Spotlight on Success: EMEA Customers Recognized at Cisco Live Amsterdam 2025

We’re thrilled to have hosted the Cisco Global Customer Awards: EMEA 2025 at Cisco Live Amsterdam yesterday! Now in its sixth year, this program celebrates the Cisco customers who have gone above and beyond in demonstrating technological innovation and industry thought leadership. 

The awards brought together an outstanding crowd of IT experts and senior leaders. We celebrated exceptional customers from across EMEA, recognizing distinguished winners across various award categories. 

We received more than 60 customer nominations and of those, 26 were shortlisted. We relied on the expertise of 25 judges – a combination of Cisco leaders, engineers, and technical specialists – to shortlist our nominees and pick the winners.   

Let’s take a look at this year’s winners from the Cisco Global Customer Awards: EMEA 2025!  

Cybersecurity Defender  

The 2025 EMEA Cybersecurity Defender award went to SAP for their innovative approach to cybersecurity. By implementing a comprehensive future-ready security solution, SAP has ensured their digital infrastructure remains resilient and secure, setting a benchmark for others in the industry. Their dedication to advancing security technology exemplifies their role as leaders in cybersecurity. 

Congratulations to the shortlisted nominees: 

• Fidelity International 
• Paris 2024 Olympic Committee 
• Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI)

Workplace Warrior

The 2025 EMEA Workplace Warrior of the Future is awarded to BBVA for their exceptional hybrid work strategy. Their investment in innovative collaboration tools and employee device security fosters flexibility and productivity, setting a high standard for the future of work. BBVA’s commitment to enhancing the work environment reflects their leadership in workplace innovation. 

Congratulations to the shortlisted nominees: 

• adidas 
• The British Army (Ministry of Defense) 
• Iberdrola 
• Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. KG
  

Artificial Intelligence Pioneer  

The 2025 EMEA Artificial Intelligence Pioneer award recognizes Core42 for their pioneering AI infrastructure solutions. Their secure, AI-ready data centers emphasize quality and operational ease, driving significant business transformation. Core42’s forward-thinking approach to AI integration showcases their role as trailblazers in the AI landscape. 

Annie Hardy, Cisco Global AI Architect and one of our judges for this category, highlighted, “When most people think about AI, they’re thinking about ChatGPT and DeepSeek. But the network’s requirements are fundamentally different. Core42 invested in a vision for AI’s future, building a service to quickly and efficiently spin up new ideas. They’ve become an AI-ready resource for the UAE.” 

Congratulations to the other shortlisted nominee: 

Sustainability Changemaker  

Celebrating dedication to environmental sustainability, the 2025 EMEA Sustainability Changemaker award is presented to adidas for advancing environmental sustainability with Cisco solutions, adidas receives the Sustainability Changemaker Award – recognizing a commitment to energy efficiency and carbon reduction. As Colin Seward, Technology and Data Lead for Cisco’s Chief Sustainability Office (CSO), and part of our judging panel for this category, praised, “a great selection of finalists – they’re all amazing stories!!”. 

Congratulations to the shortlisted nominees: 

• Connected Conservation Foundation 
• COP29 
• Garanti BBVA 
• NatWest 
• Red Sea Global
  

Industry Innovator  

The 2025 EMEA Industry Innovator award is presented to Bosch Rexroth for their outstanding use of Cisco and Splunk solutions. Their approach to enhancing resilience and leveraging energy management sets a new industry standard, showcasing how innovation can tackle common industry challenges. Bosch Rexroth’s achievements highlight their leadership in technological advancement. 

Congratulations to the shortlisted nominees: 

• SAMSØE SAMSØE 
• Saudi Electricity Company 
• Tergooi Medical Center
  

Cisco Insider of the Year 

I am pleased to share that Damian Erni from Swisscom has been recognized as the 2025 EMEA Cisco Insider of the Year for his remarkable contributions to the greater Cisco Insider community. His leadership and dedication have continually enriched community engagement and sparked vibrant discussions, inspiring others to connect and collaborate. Damian’s influence within the community underscores his crucial role in advancing the success of both his organization and industry peers.  

The enthusiasm of my fellow judges for this award was palpable! Jenny Hooks, Director, Customer Lifecycle Engagement Marketing, shared, “This award celebrates our customers that really step up to share their experiences and expertise, tirelessly advocating for Cisco throughout the year… It was really hard to judge!”. Similarly, Lucas Betés, Director, Customer Lifecycle Journey Marketing, echoed this sentiment, saying “I can’t believe how much these Insiders do for Cisco!”.  

Congratulations to our shortlisted nominees, who have all demonstrated outstanding commitment this year. As Todd Shimizu, VP, Customer Lifecycle Marketing and another fellow judge for this category, remarked, “These are all amazing… Super heartening to see this kind of advocacy for us.”  

• Irmtraud Lorenz, Kotányi 
• Joacim Wicander, Conscia Sverige AB 
• Jyrki Halonen, Netox 
• Wouter Hindriks, Avit Group
  

Congratulations to all our 2025 EMEA award winners and shortlisted nominees! We applaud your passion for innovation and valuable contributions to industry thought leadership. Here’s to continued success and groundbreaking advancements!  

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