ScentAir earned Gold in every category entered for ELEVATE Academy, its global leadership system connecting employee innovation, leadership development and enterprise execution to produce measurable business impact.
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- ScentAir®, a global leader in scent marketing, has earned five Gold Brandon Hall Group™ HCM Excellence Awards® for ELEVATE Academy, the highest level of recognition in every category the company entered.
The five Gold awards recognize ELEVATE's innovative design, measurable leadership impact and ability to turn employee ideas into business results.
ELEVATE Academy received Gold for:
- Best Unique or Innovative Leadership Development Program
- Best Results of a Learning Program
- Best Measuring the Impact of Leadership Development
- Best Use of Video for Learning, in partnership with Big Think+
- Best Use of a Blended Learning Program, in partnership with Big Think+
"Five Gold awards are an extraordinary honor, but what matters most is what they represent: stronger leaders, employee ideas turned into action and measurable results for our business," said Brian Edwards, President and CEO of ScentAir. "ELEVATE is helping us build the leadership capability ScentAir needs for the future while creating meaningful value for the business today."
ScentAir created ELEVATE as a CEO-sponsored, 12-month global leadership system that develops emerging leaders through real business work. The internally designed system connects the company's annual Innovation Contest with cross-functional Capstone initiatives, transforming winning employee ideas into projects led by participants from across ScentAir's regions and functions.
ELEVATE brings together five connected components: assessment and insight, self-paced Big Think+ lessons, monthly Leadership Circles, strategic Capstone projects, and reflection and executive visibility. Together, they create a continuous experience that moves participants from learning and reflection to application and execution through real business work.
Capstone teams build business cases, test ideas and present their recommendations directly to ScentAir's senior leadership team. Participants have the opportunity to develop and demonstrate leadership capabilities while advancing work connected to the company's business priorities.
The inaugural ELEVATE class delivered measurable results for both the business and its people:
- One Capstone initiative generated more than $250,000 in savings.
- 91% of surveyed leaders said participants demonstrated stronger leadership capabilities than at the beginning of the academy.
- 96% of participants reported greater confidence leading through change and uncertainty.
- 88% reported improved cross-functional communication.
"ELEVATE was built internally and brought to life through a collective effort across ScentAir," said Jessica Lane, Director of Global Enablement and Communications at ScentAir. "Participants, mentors, advisors, managers and senior leaders helped shape a system that connects development with execution and gives employees the opportunity to demonstrate leadership through work that matters. These five Gold awards recognize what we created together and the impact it is already having across ScentAir."
ScentAir earned two of its five Gold awards in partnership with Big Think+, recognizing the use of video and blended learning within ELEVATE Academy. Big Think+'s curated expert videos are embedded within the broader experience, introducing leadership perspectives that prepare participants for each monthly Leadership Circle. Participants then deepen their learning through facilitated discussion, reflection and application to real business challenges.
Entries in the Brandon Hall Group™ HCM Excellence Awards® were evaluated by an international panel of independent industry experts, Brandon Hall Group analysts and executives. Programs were assessed based on their alignment with business needs, program design and delivery, innovation, adoption, overall effectiveness and measurable business impact.
"The HCM Excellence Awards have become the most recognized benchmark for excellence in human capital management because organizations know they are earned, not given," said Mike Cooke, CEO of Brandon Hall Group™. "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."
The 2026 Excellence Award winners will be honored during Brandon Hall Group's HCM Excellence Conference, Jan. 26–28, 2027, at the Hilton West Palm Beach in Florida.
To view the complete list of 2026 winners, visit the Brandon Hall Group Excellence Awards website.
About ScentAir
ScentAir® is a global leader in scent marketing. For more than 30 years, the company has helped organizations use fragrance to create memorable experiences, strengthen emotional connections and bring their brands to life. ScentAir provides innovative scent solutions for commercial and home environments around the world. Learn more at ScentAir.com.
About ELEVATE Academy
ELEVATE Academy is ScentAir's CEO-sponsored, 12-month global leadership system connecting employee innovation, leadership development and enterprise execution. The program integrates the company's annual Innovation Contest with cross-functional Capstone initiatives, enabling emerging leaders across ScentAir's regions and functions to advance strategic ideas while developing leadership capabilities through real business work. The result is a repeatable leadership system designed to scale globally, turning employee innovation into enterprise execution while strengthening leadership readiness across the organization.
About Brandon Hall Group
Brandon Hall Group is an HCM research and advisory firm that has empowered excellence in organizations globally through research and tools for more than 20 years. Its areas of expertise include learning and leadership development, talent management and acquisition, and HR and workforce management.
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SOURCE ScentAir
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