The Deming Cup

The Deming Cup is an annual prize presented by the Deming Center at Columbia Business School to recognize a world leader who has made outstanding contributions in the area of operational excellence and has fostered the culture of continuous improvement in an organization.

The Judging Committe is led by Rob Amen '73, an executive in residence at the School and former CEO of International Flavors and Fragrances, and Paul O'Neill, former Secretary of the US Treasury and former director and chairman of Alcoa.


Judging Committee 2012:

  1. César Alierta Izuel '70, Chairman and CEO, Telefónica
  2. Rob Amen '73, Columbia Business School
  3. Kevin Burke '83, Chairman, President and CEO, Consolidated Edison
  4. John Church, SVP, Supply Chain, General Mills
  5. Tom Cole, Chief Administrative Officer, Macy’s
  6. Bruno Di Leo, SVP for Sales and Distribution, IBM Corporation
  7. John Dillon '71, Vice Chairman and Senior Managing Director, Evercore Partners
  8. Awi Federgruen, Columbia Business School
  9. Beth Ford '95, Chief Supply Chain & Operations Officer, Land O’Lakes, Inc.
  10. Nelson Fraiman '71, Columbia Business School
  11. Peter Gibbons, EVP, Global Supply Chain Operations, Starbucks Coffee Company
  12. Lynne Greene, Global Brand President of Clinique, Origins, and Ojon, Estée Lauder
  13. Thomas Groos '80, Chairman, Minimax-Viking
  14. Richard Jaffe '92, Managing Director, Stifel, Nicolaus & Co
  15. Jeffrey Keefer, Consultant to Chair & CEO, DuPont
  16. Klaus Kleinfeld, CEO, Alcoa
  17. Shelly Lazarus '70, Chairman, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide
  18. Sang Wan Lee, Executive Advisor to CEO, Samsung Electronics
  19. Nicolás Loaiza, Co-founder and CEO, Bodytech
  20. Sunil Mittal, Chairman and CEO, Bharti Enterprises
  21. David Niles '98, President, SSA & Co
  22. Bennett Nussbaum '71, SVP and CFO, Winn-Dixie
  23. Paul O’Neill, Former Secretary of the U.S. Treasury
  24. Janet Robinson, Former President and CEO, The New York Times Company
  25. Keith Sherin '91, Vice Chairman and CFO, General Electric
  26. S.D. Shibulal, Co-founder and COO, Infosys
  27. George Stalk, Senior Advisor and BCG Fellow, The Boston Consulting Group
  28. Burt Steinberg '70, Former President and Director, Dress Barn
  29. David Thurm, COO, The Art Institute of Chicago
  30. Carlo Tunioli, President, Benetton USA
  31. Garrett van Ryzin, Columbia Business School

Criteria and Eligibility Requirements

The Deming Cup is seeking individuals who led initiatives in continuous improvement and helped change the culture within their company/organization.

Nomination Criteria
  1. Global leader who has applied and demonstrated the Deming principles
  2. Organization that exhibits multidimensional excellence (for instance excellence in safety, environmental responsibility and a view towards inclusion)
  3. Organization known for continuous improvement.
  4. An organization that has increased in shareholder value over a sustained period of time due to organic growth
  5. An organization where operational excellence has made a decisive impact on the competitive position of the firm
  6. Evidence of a culture in which all stakeholders in the organization are treated with dignity and respect
  7. Leader who requires data driven analysis and has clear commitment to impactful training and skill development

The nomination can be self or third-party recommendation. The nominee must demonstrate his/her contribution in the achievements of operational excellence, through specific and measurable outcomes.

Individuals can only receive the award once and the nominee must be alive at the time of nomination.

Nominations will be received through June 15, 2012. To send an application click here.