Association of Change Management Professionals crowns global excellence award winners

The Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP), the professional membership association for business change leaders, announced the winners of the Inaugural Global Change Excellence Awards.

The awards recognize extraordinary contributions in the field of change management across the globe, celebrating individuals and organizations driving meaningful transformation, leadership and impact.

Winners were revealed this week during ACMP’s Change Management Global Connect Conference.

Global change management excellence award winners

The five award winners represent a diverse range of organizations. These are:

• Liz (O’Brien) Swanson, consultant at Integrated Project Management Company (IPM), Rising Star in Change Management Award.
• Suncorp, Change Management Organization of the Year.
• Greg Voeller, senior director at Gagen MacDonald, ACMP Global Volunteer of the Year.
• Jeff Bailey, director of organizational change at CherryRoad Technologies, ACMP Chapter Volunteer of the Year.
• Center for Change and Leadership Canada/Naila Qazi, change and adoption advisor at KPMG Canada, Change for Good Award.

“It’s been an honor to lead this effort in our inaugural year,” said Doug Flory, chair of the awards review task force and member of the ACMP Advisory Council. “The quality and diversity of the nominations we received speak to the incredible work happening across the globe in our profession. These awards are more than recognition – they’re a celebration of how change management is transforming organizations, communities and lives.”

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What’s shaping change management in 2025?

In May, the ACMP released a whitepaper outlining five key steps to modernizing change management. The report explores how the discipline is being reshaped by rapid technological advances, evolving workforce expectations and shifting economic conditions.

“Change management is at a crossroads,” the whitepaper stated, emphasizing the growing need for agility. Future change leaders will need to adopt an iterative mindset, adapting strategies based on real-time feedback and dynamic business environments.

The five steps to modern change management are:

1. Transforming change management with AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) is streamlining change processes by automating tasks like stakeholder analysis, impact assessments and gathering real-time feedback. However, the report cautioned that issues such as ethics, trust and data accuracy must be addressed to ensure responsible use. 

2. Driving adoption during mergers and acquisitions

Cultural misalignment remains the top obstacle in successful mergers and acquisitions (M&A) integration. The report urged leaders to prioritize employee well-being during these stressful transitions.

3. Strengthening change management through coaching

Coaching builds leadership resilience and adaptability, key traits for navigating ongoing transformation. Coaching fosters a learning culture that enables organizations to navigate continuous change.

4. Leveraging metrics, data and dashboards for impact

To make informed decisions, change leaders must be fluent in data and analytics. Measuring emotional and behavioral shifts is just as important as tracking traditional KPIs.

5. Enabling change through strong sponsorship

Active and engaged sponsorship remains the strongest predictor of successful change, but sponsors also need support. Effective sponsorship requires structure to maintain commitment throughout the change process.

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