Excellence in Service: The 2026 Ayla Award Winners

Every year, we pause to recognize team members whose contributions go beyond what any job description could capture. The Ayla Excellence Awards are not about logging the most hours or closing the most tickets. It's about the kind of commitment that is hard to put into words, and yet unmistakable when you see it.

I'm fortunate to travel to our offices to make these announcements in person. There is something irreplaceable about being in the room. I get to watch a colleague's face when they realize the recognition is for them. I get to see the congratulatory messages ripple through the team in the minutes that follow. These moments remind me of what makes Ayla, Ayla.

This year's group of winners touched me in ways I didn't expect. One honoree quietly suggested that a peer deserved the award more than he did. Another was deep in the middle of helping a customer when the announcement was made, and he didn't even know he had won until the next day. A third was nominated not by a colleague, but by a customer, who reached out to me directly after a meeting and made a case I couldn't ignore. Each of these small details tells you something bigger: these are people who aren't performing for recognition. They're just that good, all the time.

Individually, these four represent everything Ayla aspires to be for its customers: creative, relentless, and generous with their expertise. Together, they remind me that the best results don't come from any one person. They come from the kind of culture where people like this choose to do their best work.

I couldn't be prouder to name them:

• Hawk Han — Manager, Shenzhen office and Firmware Development

• Srinivasa Rao Jasti — Manager, Professional Services, Bengaluru

• Arun Kalicherla — Engineer, Bengaluru

• Sunny Hu — Manager, DevOps, Taipei
  

Congratulations to each of them. And thank you, for the work you do every day, and for the example you set for all of us.