Princeton, NJ, April 17, 2026 – Kepner-Tregoe (KT) is proud to announce the winners and nominees of the 2026 KT Global Excellence Awards, recognizing individuals, teams, and organizations that have demonstrated outstanding achievements in critical thinking and problem-solving. This award program highlights KT’s continued commitment to celebrating excellence in structured thinking and measurable impact.
This year’s competition was more selective and competitive than ever, with a rigorous evaluation process that honored only the most exceptional leaders applying KT methodologies to drive significant business results. Being named a KT Global Excellence Award winner or nominee is a significant achievement—one that reflects a deep commitment to strategic thinking, operational excellence, and continuous improvement.
“These individuals, teams and organizations set the standard for what excellence looks like within the KT community and across the industries we serve,” said Drew Marshall, CEO of Kepner-Tregoe.
2026 KT Global Excellence Award Winners
Individual Award Winners
Program Leader of the Year – Dr Andrea P. Wight – ExxonMobil
Facilitator of the Year – Toni Blackwell – Philips Healthcare
Coach of the Year – Juan Ortega Mendoza – Adient JIT Mexico
Executive of the Year – Krishna Venkatesh – Dr Reddy’s Laboratories
Team Award Winners
Problem Solving Team Award – Futamura USA
Decision Analysis Team Award – Adient do Brasil Bancos Automotivos LTDA
Situation Appraisal Team Award – MITSUBA Corporation
Combined KT Technologies Excellence Award – Valeura Energy
Organization Award Winners
Excellence in the Utilization of KT Process in Manufacturing Operations – Adient Mexico Automotriz – Adient Lerma
Excellence in the Utilization of KT Process in Service Operations – Tetra Pak Packaging Solutions S.p.A. – Tetra Pak
Excellence in the Utilization of KT Process in Critical Thinking in Cultural Excellence – HCL Software – Global Customer Support
A quick message from CEO Drew Marshall congratulating our award winners
2026 KT Global Excellence Award Nominees
Individual Award Nominees
Program Leader of the Year
Nikolaj Urban Andersen – Danske Bank A/S
Anita K. Hunter – Fieldpiece Instruments
Jacob Bolger-Linser Philips Healthcare
Facilitator of the Year
Pablo Matheus Ribeiro – Adient do Brasil Bancos Automotivos LTDA
Esteban Gaytan Cardona – Adient Planta Derramadero
Coach of the Year
Cliff Palac – Adient US
Vignesh Saravanan – Dr Reddy’s Laboratories
Executive of the Year
Armando Carbajal Aguirre – Adient Planta Derramadero
Bill Thorne – Accord-UK Ltd
Team Award Nominees
Problem Solving Team Award
Adient Lerma Plant
Adient Ramos Metals Plant
Decision Analysis Team Award
Adient Aquascalientes Plant
Adient Mexico Automotriz Puebla Plant
Situation Appraisal Team Award
Nationwide Building Society
Valeura Energy
Combined KT Technologies Excellence Award
Adient Ramos Metals
Adient Ramos W&A
Organization Award Nominees
Excellence in the Utilization of KT Process in Manufacturing Operations
Stellantis and Nextstar Energy
Excellence in the Utilization of KT Process in Service Operations
Flextronics Technologies Pvt. Ltd. – Flex
Excellence in the Utilization of KT Process in Critical Thinking in Cultural Excellence
Adient – Adient JIT Mexico
Akamai Technologies
Kepner-Tregoe is honored to offer our congratulations to all winners and nominees for their dedication to excellence and their ongoing contributions to their respective industries. Their outstanding achievements exemplify the power of structured critical thinking and reinforce KT’s mission to help organizations solve complex problems, make better decisions, and drive meaningful change.
Learn more about the KT Global Excellence Awards
About Kepner-Tregoe, Inc.
Kepner-Tregoe is a global organization dedicated to helping people and organizations solve problems, make better decisions, and manage risk through clear, rational thinking. For more than six decades, Kepner-Tregoe has partnered with leaders and teams to build lasting capability, confidence, and performance. With a proven approach and extensive expertise, Kepner-Tregoe is a trusted partner to Fortune 100 companies worldwide.
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Tina Tuccillo – Head of Corporate Marketing
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