NIIT Learning wins 114 Brandon Hall awards with clients

NIIT Learning Systems has won 114 Brandon Hall HCM Excellence Awards with its clients, including awards earned by SweetRush, which it acquired earlier this year.

Of the total, 90 went to NIIT Learning and 24 to SweetRush, the custom learning design business now owned by the group. The awards recognised work with client organisations across learning and development, talent management, leadership development and sales performance.

NIIT Learning's 90 awards included 28 Gold, 27 Silver and 35 Bronze. The wins were shared with clients including Hitachi Energy, IBM, IQVIA, Medtronic, MetLife, Opella, Qatar Airways, Ricoh, Rio Tinto, ServiceNow and Shell, as well as for the company's internal learning and development work and its AI-based learning products.

SweetRush received 24 awards: 17 Gold and 7 Silver. Its client partners recognised in the awards included the American Association of Family Physicians, Arcadis, Scrum Alliance, SHRM and Uber.

Awards tally

This is the highest total NIIT Learning has cited for the Brandon Hall programme. The Brandon Hall HCM Excellence Awards span a broad set of human capital management categories and are judged by independent senior industry specialists, Brandon Hall analysts and executives using a published framework.

That framework assesses entries against criteria including alignment to business need, programme design, delivery, adoption, integration, user experience, innovation, effectiveness and measurable benefits. Brandon Hall said the same evaluation criteria are applied to each submission.

The result also highlights SweetRush's role within NIIT Learning's wider business following its acquisition in January. SweetRush focuses on custom learning experience design, and its award-winning projects covered leadership development, workforce transformation and learning design.

Client work

The awards were presented jointly with customers, reflecting a model in which providers and client organisations submit work together. In this case, the recognised projects spanned sectors including healthcare, aviation, mining, consulting and technology.

"AI now sits at the center of how we design and deliver learning, from simulations and intelligent coaching to adaptive practice embedded in the flow of work," said Sapnesh Lalla, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of NIIT Learning. "This reflects what enterprises increasingly expect: not more courses, but capabilities that translate into real-world performance, delivered faster. Earning 114 awards alongside our clients shows that this approach is working."

Danielle Hart, Chief Executive Officer of SweetRush, pointed to the partnership model behind the awards. "What I see every day at SweetRush is the magic that happens when you combine real teamwork with smart design," Hart said.

"Together with our client-partners, we transform workplaces and lift up people and communities, and that's why we're all fortunate to be in this remarkable field of learning. Congratulations to our clients, the SweetRush team, our NIIT family, and everyone recognized, for putting their minds and hearts into this important work," she added.

Devenderjit Chadha, Chief Customer Officer of NIIT Learning, said the awards reflected long-term client relationships. "Ninety awards is a powerful measure of our commitment to building future-ready talent in an era of rapid change. Beyond the number, it reflects the trust our clients place in NIIT and the impact we create together through learning solutions that move real business results. We are grateful to our clients for their partnership and their confidence in us."

Industry benchmark

Brandon Hall positions the HCM Excellence Awards as a benchmark in the human capital management sector, covering companies, consultancies and learning providers. The programme has run for more than three decades and is one of the larger awards schemes focused on workplace learning and HR.

Rachel Cooke, who leads the awards programme at Brandon Hall, said the judging focused on practical outcomes. "Every year, the HCM Excellence Awards remind us that innovation is ultimately about impact. The organizations recognized this year have demonstrated that great HR and learning strategies don't just improve programs, they strengthen organizations, empower people, and deliver measurable business results. We are honored to celebrate their achievements," Cooke said.

Brandon Hall Chief Executive Officer Mike Cooke added: "The HCM Excellence Awards have become the most recognized benchmark for excellence in human capital management because organizations know they are earned, not given. Every winning program has demonstrated measurable impact, innovation, and execution through one of the industry's most rigorous evaluation processes. We are proud to recognize the organizations setting the standard for the future of work."