Sparq, the AI-accelerated solution engineering partner built to re-engineer the systems businesses run on, today announced that CTO Derek Perry has been named a winner in the 2026 Artificial Intelligence Excellence Awards. Presented by the Business Intelligence Group, the award recognizes organizations, products, teams and individuals that are applying AI in ways that drive real, measurable impact. Perry was honored with an individual award in the Software category, recognized for driving measurable results from putting AI into production.

"The gap between experimenting with AI and making it work in production is still where most companies get stuck," said Perry. "Closing that gap means building systems that can handle complexities of the real world and still deliver results. That's the work we care about at Sparq, and it's an honor to see it recognized."

Sparq's approach to AI is grounded in creating measurable impact in the systems that run operationally complex businesses, with recent launches reflecting that focus. The Sparq Intelligence Studio embeds decision-ready intelligence directly into operational workflows, enabling organizations to move from fragmented data and delayed insights to real-time, governed actions inside the systems they already rely on. Alongside this, The Shop serves as Sparq's working floor for AI, where solutions are built, stress-tested and refined under production-like conditions to understand how they perform under real constraints before reaching clients.

The 2026 Artificial Intelligence Excellence Awards honored achievement across a broad range of industries and use cases, with winners spanning dozens of industries and multiple countries. Entries were evaluated by a panel of experienced judges drawn from leading global organizations across technology, finance and enterprise sectors, reinforcing the rigor and credibility of the selection process.

"AI has arrived! 2026 is about execution, accountability, and results," said Russ Fordyce, Chief Recognition Officer at Business Intelligence Group. "Derek stood out because his work in software reflects where the market is headed: practical AI that solves real problems, earns trust, and delivers measurable value. This recognition highlights a team that is not just participating in the AI shift, but helping define what meaningful progress looks like."