Scrum Alliance just proved it’s not only teaching agile leadership—it’s living it. The non-profit, best known for championing agile and scrum methodologies worldwide, walked away with four Stevie® Awards at the 10th annual Stevie Awards for Great Employers, an international competition recognizing excellence in HR and workplace innovation.
The wins? A clean sweep across strategic leadership and organizational culture:
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People-Focused CEO – Tristan Boutros
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Outstanding Individual Contribution to HR – Taylor Kelly
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Achievement in Employee Engagement – Scrum Alliance
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Employer of the Year (Non-Profit/Government) – Scrum Alliance
If you’re wondering what sets Scrum Alliance apart in a sea of buzzwords like “engagement,” “empowerment,” and “belonging,” the answer might be as much about execution as it is about intention.
Agile Leadership—By Example
CEO Tristan Boutros, appointed in 2022, isn’t your average organizational figurehead. With a resume that includes digital transformation leadership at The New York Times, Warner Music Group, and Blackberry, Boutros brought a track record of modernization to Scrum Alliance. But what’s resonating here isn’t just tech-savvy credentials—it’s how he’s reshaped leadership to focus squarely on people.
“In a world where agile and scrum principles are sometimes seen as just frameworks or checklists, we embody them in how we lead, collaborate, and support one another,” said Boutros. The Stevie judges apparently agreed.
42 Points Up in 9 Months
That employee-first ethos gained serious momentum with the arrival of Taylor Kelly as Head of HR in April 2024. Her mandate: build a workplace that doesn’t just support employees—it recognizes and empowers them.
And the data backs it up. Scrum Alliance saw a 42-point spike in its employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) within just nine months. That kind of improvement isn’t a fluke—it’s the result of deliberate investments in people, recognition systems, and culture-focused strategy.
Kelly summed it up succinctly: “These awards reflect the deep care and intentionality our team brings to every part of the employee experience.”
Modeling Agility, Internally
While the organization continues to lead agile education for thousands of professionals around the globe, this recognition signals something more profound: Scrum Alliance is modeling the very values it advocates. After two years of rapid growth and renewed strategic focus, the non-profit’s internal transformation is catching up with its external mission.
Winning Employer of the Year is a headline-grabber on its own—but coupled with awards for leadership and employee engagement, it paints a picture of an organization with its values firmly aligned across the org chart.
Scrum Alliance’s big night at the Stevies also speaks to a wider industry shift. As hybrid work reshapes expectations, and employee sentiment becomes a competitive advantage, organizations are being judged not just by their products or services—but by how they treat their people.
