Revisiting the Digital Transformation & AI Awards 2025, the Best Operational Impact Award brought together a shortlist of organisations recognised for using digital transformation not as an end in itself but as a practical instrument for improving how their operations performed and delivering outcomes that aligned with wider business priorities.

HEINEKEN was shortlisted for its Merchandising Shop initiative, put forward for a programme that applied digital thinking to the operational challenge of merchandising management, demonstrating how technology adoption within a large consumer goods organisation can streamline processes and produce measurable improvements in how the business executes at the operational level.

Keltech earned its place on the shortlist through a digital transformation project that reflected its broader commitment to operational improvement, recognised by the judging panel for an evidence-based approach to identifying operational objectives and deploying technology solutions capable of delivering against them in a sustained and measurable way.

Kinore was shortlisted for its Better Onboarding initiative, a digitally driven overhaul of the onboarding process that the judging panel identified as the strongest entry in the category.

The programme demonstrated how a well-structured digital transformation project, built around clearly defined operational excellence objectives and delivered with rigour across planning, implementation, and measurement, could produce outcomes that extended well beyond process improvement into tangible business performance gains.

Kinore took home the Best Operational Impact Award for an initiative that set a credible and replicable standard for operationally focused digital transformation.

The category recognised organisations that leveraged digital transformation to achieve operational excellence, with judges assessing entries on the rationale behind the operational objectives, the strategy and implementation approach adopted, the challenges overcome during delivery, and the measurable impact on operational performance over the preceding 18 months.

The Digital Transformation & AI Awards celebrate Ireland's leading innovators in technology and digital excellence, recognising organisations that are redefining success through cutting-edge strategies and impactful advancements. More than a platform for recognition, the awards foster collaboration and inspire progress across Ireland's digital and technology community.

For more information on finalists, past winners, and judging insights, visit the official Digital Transformation & AI Awards website.