The IIAR> recognises top industry analysts and influencer relations professionals at a global virtual celebration; winners are IDC, Christine Keck / Ciena and the IBM AR team 

London, Thursday 2nd December 2021.  The Institute of Influencer and Analyst Relations (IIAR>), a not-for-profit member influencer relations association announced the winners of Analyst and Firm of the Year 2021, Analyst Relations (AR) Professional, AR Team and AR Agency of the Year 2021 during a special virtual event. In person libations will take place next week at the IIAR> Xmas Party in London –register now!

As the end-of-year Holiday season and we enjoy all of its traditions and events, there’s a newer tradition that many in the analyst relations and analyst field have come to anticipate — the annual IIAR> Analyst of the Year (AOTY) Awards. And this year’s Analyst Of The Year award winners, first unveiled yesterday at a virtual IIAR event, did not disappoint!

“The IIAR> is a community of global citizens, we’re more than an organisation –we’re a family, a movement, a culture for analyst & influencer relations (AR) Professionals and agencies. AR is not a skill taught in universities and these awards are essential in recognising the best today to inspire the next generation of AR pros tomorrow. Also Analysts compel us to be better professionals. Recognising the best analysts is essential so that they continue to help customers make an informed and impartial decision during the tech buying cycle . “

Aniruddho Mukherjee / IIAR> Board Member

Coming out of the second year of the COVID pandemic, with all of the changes that it has brought (for better and for worse) for those of us in AR, the overall importance of analysts and influencers (and thus the importance of the AR function) has only continued to increase. 

This year’s awards came from over 350 votes from 23 countries and represented 80 Analyst Firms, 300 analysts and 153 AR Pros who were shortlisted, combining this with the ARInsights Power100 data, IIAR> Proprietary data and supported by NarrativeWorx.

Analysts were rated on several criteria that ranged from domain knowledge, to actionability of their advice and research; their overall impact on technology buying decisions; and whether the analyst was easy and flexible to work with from an AR perspective.

Similarly, AR professionals were rated by analysts on how they added value to their work. They mapped them on the 3Rs (Results, Responsiveness and Relations) and also highlighted their strengths. We then mapped their nominations with data from various sources including IIAR>’s own proprietary data on how these individuals contribute towards growing the AR profession.

So, let’s get to the IIAR> 2021 AOTY Award Winners!

An in-depth presentation for IIAR> Members will detail additional findings from the annual survey over multiple sessions in Q1 2022.

IIAR> Analyst Relations Professional of the Year 2021: Christine Keck / Ciena

Christine Keck from Ciena (LinkedIn, @cmkeck) won the coveted AR Pro of the Year accolade, followed by close runners-up Anja Steinmann / BT (LinkedIn, @AnjaSteinmann) and Sarita Kincaid / SugarCRM (LinkedIn, @saritakAR). Christine will co-host the next IIAR> Webinar with Canalys, Anja is the IIAR> UK Chapter co-lead and Sarita is the co-author of several IIAR> Best Practice Papers including ‘Running an analyst briefing.’

“I’m honored to be recognized by industry analysts,” stated and an active member of IIAR>. “This was another challenging year of connecting with analysts from our remote workplaces due to the ongoing pandemic. Our industry is all about finding creative ways to hold conversations and connecting over conversations about technology, business strategy and competitive insights. To be recognized during an especially challenging year makes this award all the more special.“

—Christine Keck, Director of Industry Analyst Relations at Ciena (LinkedIn, @cmkeck )

IIAR> Analyst Relations Team of the Year 2021: IBM

The IBM AR team rose to the occasion during 2021, and jumped into the leading spot as the best vendor AR team on accord of the voting analysts, displacing two-time previous winner Oracle.  Tata Consulting Services (TCS) and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) were the runners up for 2021 — TCS for the second consecutive year, and HPE vaulting up several spots in the rankings from 2020.

“On behalf of the IBM Analyst Relations team, I would like to thank the global analyst community, and the IIAR, for this recognition. We have the pleasure of working with the most talented analysts in the industry, with whom we share a common purpose of helping clients achieve their business and technology goals. IBM is fortunate to have a world-class team of talented AR professionals, and we look forward to our continued partnerships with the analyst community in the year ahead.“

–Harriet Fryman  / VP Global Analyst Relations, IBM (LinkedIn, @hfryman)

IIAR> Analyst Relations Agency of the Year 2021: Spotlight AR

SpotlightAR took the Analyst Relations Agency of the Year award for the second consecutive time in the 2021 rankings, solidifying its position as a major player in the AR consulting arena. Upstart newcomer Starsight Communications made a big splash in 2021, landing it in the runner-up rankings, along with well-established and highly regarded Loenberg AR.

“We are thrilled to be voted Agency of the Year by our respected AR community members for the second year in a row. Our Spotlight teams are fortunate to partner with incredible analysts and clients every single day.  We thank you all for your hard work and look forward to another year”

–Andrew Hsu / Managing Partner, Spotlight AR (LinkedIn, @andrew0hsu)

“To be nominated as the best European-based analyst relations consultancy by industry analyst themselves in our first year is a humbling recognition. We’re thrilled to be part of the AR community, to be able to contribute to the IIAR> and serve both industry analysts and technology vendor clients every day with an amazing crew!”

– Ludovic Leforestier (@lludovic, LinkedIn), Founder, Starsight Communications

Need help with Analyst Relations?

• Check the IIAR> Member AR agencies list.

IIAR> Analyst Client Partner of the Year 2021: Pierre Nedelec / Gartner

Client partners are important conduits to the analyst firms, and imperative for getting things done.  Good client partners enable two-way success for AR pros and analysts alike, and make everyday work more efficient and enjoyable for everyone.

