Today, Thursday December 12, APMP hosted the second annual APMP Honors Gala—a ceremony acknowledging the achievements of some of the standout professionals and teams in the bid and proposal profession!

Though a digital event, there was no shortage of the level of pomp and circumstance befitting our wonderful nominees. Anchored by APMP’s International Board Chair, David Gray, this event was a celebration of our profession, and the strides our wonderful community has taken over the past 12 months.

“We’re gathering virtually to honor some of the stars among us who exemplify the dedication, innovation, and brilliance that characterizes APMP’s membership,” said David as he opened the ceremony. “With the help of our members, including all of today’s wonderful nominees, 2024 has been a landmark year for our association.”

Here’s a breakdown of all of our winners and nominees:

Bid and Proposal Team of the Year

The first award of the night was the ‘Bid and Proposal Team of the Year Award’. The award recognizes the collaborative efforts and exceptional performance of a specific team within the bid and proposal industry.

This award was sponsored by Responsive and presented by its founder and CEO Ganesh Shankar. Mr Shankar stated that he was “super excited to be part of this gala” and to play a role in recognizing “some of the smartest and best teams across the globe”.

Nominees: Team Hitachi CPC, Mott McDonald’s Europe and UK Win Community, Amazon Web Services – Worldwide Public Sector

Winner: Mott McDonald’s Europe and UK Win Community

According to Simon Hubbard, the team’s Major Pursuits Lead, the winning team has had an excellent year.

“Being recognized in this exciting award category validates that we are on the right track,” said Simon. “It celebrates the hard work that we’ve put in and the progress we’ve made over the last two years.”

2024 Charlie Divine Scholarship Recipients

Charlie Divine is the former Director of Certification at APMP and has made a career of promoting professional development for those in the bid and proposal industry. Every year, a cohort of deserving professionals are awarded a scholarship which supports them to pursue certification.

This year, the Charlie Divine Scholarship was sponsored by Upland Qvidian.

Steven Coles, Principal Customer Success Manager at Upland Qvidian, said he was “thrilled” to be representing Qvidian at the Honors Gala.

“In my estimation, the APMP certification program is the crown jewel of our association,” Steven added. “For over 20 years now, this program has elevated the standing of our profession and the careers of thousands of members globally. It’s an honor to present the 2024 Charlie Divine Scholarship Awards.”

The winners of the 2024 scholarship award are:

• Laura Alexander
• Brooke Barton
• Grace Chen
• Heather Cortez
• Michelle DeFaria
• Lisa Ellis
• Shashidhar Reddy Erlapally
• Kavya Gaurav Avasthi
• Sabrina Gulyas
• Jessica Hampton
• Marycarmen Hampton
• Christopher Jensen
• Ryosuke Kawai
• Amit Koul
• Michelle Labde
• Megan Moret
• Francis Njenga
• Tiffany Pecoraro
• Laura Pieslewicz
• Darian Randle
• Alicia Robinson
• Kate Salmon
• Erin Smazik
• Brianna Sopcak
• Tonia Strange
• Akash Upadhyay
• Sarah Warman

We wish them the very best of luck in pursuing their certification.

Stephen P. Shipley Chapter of the Year

The ‘Stephen P. Shipley Chapter of the Year’ award goes to the chapter that has gone above and beyond to provide their members with an extraordinary APMP experience.

Nominees: APMP UK Chapter, APMP Japan Chapter, APMP Greater Midwest Chapter, APMP Chesapeake Chapter, APMP Liberty Chapter

Winner: APMP Japan

APMP Japan’s Leader, Kumiko Shikimachi, said that the award “fulfils a dream [she’s] had since starting the Japan Chapter nine years ago”.

“About 12 years ago, I noticed that there were no other APMP participants from Japan,” she added. “From that moment, I made it my mission to bring this remarkable mission to Japan. I truly appreciate the constant support and encouragement I’ve received from all around the world.”

