December 2022 Blog
Last month women around the world were recognized at the 19th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. AvantGarde’s CEO Rebecca Contreras was honored with the Gold Stevie Award for Best Female Entrepreneur, as well as the Silver Stevie for Woman of the Year.
Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word for “crowned,” the Stevie Awards for Women in Business honor women executives, entrepreneurs, employees, and the companies they run worldwide. The Stevie Awards have been hailed as the world’s premier business awards.
For the Women in Business awards, more than 1,500 entries were submitted this year for consideration in more than 100 categories. Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners were determined by the average scores of more than 200 business professionals around the world, working on eight juries.
Rebecca Contreras, who co-founded AvantGarde in 2011, was nominated for her outstanding leadership of AvantGarde and guiding its growth during a turbulent era for the HR sector. She was recognized as well for her philanthropic contributions to the community, including the launch of her Girls of Legacy scholarship and mentoring program - a signature initiative that supports inner city girls in the pursuit of higher education or professional development following high school graduation. Learn more about the Girls of Legacy here.
Rebecca attended the awards ceremony in Las Vegas and reflected on the experience.
“It was incredible meeting so many amazing businesswomen, from all over the world – Dubai, Asia, Australia, all over the U.S. – with such tremendous backgrounds in starting and growing their own businesses,” noted Rebecca. “I was humbled to be counted among them. What really stood out to me was the level of support from every woman in the room for each other’s wins and achievements. 600+ women were connected, sharing their experience, celebrating each other’s success stories.”
Though the Stevie Women in Business awards distinguish individual leaders, Rebecca gives credit to her AvantGarde team.
“The only reason I can be recognized with such an honor is because of the amazing AG team I work with. They are incredibly talented and hardworking, and AG continues to grow and thrive because of their efforts,” Rebecca said.
About the Stevie Awards Stevie Awards are conferred in eight programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards®, The International Business Awards®, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide.