Shine Awards 2025: recognition that drives performance

Recognition is not only about celebrating achievements—it has a measurable impact on engagement and performance:

• Recognition is the #1 driver of employee engagement worldwide (Gallup 2024).
• Teams with regular recognition experience 31% lower turnover (O.C. Tanner Institute 2023).
• Peer-to-peer recognition increases team trust by 41% (SHRM 2024).

These insights highlight a simple truth: when appreciation is visible and consistent, people feel valued, motivated, and connected to their work.

At SIG, the Shine Awards reflect this. They are not only a celebration of achievement, but a reflection of what drives our success: collaboration, innovation, and everyday excellence.

In times of transformation, recognition plays a critical role. It anchors culture, reinforces what matters, and makes impact visible across the organization.

Recognition becomes most powerful when it is frequent, authentic, and connected to purpose. What makes it meaningful is not only the awards themselves, but the participation behind them.

When colleagues and leaders nominate each other—often across functions, regions, and cultures—it reflects a shared ownership of success. Recognition becomes more than a moment of celebration; it becomes a way of reinforcing the behaviors and values that shape how we work together.

By sharing these stories, SIG continues to highlight the contributions that drive progress across the organization.

Shine Awards 2025: celebrating impact across SIG

This year’s Shine Awards showcased the diversity of talent across SIG and highlighted how collaboration drives results across regions and functions.

Two teams were recognized as Team of the Year. The RISE Digital Team successfully completed a complex global SAP migration involving more than 150 colleagues worldwide, laying the foundation for SIG’s digital transformation. At the same time, the SIG Customer Team Tirol–Brazil celebrated a milestone of more than 500 million packages—demonstrating the strength of long-term customer partnerships and cross-functional collaboration.

Innovation was recognized through the Creative Idea of the Year, awarded to the team behind the HEUFT Camera System—an advanced inspection solution combining laser measurement and camera technology to detect defects, including leakages and sterility risks, immediately after filling. The system enhances product quality and operational transparency for customers.

Operational excellence was highlighted through the Plant of the Year awards, recognizing Neuhausen for its outstanding performance in carton production and Suzhou for its achievements in bag-in-box and spouted pouch operations. Both plants demonstrated strong results across safety, quality, efficiency, and team engagement.

Customer impact remained a key focus. The Customer Account Team of the Year, supporting Alpura, was recognized for building a strong strategic partnership that delivered sustained growth, innovation, and operational reliability.

Individual excellence was celebrated through the Field Service Engineer of the Year award, presented to Bandar Alwan Aldahab for his technical expertise and leadership in commissioning complex equipment and supporting customer operations.

Sustainability was also recognized. The SIG Terra Program received the Sustainability Initiative of the Year award. Through collaboration across Asia and Europe, the initiative advances aluminum-layer-free carton innovation and contributes to reducing the carbon footprint of packaging.

Finally, the Leader of the Year award was presented to Helene Mensler, Director People & Culture Europe, in recognition of her inclusive leadership and her role in driving learning, transformation, and talent development initiatives across the organization.

Together, these stories reflect the breadth of talent, collaboration, and impact across SIG.

From awards to everyday appreciation

Awards provide an important moment to celebrate success. But the true strength of recognition lies in everyday moments—when colleagues thank each other for support, acknowledge effort, and celebrate progress.

These moments shape how culture is experienced across the organization. The contributions we highlight become the examples others look to—and learn from.

Looking ahead

SIG continues to strengthen its recognition culture. Future developments will include tools that help leaders better understand how recognition flows across teams, ensuring appreciation remains an active and visible part of everyday work.

Because when recognition becomes part of how we work—not just what we celebrate—culture continues to thrive through change.