Out of 69 client partners nominated by AR professionals, Pierre Nedelec of Gartner (LinkedIn) won the Client Partner of the Year award for 2021.  The AR community noted Pierre’s responsiveness and helpfulness, and personable nature.  The runners up for Client Partner of the Year were Matthew Vinson / IDC (LinkedIn) and Michael DeVagno / Omdia (LinkedIn, @mdevagno). Congratulations to all of them!

“I am honored to receive this award from your Institute. Thank you for the recognition which is the result of common successes achieved with our customers, colleagues and partners. I am proud to represent Gartner and looking forward to continue to leverage long term partnership with analyst relation.”

–Pierre Nedelec / Account Executive, Gartner (LinkedIn)

IIAR> Analyst Firm of the Year 2021: IDC

For the second consecutive year, IDC has won the IIAR> Analyst Firm of the Year award based on the votes of the AR community, based on its regional and industry coverage, breadth of research programs, and overall quality of its insights.  Gartner took second place, followed by Omdia.  All three firms have the largest bases of analysts worldwide, and they continue to have an important role and impact in the IT market.

“We are honored to receive the Analyst Firm of the Year award in recognition of IDC’s ongoing efforts to meet our clients needs during a second pandemic year of economic uncertainty and supply chain disruption. In response to this business environment, IDC remains focused on providing the critical resources and guidance organizations need to become more resilient in the face of these and future uncertainties. The ability to adapt to and capitalize on unexpected changes will be crucial to every successful enterprise in the digital economy.”

“We would like to thank our clients and all the AR professionals who have acknowledged our efforts with this award. Your support is greatly appreciated, and we look forward to continue working with you in 2022 and beyond.”

–Crawford del Prete / President, IDC (LinkedIn, @Craw)

Check also the replay of the IIAR> Webinar with IDC back in June.

IIAR> Analyst of the Year 2021: Liz Miller / Constellation Research

And now, the coveted IIAR> Analyst of the Year award!  This year’s award goes to Liz Miller of Constellation Research (LinkedIn, @lizkmiller).  Interestingly, Liz won the IIAR> “New Analyst of the Year” award for 2020, so she has continued her winning streak through 2021.  We would like to extend our congratulations to her on behalf of the IIAR and the AR community.

AR Pros highlighted that she is a thought leader and influencer on CX – she makes the CX space fun to engage. She is an authority on CX who makes tech fun BUT she has no Pause Button :-). She has spot on business acumen, great insights, able to provide actionable guidance. Liz is a ARInsights Power100 analyst and also scores highly on Influencer score and Interaction ranking.

“To say that I am honored by this recognition is an understatement. In earnest what humbles me to my core is knowing that this comes from some of the most talented, brilliant and accomplished professionals across AR, analysts and the client partners that bring us all together make up the membership and community of The IIAR. For this to come on the heels of the IIAR> community also recognizing Constellation Research as one of the Top 10 firms of the year…there is just so much to be grateful for. Thank you once again. I am so proud to be part of this network of peers and leaders.Thank you.”

–Liz Miller, VP Analyst, Constellation Research (LinkedIn, @lizkmiller)

Runners up for the Analyst of the Year 2021 award include numbers two and three, Fabrizio Biscotti / Gartner (LinkedIn, @fab_biscotti) and Christina Richmond / IDC (LinkedIn, @Xtina_Richmond), respectively.

Rounding out the top five are Julie Kunstler / Omdia (LinkedIn) and Phil Fersht / HfS Research (LinkedIn, @pfersht).

Sincere congratulations to all of our AOTY award top finalists, for a job well done in 2021!

There’s more (music) to analysts

There is no party without music, and true to form we had analysts taking time out from their day job to perform at the IIAR> virtual gathering. The IIAR> thanks Noury Bernard Hassan / Head of AR, AWS EMEA (LinkedIn), for bringing his musical talents to the awards ceremony.

The IIAR> Awards Committee

IIAR> Board Members & Chapter Leads

• Aniruddho Mukherjee (@aniruddho, LinkedIn)
• Crystal Golightly (@crysgolightly, LinkedIn)

IIAR> Members

• Gerry Van Zandt (LinkedIn, @gerryvz)

Previous IIAR> AOTY and ARPOTY winners

• The IIAR> Analyst and Firm Of The Year
• The IIAR> Analyst Relations Professional, Team and Agency Of The Year

About the IIAR> ARPOTY and AOTY

Since 2014, the IIAR> AR Professional of The Year (ARPOTY) survey has aimed to share best AR practices for the benefit of AR professionals and industry analysts alike, and recognises analyst relations professionals for their outstanding work. The Institute surveys hundreds of global industry analysts to measure the performance of individuals, “mega vendor”AR teams, and AR agencies according to the IIAR 3 R’s of analyst relations: Responsiveness, Relationships and Results. 

The IIAR> Analyst of the Year (AOTY) have been running since 2008 and aim to recognise the best industry analysts and firms, as voted by AR professionals and scored according to IIAR> SOSM framework of the impact of industry analysts and influencers. Those awards recognise analysts and firms based on their impact, thought leadership and client service.

About the IIAR>

The Institute of Industry Analyst Relations (IIAR) is a not-for-profit organisation established to raise awareness of analyst relations and the value of industry analysts, promote best practice amongst analyst relations professionals, enhance communication between analyst firms and vendors, and offer opportunities for AR practitioners to network with their industry peers. We’re at www.analystrelations.org, LinkedIn and @iiar.