APMP’s 40 under 40 list

This award recognizes 40 individuals under the age of 40 who are making outstanding strides within their company and industry.

2024’s 40 under 40 are:

• Oliver Jones
• Adelicia Phillips
• Peeksi Pinus
• Kailey Fascitelli (Wulfert)
• Alyssa Voboril
• Jascha Biedenkopf
• Bethany Bromfield
• Milo Hadden
• Sajia Ahmed
• Lauryn Hagel
• Kota Dendo
• Zak Altay
• Nicole Coleman
• Lee-Anne Armstrong
• Sarah Manthey
• Matt Light
• Emily Wilcoxson
• Amy Wilson
• Samantha Love
• Jaymin Parmar
• Azarudeen Jaffer Ali
• Peter Blunden
• Agilan Navaneethakrishnan
• Jennifer Germane
• Stefanie Faulkner
• Carli Vander Top
• Donald Silwick
• Jessica Lemieux
• Josh Attwood
• Tom Silence
• Marieke Bland
• Jenna Roberts
• Shachi Rathore
• Rebekah Cromer
• Olivia Haselwood
• Natalie Clark
• Sarah Thomson
• Beth Fiset
• Christian Ferreira
• Willis Vann

Chapter Leader of the Year

The next award of the evening went to the ‘Chapter Leader of the Year’. This award honors the visionaries at the helm of our chapters, who volunteer their time to scale the bid and proposal profession within their region with exemplary dedication.

Nominees: Kumiko Shakimachi (Japan), Mitsuhiro Seto (Japan), Martha Swift (Chesapeake), Kim Ruff (Liberty), Mel Bunston (Japan)

Winner: Mel Bunston, CP APMP

By day, Mel Bunston is a Senior Capture Manager at Qinetic; but her nomination for this award comes from her outstanding leadership as the Chair of the APMP UK Chapter—APMP’s biggest chapter, with a membership of over 3,000 bid and proposal professionals.

“Winning this award means a lot to me both personally and professionally,” said Mel. “My time as Chapter leader has absolutely flown by. Winning is a recognition of the hard work put in, and is absolutely an opportunity to celebrate with my support network.”

APMP Fellows Class of 2024

One of the highest honors of the evening is for those who are being inducted into our 2024 Class of Fellows. Induction as a Fellow is recognition of significant contributions an individual has made to the bid and proposal industry throughout their career.

This year, we inducted five new Fellows.

“These folks are the lifeblood of APMP,” said Rick Harris, APMP’s CEO, who had the pleasure of introducing the awards. “The people in our Fellows class are the best of the best.”

Gregg Kulichik, CP APMP Fellow

Our first Fellows inductee was Gregg Kulichik, affiliated with the Nor’easters Chapter. Among other outstanding achievements in his career, Gregg was nominated for his commendable efforts to streamline APMP’s reporting and accounting processes.

“It’s really a tremendous honor to be among such a fantastic and industry-changing group of people,” Gregg said. “[APMP] opened up a whole world to me, professionally speaking. It’s given me 20+ years of community and camaraderie, with some really amazing people across many different industries and companies.

“My professional network, my involvement in APMP, and the professional certifications that I’ve achieved have really helped advance my career.”

“He helped us chart a path for even greater growth and understanding,” said Rick. “Gregg was an invaluable member of the executive committee for about four years.”

Ginny Carson, CPP APMP Fellow

Our second inductee was Ginny Carson, who is affiliated with the Carolinas Chapter. Ginny is a former Chair of APMP International, and was the mastermind behind the idea to develop an APMP benchmarking report which is still used by many of our members today.

“Being inducted into the APMP Fellows Class of 2024 is an honor and a highlight of my career,” said Ginny. “APMP has guided and significantly enriched my entire professional experience. This honor confirmed both sides of my appreciation for APMP—one celebrating what I’ve received from the association, and one as an outward and visible recognition that some of my work has uplifted APMP.”

