---
title: Doing the Hard Things the Human Way-Inside the Minds Turning Brands into Everyday Heroes
description: Explore how Global Brand Frontier Award winners blend human ingenuity, digital fluency and authentic leadership to foster real progress at work
author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2025-07-26T14:45:03.000Z
updated: 2026-02-26T22:05:24.576Z
canonical: https://richwoman.co/article/doing-the-hard-things-the-human-way-inside-the-minds-turning-brands-into-everyday-heroes
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/gf_kqxhu-py.jpg
categories: The Corner Office
content_type: Analysis
region: Singapore
publication: Rich Woman Magazine
---

Sarah from DBS Bank was halfway through her coffee when she realised something odd. ‘We’d been trying to solve this customer problem for weeks,’ she told her colleague, ‘and then someone from the payments team just walked over and said, “What if we did it this way?”‘ That casual conversation at their Singapore office turned into one of the 500 customer journey projects where DBS employees pitch solutions directly to senior staff. Simple moments like these – not boardroom presentations or fancy strategies – are what’s actually making some of the world’s biggest brands work better than ever.

The [Global Brand Frontier Awards 2025](https://www.bostonbrandmedia.com) just recognised companies where this kind of everyday problem-solving happens most naturally. With fewer than 2% of reviewed brands earning recognition, these weren’t chosen for their polished marketing campaigns or impressive revenue figures. Instead, the judges – data scientists, consultants and economists – spent time actually talking to the people who work there.

## The Humans Behind the Wins

‘The 2025 awards reflect a major change in what leadership means – resilience, digital fluency and human-centred AI are no longer add-ons. They’re prerequisites,’ says Shivakumar, President and CEO at Boston Brand Research & Media. What makes this year different is how the winning companies have figured out that the most sophisticated technology only works when real people know how to use it properly.

The judging process involved more than spreadsheets and financial reports. Teams conducted [stakeholder interviews and peer evaluations](https://sloanreview.mit.edu/case-study/redefining-performance-management-at-dbs-bank/), trying to understand what it actually feels like to work at these places. They used proprietary scorecards, yes, but also asked employees about their worst Tuesday and their best Friday. The results paint a picture of workplaces where curiosity isn’t just encouraged – it’s essential.

Take the team at Canva, where about a quarter of employees work as ‘remoties’ – fully remote workers who probably know their colleagues’ coffee orders better than some people know their next-door neighbours. When COVID-19 first hit, many companies scrambled to figure out remote work. Canva’s people had already been experimenting with [visual communication tools](https://www.canva.com/newsroom/news/evolving-hybrid-working/) and online team events. While others were still working out how to unmute themselves on video calls, Canva employees were using shared digital whiteboards to brainstorm ideas across time zones.

At Duolingo, the approach to workplace challenges is refreshingly straightforward. Their offices include [sensory relief spaces and mother’s rooms](https://americanbuildersquarterly.com/2024/sean-devlin-duolingo/) because someone noticed that people work better when they’re comfortable. Daily team lunches aren’t just about free food – they’re where engineers mention random ideas to language experts, who then collaborate with designers. The company’s quirky green owl mascot might be famous, but it’s the daily problem-solving conversations that keep the app working for millions of learners worldwide.

State Farm’s customer service representatives deal with people having genuinely stressful days – car accidents, house fires, medical emergencies. The company equipped them with [AI-powered virtual assistants](https://jobs.statefarm.com/main/career-areas/customer-service-careers) that can process claims faster, but the real win is how employees use that extra time. Instead of rushing through calls, they can actually listen to what customers need. One representative mentioned how the AI handles the paperwork while she focuses on reassuring a family whose basement flooded – exactly the kind of human touch that technology should enable, not replace.

This kind of [supportive team culture](https://richwoman.co/article/where-empathy-begins-the-human-factor-behind-healthcare) shows up across different industries. AXA took a different approach to the same challenge. Their [AXA Secure GPT platform](https://www.microsoft.com/en/customers/story/1760377839901581759-axa-gie-azure-insurance-en-france) gives all 140,000 employees access to AI tools, but with proper safeguards. Claims processors can now spend less time on routine fraud checks and more time helping customers navigate confusing policy details. The technology handles the tedious bits while people handle the conversations that actually matter.

