EMEA's Tech Vanguard: ISG Awards Reveal AI and Alliance Imperatives

LONDON, UK – November 25, 2025 – As the curtain fell on the 2025 ISG Sourcing Industry Awards gala at the Fairmont Windsor Park last week, the winners' list read less like a simple honor roll and more like a strategic blueprint for the future of the EMEA economy. The annual awards, hosted by the global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm Information Services Group (ISG), have become a crucial barometer for innovation, revealing which technologies and partnerships are delivering tangible value beyond the buzzwords. This year, two clear imperatives emerged from the winners' circle: the practical, governed application of artificial intelligence and the indispensable power of deep, collaborative alliances.

While industry chatter remains saturated with AI hype, the awards highlighted a market that has matured, prioritizing measurable impact over experimental pilots. This shift reflects a broader trend across the EMEA region, where enterprises are moving from asking if they should adopt AI to demanding how they can do so effectively, responsibly, and at scale.

The AI Imperative: From Hype to Real-World Impact

ISG’s own positioning as an “AI-centered” firm underscores the technology's pervasive influence, a focus mirrored in its award categories. The creation of an “AI Pacesetter” award, secured this year by Market Logic for its work with pharmaceutical giant Novartis, signals a clear industry demand for recognizing substantial business impact directly attributable to AI adoption. This is not about celebrating algorithms in a lab; it's about rewarding demonstrable transformation in the wild.

Further evidence of this trend came from the ISG Software Innovation Awards, where Wildix clinched the top honor for Artificial Intelligence. Known for its Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) platform, Wildix's win suggests the potent integration of AI into the core fabric of business communication. Such innovations likely move beyond simple automation, incorporating capabilities like real-time sentiment analysis in customer service calls, intelligent meeting summaries, and predictive analytics to optimize workforce collaboration. This represents AI’s graduation from a back-office tool to a frontline enabler of productivity and customer experience.

The awards reflect a crucial evolution in enterprise AI strategy. Research discussed at ISG's Sourcing Industry Conference noted that while generative AI pilots were nascent just a year ago, the market is now rapidly advancing toward agentic AI systems—more autonomous agents capable of executing complex, multi-step tasks. This shift is compelling enterprises to seek simpler, ready-built AI solutions embedded within robust governance frameworks, a particularly salient point in Europe, where regulations like the EU AI Act demand a focus on compliance and ethical implementation.

Forging the Future Through Strategic Alliances

If AI is the engine of transformation, then strategic partnerships are the chassis holding it all together. The ISG Paragon Awards, which are judged by an independent panel with client validation, consistently underscore that the most significant innovations are rarely solo endeavors. This year’s winners showcased the immense value created when service providers and clients operate in true strategic alignment.

The award for Excellence, recognizing outstanding delivery, went to Infosys for its partnership with Belgian telecom leader Proximus. This accolade points to a collaboration that transcended a typical vendor-client relationship, achieving superior execution and delivering exceptional business outcomes. Similarly, the Transformation award, won by Genpact for its work with global biopharma company GSK, highlights the successful overhaul of a key business function, a feat requiring deep trust and integrated execution between partners.

Perhaps most telling was the Partnership of the Year award, jointly presented to two powerful collaborations: UST with Aptia Group, and Allianz Services India with Allianz Australia. Recognizing two winners in this premier category emphasizes that there is no single model for a high-performing partnership, but the outcome is universal: driving exceptional business results that would be unattainable for either party alone. These alliances enable organizations to access specialized expertise, de-risk large-scale change, and accelerate their innovation cycles in a fiercely competitive global market.

Beyond the Buzzwords: Measuring Tangible Business Value

In an economy wary of inflated promises, the 2025 ISG awards serve as a powerful filter for what truly works. The winning entries consistently demonstrated a clear line of sight between a technological solution or partnership and its measurable impact on the business. “Providers are delivering innovation, agility and critical support for enterprises navigating the AI era,” noted John Boccuzzi, Jr., partner and president of ISG Research, in the official announcement. “It is an honor to recognize the partnerships and technology breakthroughs that were most impactful across the EMEA region in 2025.”

This focus on impact was exemplified by Celonis, which received the ISG Software Innovation Award for Business Applications. As a leader in process mining and execution management, Celonis’s platform gives companies microscopic visibility into their own operations—from supply chain to finance—and uses AI to identify and fix inefficiencies. Its recognition highlights a demand for technologies that deliver quantifiable improvements in cost, efficiency, and performance.

Furthermore, the Sustainability award, won by Cognizant for its digital initiative with shipping firm Stena Bulk AB, proves that the new economy’s definition of value extends beyond the balance sheet. This award celebrates partnerships that leverage technology to produce measurable environmental and social outcomes, embedding sustainability as a core component of business strategy rather than an ancillary goal. By showcasing such projects, ISG validates the growing consensus that long-term resilience and profitability are inextricably linked to responsible innovation. The collective results from the London gala paint a clear picture: the most successful enterprises in EMEA are those that master the synergy between intelligent technology and human collaboration, all while keeping a relentless focus on delivering real, measurable results.