Cobalt Award, Records and Information Management, RIM

Previous Cobalt Award Winners

2010 - Procter & Gamble!

The winner of the ARMA International Cobalt Award was announced during ARMA International’s 55th Annual Conference and Expo in San Francisco. P&G takes this year's award, created to recognize the shift – and its resulting advantages – when an organization becomes focused on proper records and information management at a foundational, organizational level.

After Procter & Gamble was selected as a finalist, a member of the judging panel spent a day on-site interviewing 7 people at all levels of the organization. They found strong commitment to information management throughout the organization, solid executive-level support and buy-in, and a commitment to ongoing training.

A special thank you to the judging panel for the 2010 award:

Kevin Joerling, CRM, Perceptive Software
Brent Gatewood, CRM, PelliGroup

2009 - Prudential Financial

The winner of the ARMA International Cobalt Award was announced during ARMA International’s 54th Annual Conference and Expo in Orlando. Prudential Financial takes this year's award, created to recognize the shift – and its resulting advantages – when an organization becomes focused on proper records and information management at a foundational, organizational level.

After the initial application process, our judges spent nine hours on site, interviewing 12 Prudential employees at all levels of the organization before awarding them the prestigious ARMA International Cobalt Award. Hear their story in the podcast series, listed below!

A special thank you to the judging panel for the 2009 award:

Rae Lynn Haliday, CRM, St. Louis Zoo
Thomas Wilson, CRM, Pier 1 Imports
Todd Knowles, J.D., Shook, Hardy & Bacon, LLP

Advice from the source.
Listen to a special interview series with 2009 winners, Prudential Financial. This special series walks through Prudential's experience in applying for the award, their recommendations for future applicants, and a behind-the-scenes look into their program. You can also watch their presentation video here.

2008 - New York Life Insurance Company

New York Life, as well as all applicants, underwent a thorough judging process that included a 120+ question application which looks for clear indicators of top management support, organization-wide collaboration, solid records management practices, integrated and effective technology use, well-defined training programs for all staff, and appropriate risk management and compliance measures.

As one of three finalists, New York Life was visited by a cross-functional team of information management experts during an onsite interview. The judging panel found strong commitment to information management throughout the organization, solid executive-level support and buy-in, a commitment to ongoing training, and outstanding use of information security best practices and technological considerations. As winners of ARMA International’s Cobalt Award, New York Life Insurance Company is the first to symbolize excellence in today’s leading business practices.

A special thank you to the judging panel for the 2008 award:

Julie Gable, CDIA,CRM,FAI, President, Gable Consulting
Diane Walker, CRM, RIM Director, Dynegy, Inc
Jeffrey Ritter, CEO, Waters Edge
Bill Millican, Director of Professional Resources & Information Technology, ARMA International
Chris Plagnol, CRM, Records Manager, Metro Vancouver

Advice from the source.
Listen to a special 5-part interview series with 2008 winners, New York Life Insurance Company. This special series covers the bases between New York Life's experience in applying for the award, their recommendations for future applicants, and a behind-the-scenes look into information management at New York Life.

About information management and New York Life .
View the video provided by New York Life Insurance Company that was played during the award presentation at the 2008 ARMA International Conference & Expo. The video describes New York Life's journey through records management, as well as insight and acceptance speeches from key executives.