### Learning from Anywhere

The education winners show how adaptability works in practice. Duolingo and Coursera didn’t just put courses online – they figured out how to make learning feel natural for people juggling work, family and everything else. Duolingo’s team realised that [five-minute learning sessions](https://vizologi.com/duolingo-fun-place-to-work/) work better than hour-long classes for most people. Coursera’s employees collaborate across different time zones to help students access courses regardless of their location or schedule.

## Beyond the Usual Suspects

What’s particularly interesting about this year’s winners is how many come from places that don’t usually grab headlines. In Senegal, [CBAO Groupe Attijariwafa Bank](https://www.attijariwafabank.com/en/international-subsidiaries/CBAO-Sénégal) serves nearly 400,000 clients across 88 branches using what they call ‘collective intelligence’ – basically, encouraging employees to share ideas across departments. Their 1,000+ staff members work together to solve problems that textbooks probably don’t cover, like helping small business owners access credit in rural areas.

Over in Egypt, [Banque Misr](https://banquemisr.com/en/Home/ABOUT-US/News/the-digital-banker-awards) won dual recognition for both social responsibility and technology. With over 20,000 employees across 800 branches, they’re managing to blend traditional banking relationships with digital tools. Their people aren’t just processing transactions – they’re helping customers navigate Egypt’s changing economy while learning new systems themselves.

Brunei Shell Petroleum’s recognition shows how companies in smaller markets can compete globally. Their teams work on everything from advanced drilling techniques to renewable energy projects, often collaborating with colleagues across different continents. The company’s approach emphasises [local expertise](https://richwoman.co/article/putting-heart-into-nail-care-how-ivy-garden-nails-became-saskatoon-s-favourite-salon) combined with global knowledge sharing.

## What the Judges Actually Looked For

The awards process itself reveals something important about how these companies actually work. Rather than just reviewing financial performance, the judges spent time understanding how decisions get made day-to-day. They looked at employee feedback, customer conversations and peer reviews. The [proprietary scorecards](https://sloanreview.mit.edu/case-study/redefining-performance-management-at-dbs-bank/) tracked things like output and customer experience, but the real insights came from talking to people about their actual work experiences.

The multi-dimensional assessment included everything from revenue growth to environmental compliance, but it also considered how well companies adapt when plans don’t work out. [Winners](https://richwoman.co/article/rich-monday-paper-how-to-win-business-awards) weren’t necessarily the ones with the smoothest operations – they were the ones whose people could figure out new approaches when old ones stopped making sense.

## A Shared Win

Behind every company name on the winners’ list are people who probably had no idea they were doing anything particularly special. They were just trying to solve problems, help customers and make their corner of the world work a bit better. The DBS employee who suggested a simple solution during a coffee break, the Canva ‘remotie’ who figured out how to keep team culture alive across time zones, the State Farm representative who uses AI to spend more time actually helping people – these aren’t corporate superheroes. They’re just people who stayed curious about how things could work better.

The [Global Brand Frontier Awards](https://www.bostonbrandmedia.com) recognise something that’s easy to forget in all the talk about tech upgrades and AI: the best technology only works when it helps real people do meaningful work. The companies that figured this out aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets or the fanciest offices. They’re the ones where someone can still have a good idea over coffee and see it turn into something that actually helps.

The awards span over 60 countries and every major industry, but the common thread isn’t geography or sector – it’s that curiosity and practical problem-solving that happens when people feel supported enough to try new things. This kind of [authentic leadership](https://richwoman.co/article/the-ripple-effect-of-authentic-leadership-how-one-woman-s-vision-sparked-the-path-to-self-mas) creates environments where [confidence grows naturally](https://richwoman.co/article/finding-your-voice-the-women-and-men-who-discovered-confidence-when-left-self-doubt-behind). Whether it’s a bank in Singapore, a design platform with global users or a language app that makes learning feel like a game, success comes down to the same basic elements: trust, small smart decisions and just enough nerve to see what happens next.

The real story behind these awards isn’t about companies at all – it’s about the [people who create cultures](https://richwoman.co/article/the-heartbeat-behind-treeline-how-company-positive-culture-helps-people-and-clients-thrive) where good ideas can actually happen. And that’s something worth [celebrating over coffee](https://richwoman.co/article/uk-crowned-best-hub-for-entrepreneurs-what-this-means-for-uk-s-economic-future).

This kind of [relationship-first approach](https://richwoman.co/article/success-is-not-accidental-the-real-people-behind-hub-affiliations-big-night) is effective in the competitive affiliate marketing landscape.