Seventh Annual Gala Award Ceremony Held during the Unitech Systems Conference
Naperville, Ill. – May 21, 2002 – Five category winners and one overall winner of the 2001 Excellence in Information Integrity Award were announced and honored at a gala banquet held at the Adler Planetarium and Space Museum in Chicago on Tuesday, May 13, 2002. Sponsored by Unitech Systems, Inc., the presentation ceremony for this prestigious award was held in conjunction with the annual Unitech Systems Conference.
The Excellence in Information Integrity Award recognizes organizations that have demonstrated exceptional progress toward achieving Information Integrity as measured in five key areas: Leadership, Innovation, Quality Improvements, Improved Customer Satisfaction and Profitability. A distinguished, independent panel of judges examines all nomination and award applications to determine the award recipients:
"The 2001 awards marked the first time presentations were made in each of the five award criteria categories, in addition to an overall winner," says Madhavan Nayar, Unitech Systems' founder and company leader. "We congratulate each of these well-deserving award recipients."
Past winners of the Excellence in Information Integrity Award include Acxiom Corporation, American Express, PNC Bank, M&T Bank, Bank of Nova Scotia and Sprint. In 2001, 19 companies applied for the award — the highest number of applications ever received. At the gala award banquet, winners received a custom-designed crystal trophy recognizing their accomplishments.
"The category winners' names were kept confidential until the award ceremony," says Madhavan Nayar. "The judging committee informed the overall winner ahead of time so that the company could share its valuable experience with conference attendees at the Unitech Systems Conference's general session the next day."
Award judges included J. Efrim Boritz, Ph.D., FCA, CISA, Ernst & Young professor of Accounting and head of the School of Accountancy Assurance, University of Waterloo, Canada; Cada Grove, district manager (retired) and consumer business process operations manager, AT&T; and Dr. Thomas C. Redman, president of Navesink Consulting Group.
Following the award presentations, Unitech presented Capt. James A. Lovell, Jr., commander of Apollo 13, as guest speaker. Capt. Lovell's dynamic recounting of his unique experiences in the space program, the importance of good information and communication beyond the technology, and planning for the movie Apollo 13, captivated guests. The extended, standing ovation spoke volumes.
About the Award: the Excellence in Information Integrity Award recognizes individuals, teams or enterprises that demonstrate exceptional progress toward achieving Information Integrity. Unitech Systems, Inc., proudly sponsors the Excellence in Information Integrity Award. Companies rely on accurate information to make critical business decisions. An organization's strategic initiatives should include the absolute assurance of accurate, consistent and reliable information. This is the achievement of Information Integrity. Although achieving Information Integrity within an organization can be an integral part of the foundation for the long-term viability of any company, many organizations do not recognize the importance of Information Integrity or simply take it for granted. The Excellence in Information Integrity Award represents a unique opportunity for a company to show how its investment in Information Integrity produced a positive and sustained impact on the bottom line. This annual award program recognizes six winners that illustrate achievements in Quality, Leadership, Improved Customer Satisfaction, Innovation and Profitability. In addition, the panel of judges recognizes one overall recipient of the Excellence in Information Integrity Award.
About Unitech Systems: Unitech Systems, Inc., is a more than 20-year-old, privately owned global software company dedicated to the Information Integrity business. Information errors can cost a business plenty. Unitech provides an Early Warning System that helps minimize these errors and their impact on a business and its customers. To date, more than 400 customers in the Global 2000 have experienced the value delivered by Unitech's solutions.
About TSYS: TSYS (NYSE: "TSS") ( www.tsys.com) brings integrity and innovation to the world of electronic payments. TSYS serves as the integral link between buyers and sellers in the rapidly evolving universe of electronic payments. With more than 229 million accounts on file, TSYS makes it possible for millions of consumers to use their credit, debit, stored value, commercial, smart and retail cards any time, anywhere through any medium or portal. TSYS and its family of companies offer a full range of acquiring and issuing services from accepting and settling electronic payments for goods and services to credit applications, bankruptcy and collections. Based in Columbus, Ga., TSYS serves companies in 19 countries, 14 currencies and 4 languages. TSYS maintains operations in Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Europe and is an 81.1-percent-owned subsidiary of Synovus (NYSE: "SNV") (www.synovus.com), No. 5 on FORTUNE magazine's list of "The 100 Best Companies To Work For" in 2002. For more information, contact news@tsys.com.
About Verizon: Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States, with 133.8 million access line equivalents and approximately 29.6 million wireless customers. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world. With more than $67 billion in annual revenues and nearly 248,000 employees, Verizon's global presence extends to more than 40 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.
About Postgirot: Postgirot Bank AB (publ) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Posten AB (publ). The Postgirot trade name is used synonymously with the legal name Postgirot Bank AB. Postgirot is a leading bank in the Swedish payments market. Postgirot has provided intermediary payment services since 1925. Banking operations started in 1994 in conjunction with the incorporation of Posten as a limited company. Most Swedish companies, organizations and private individuals have a business relationship with Postgirot via postgiro accounts or collaborating banks. It is the largest participant in the Swedish payments market, the fifth largest bank in Sweden in terms of total assets, and the leading Swedish market leader in payment mediation, serving 90 percent of all companies registered in Sweden. Visit http://www.postgirotbank.com.
About Nordea: Nordea is the largest financial services group in the Nordic region with approximately EUR 253 billion in total assets. A world-leading Internet banking and e-commerce operation with 3 million customers, it holds significant positions in Nordic banking markets: 40 per cent in Finland, 25 per cent in Denmark, 20 per cent in Sweden and 15 per cent in Norway. In addition, Nordea holds significant positions in Nordic insurance markets and has the largest customer base of any financial services group in the region. The company is a leading asset manager in the Nordic financial market with management of EUR 108 billion (including private banking). Nordea also maintains the most comprehensive distribution network in the region, including 1,245 bank branch offices, 125 insurance service centres and leading telephone banking and Internet services. More information can be found on its Web site at www.nordea.com.
About Certegy: Certegy Inc. (NYSE:CEY) provides credit, debit and merchant card processing, e-banking, check risk management and check cashing services to over 6,000 financial institutions, 117,000 retailers and 140 million customers worldwide. Headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia, Certegy maintains a strong global presence with operations in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Chile, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand. As a leading payment services provider, Certegy offers a comprehensive range of transaction processing services, check risk management solutions and integrated customer support programs that facilitate the exchange of business and consumer payments. Certegy generated $936 million in revenue in 2001. For more information on Certegy, please visit www.certegy.com.
About OneBeacon: OneBeacon, a Massachusetts-based property and casualty insurer, is a wholly owned subsidiary of White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd., of Hamilton, Bermuda (NYSE: WTM), whose principal executive offices are in White River Junction, Vermont. White Mountains is a Bermuda-domiciled financial services holding company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol WTM. Additional financial information and other items of interest are available at the Company's Web site located at www.whitemountains.com.
