This article appears in print in the January/February 2020 issue. See more about the winners of the 2020 Executive Excellence Awards here. Click here for a free subscription.
Successful executives share several traits regardless of their industry. According to ghSMART's 10-year study of 17,000 C-suite executives, called the CEO Genome Project -- featured in Harvard Business Review -- top-level leaders excel at four behaviors: making quick decisions with conviction; achieving buy-in from employees and stakeholders; adjusting to a rapidly changing environment; and producing results. Seattle Business magazine’s eighth annual Executive Excellence Awards detail how some of the leaders across Washington state have set their companies up for success and contributed to the state’s roaring economy. One common theme: An emphasis on company culture.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Tom Alberg, co-founder & managing Director, Madrona Venture Group
Executive Excellence Awards:
Eugenio Pace, co-founder & chief executive officer, Auth0
Amy Balliett, co-founder & chief executive officer, Killer Visual Strategies
Amy Nelson, founder & chief executive officer, The Riveter
Tom Sebastian, president & chief executive officer, Compass Health
Beth McCaw, president & chief executive officer, Washington Women’s Foundation
Shauna Swerland, founder & chief executive officer, Fuel Talent
Jeremy Wacksman, president, Zillow Group Inc.
Melba Bartels, executive vice president & chief financial officer, BECU
Jeff Dance, founder & chief executive officer, Fresh Consulting
Matt Hulett, president, Rosetta Stone Inc.
Kieran Snyder, co-founder & chief executive officer, Textio
Debbie Crandall, president, Parker Staffing
Brent Beardall, president & chief executive officer, WaFd Bank
Mary Knell, chief executive officer, Pacific Northwest Commercial Banking, Wells Fargo
Rod Diefendorf, chief operating officer, PitchBook
The Judges
Seattle Business recruited these individuals to evaluate nominees for the 2020 Executive Excellence Awards and to determine this year’s honorees.
Emily Cantrell, director, World Trade Center Seattle
Bob Davidson, president and CEO, Seattle Aquarium
Bob Donegan, president, Ivar’s
Stacey Engle, president, Fierce Inc.
Matt Hill, Seattle market president, KeyBank
Michael Rogers, president, Beeline Mobility, Seattle Express and Show Me Seattle; founder and president, Beeline Tours LTD and Seattle Food Tours LLC
Jon Scholes, president and CEO, Downtown Seattle Association
Lindsey Schwartz, president and CEO, Schwartz Brothers Restaurants, Daniel’s Broiler and Schwartz Brothers Bakery
