Nomination Period Open for Excellence in Operations Award

PLANADVISER is pleased to open the nomination period for the 2026 Excellence in Operations award, looking for the retirement plan advisory firm leaders who “make the practices run” and support the advisers who are the faces at the forefront of the industry.

The Excellence in Operations recognition is for more senior, non-adviser operations staff. It complements the PLANADVISER awards that honor advisers, recognizing the vital personnel of an advisory practice—whether focusing on operations, data, investment analytics, provider management or some other piece of the business. After all, the Retirement Plan Advisers of the Year and the Top Retirement Plan Advisers don’t get to the top all by themselves!

Nominations for Excellence in Operations open in May. PLANADVISER vets the nominees in July, and the list-makers are announced in August. Anyone working with a person who shows Excellence in Operations qualities may nominate that person, and self-nomination is allowed.

The 2025 PLANADVISER Excellence in Operations award recipients get special recognition at the PLANADVISER 360 event in November. Additionally, the conference includes networking and educational opportunities specifically for this group of people.

You may preview the nomination form here.

The deadline for nominations is June 12, 2026.

If you have any questions, please email awards@issmediasolutions.com.

Check out our 2025 Excellence in Operations award winners!