iCIMS has announced the winners of its inaugural 2026 STAR (Strategic Talent Acquisition Recognition) Awards, recognizing global organizations and talent leaders for exceptional transformation in talent acquisition using the iCIMS platform. The awards highlight achievements in streamlining hiring processes, driving efficiency gains, leveraging AI thoughtfully, and elevating candidate experiences at scale.
Quick Intel
The iCIMS 2026 STAR Awards, drawn from nearly 100 global nominations, celebrate organizations that deliver measurable business impact through deep platform adoption and innovative talent strategies. Winners demonstrated excellence in efficiency, hiring performance, and candidate-centric experiences, with a strong emphasis on responsible AI integration and scalable outcomes.
"Now more than ever, the future of work depends on those who can turn hiring efficiency, process improvements, and AI technology adoption into business results," said Nikki Grigsby, chief customer officer at iCIMS. "Today's most exceptional talent acquisition leaders are shaping what's next by thoughtfully embedding AI and designing hiring experiences that put candidates first. The inaugural iCIMS STAR Award winners prove these capabilities aren't aspirational; they're achievable, essential and foundational to building resilient, high-performing organizations."
Leading the winners, Danny Rojas of The Container Store was honored as iCIMS STAR of the Year. His team transformed hiring for the specialty retailer's Custom Spaces division into a predictable, scalable engine using iCIMS centralization and automation, supporting 30% year-over-year headcount growth.
"iCIMS is the backbone of our talent acquisition ecosystem, helping us scale high-volume hiring with speed, consistency and a people-first experience," said Rojas.
In the AI Pioneer category, ATCC's Angela Biehl was recognized for integrating iCIMS AI with rigorous guardrails, human oversight, and compliance focus—eliminating external recruiting spend while enhancing fairness and candidate experience in a regulated biotech setting.
"Being named the AI Pioneer reflects the thoughtful way our team has integrated AI into hiring," said Biehl of ATCC. "In a highly regulated environment, we use AI with defined guardrails, human oversight and a focus on fairness and compliance. Partnering with iCIMS has enabled us to innovate responsibly, mitigate risk and continue improving the candidate experience."
Other category winners showcased industry-specific excellence. Expleo Group strengthened global employer branding through consistent, real-time candidate communications. Delaware North outperformed hospitality benchmarks in candidate quality. St. Luke's achieved strong conversion rates in healthcare hiring via iCIMS Candidate Experience Management (CXM). TDIndustries dramatically accelerated manufacturing hiring cycles.
Top finalists, or "Rising STARs," from H&R Block, Smile Brands, KEO International Consultants, and Johnson Financial Group demonstrated significant improvements such as over 50% faster candidate response times and application completion under five minutes.
These inaugural awards underscore iCIMS' role in empowering talent acquisition teams to achieve transformative results through its AI-powered platform, which enhances efficiency, reduces costs, and delivers exceptional experiences for candidates and recruiters worldwide.
About iCIMS, Inc.
iCIMS is a leading provider of talent acquisition technology that enables organizations everywhere to build winning workforces. For over 20 years, iCIMS has been at the forefront of talent acquisition transformation. iCIMS empowers thousands of organizations worldwide with the right tools to meet their evolving needs across the talent journey and drive business success. Its AI-powered hiring platform is designed to improve efficiency, cut recruiting costs and build exceptional experiences for candidates and recruiters.
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