and Turkey. Our uniqueness is our 'Cultural Agility."

Our company could be supporting people from different continents in one day. Having knowledge on different cultures remains important, however it is not enough. Our company is mastering the ability to build rapport by responding to cultural ambiguity and making adjustments rapidly. Our clients appreciate our degree of sensitivity on the matter. We advise with our emotional intelligence and our acumen' Borg said.

'We are eager to rope in more associates to provide a one-stop shop to our clients. We advocate the importance of constantly remaining abreast to provide our clients with value-adding knowledge and support to take informed decisions tailored to their needs' Borg said.

Borg concluded by saying that "this achievement, as a Bronze Stevie Winner, Company of the Year - Business Services Award in the 2012 International Business Awards, is yet another milestone.

"We are confident about the future and our ability to continually provide high quality services to a growing client base. This award will certainly serve as a platform to further surface the company's brand awareness within the international arena."

Borg at a glance

Borg previously worked in a wide spectrum of organisations ranging from small entities to multinationals. She was conferred with a degree in Management & Economics from the University of Malta and later attained her MBA, MPHIL and DBA from Maastricht School of Management.

She is actively involved in various professional associations; is a regular lecturer with higher educational institutions and has been called in as a guest speaker on a number of international conferences. In June 2012, Consultancy & Training Acumen Centre ltd. was also nominated to represent Malta in the prestigious 2012/2013 European Business Awards- as a National Finalist in the 2012 RSM International Entrepreneur of the Year Award category, after having competed with over 15,000 of Europe's most innovative and entrepreneurial businesses and after what the organisers referred to as "the toughest first round of judging ever experienced by a judging panel at the European Business Awards." Dr Borg is eagerly looking forward to seeing Consultancy & Training Acumen Centre Ltd. in the next round.

The final category award winners, for the RSM International Entrepreneur of the Year award, will be unveiled in April 2013 while details about The International Business Awards and the lists of Stevie Award winners are available at www.StevieAwards.com/IBA.