“At Ness, our people strategy is deeply intertwined with business outcomes” – CPO Elizabeth Rafferty on Ness winning ATD’s 2025 BEST Award

Global digital transformation company Ness Digital Engineering announced today that it’s been recognized with the 2025 BEST Award by the Association for Talent Development (ATD). 

Celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, ATD is a professional membership organization supporting leaders who develop the knowledge and skills of employees around the world. Its members are comprised of professionals who support one another in achieving their full potential by improving their knowledge, skills, and abilities in the workplace.

Ness was one of only 57 organizations worldwide to receive the recognition.

Said Ranjit Tinaikar, the company’s CEO, “Talent is at the heart of everything we do, and our continued success depends on empowering our people to grow with the evolving demands of the industry.” 

“This award is a proud reflection of the strong learning culture we’ve built at Ness Digital Engineering, one that prioritizes continuous development, curiosity, and future-readiness.”

The organization’s BEST Awards are one of the talent development industry’s most sought-after recognition, celebrating organizations that leverage talent development to drive enterprise-wide success.

According to a statement from the company, Ness’s talent development strategy is anchored in five pillars:

1. Digital Skills for Career & Customer Success: Certification programs in Data, Cloud, UI, Agile, DevOps, and Gen AI, along with graduate and partner initiatives, boost project success and career growth.
2. Internal Mobility through NessNext: Upskilling and rotating associates (18+ months) in collaboration with RMG and Delivery, fostering growth and bench strength.
3. Leadership Development: Programs like Ness Certified Engineering Lead, Gravitas, iLead, and ‘Data to Story’ build a strong internal leadership pipeline.
4. SkillNess Repository: Real-time skill profiling and updates enable efficient, targeted talent deployment and development.
5. Culture of Learning: Round tables, fireside chats, and the Tech Tribe drive contextual, high-impact learning—reflected in 94% of learner participation.

94% of the organization actively participated in learning in 2024.

Said Elizabeth Rafferty (article’s featured photo), Chief People Officer at Ness Digital Engineering, “At Ness, our people strategy is deeply intertwined with business outcomes. We’ve built learning pathways that are personalized, practical, and aligned with future skills. This recognition by ATD reaffirms our belief that when we invest in our people, we don’t just build better careers, we build a stronger, more resilient organization.”