“Ginny was one of those chairs who welcomed everyone and made sure everyone’s voice was heard,” said Rick. “Our members got a lot out of using her [benchmarking] report to grow their businesses—and APMP expanded as well!”

Kumiko Shikimachi, CPP APMP Fellow

Our third inductee is Kumiko Shikimachi, affiliated with the APMP Japan Chapter. Kumiko began her APMP journey as the sole Japanese member of APMP, and decided to build out a Japanese chapter herself. The Chapter is now thriving, as shown by its ‘Chapter of the Year Award’ win tonight—a testament to Kumiko’s dedication, and the dedication of the team she has built.

“I’m truly honored to be selected as a Fellow,” Kumiko said of her induction. “I felt I had to share this great initiative with Japan, so I started the Japan chapter. Now our chapter has grown to over 200 members, and I never imagined this dream would come.

“It feels like a dream but I never gave up and kept working hard, and this recognition means so much to me.”

“Kumiko saw APMP’s process, and the way we elevated bid and proposal professionals worldwide and she brought the winning to Japan,” said Rick. “She was in it for the long game, and we really appreciate the work that you did for APMP Japan.”

Larissa Cornelius, CPP APMP Fellow

Our fourth inductee is Larissa Cornelius, affiliated with the APMP South Africa Chapter. Larissa’s work with that chapter has been exceptional, and led to her induction this year.

“It’s a huge honor on both a personal and professional level,” said Larissa. “I guess it’s recognition for driving improvement in the proposal industry and in the APMP community. My purpose is inspiring success—my own success, the success of my family, my staff members, and other people within the APMP community.

“Getting this fellowship tells me that I’m succeeding in that purpose and it motivates me to do more.”

“She has helped to work with the South African Government to make sure that bid took front and center stage,” said Rick. “She’s worked tirelessly through her company, nFold, to promote the Bid and Proposal profession, and she’s grown it in South Africa.”

Steven Coles, CPP APMP Fellow

Our final inductee of the evening is Steven Coles, affiliated with the APMP UK Chapter. Steven has served on the board of the UK Chapter, as well as serving on, and Chairing, the APMP International Board. His work both regionally and internationally over the years has led to huge strides forward within APMP and the profession as a whole.

“It’s a phenomenal feeling and achievement to receive this award, and it means the world to me,” Steven said. “I’ve worked with bid and proposal professionals tirelessly throughout my career, and this award really represents the work that I’ve done with them and for them.

“Thank you to everybody who I’ve worked with and worked for, who I’ve mentored and coached, and who have mentored and coached me. I welcome the opportunity to join my fellow Fellows.”

“Steven is known for rolling out a sustainable membership experience within APMP,” said Rick. “He developed, through our board and through our staff, 21 new programs during his tenure that members can take advantage of. That is impressive.”

Bid and Proposal Industry Executive of the Year

The final award of the night was given to the ‘Bid and Proposal Industry Executive of the Year’, an award highlighting one talented individual who has been making impressive strides in both their career and the industry overall.

This award was sponsored by Flowcase and presented by its CEO and founder.

Nominees: Danelle Morrow, Ceri Mescall, Beth Wingate

Winner: Danelle Morrow, CF APMP

“Winning this award means so much to me on many levels,” said Danelle. “Personally, it’s a testament to the two decades of dedication, growth and perseverance that I’ve poured into my career.

“It validates my efforts and contributions, while also motivating me to continue to press on, push boundaries, and disrupt for good.”

Congratulations to all our award winners!

As our second Honors Gala ceremony drew to a close, David took a moment to congratulate all nominees and winners added to the APMP hall of fame in the 2024 cohort.

“We’ll be taking inspiration from all of the dedication and innovation highlighted tonight with us into next year,” said David. “I’d like to thank all of our nominees and winners for their outstanding work this year, and to congratulate them for their recognition tonight.

“As we close tonight’s ceremony, let’s carry forward the spirit of excellence and innovation that defines APMP and the bid and proposal profession.”