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SoftwareOne’s AWS Ambassadors earn prestigious awards at the 2025 Global Summit of AWS Ambassadors

Su Kent
Su KentGlobal Content Marketing & Analyst Relations Lead
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This prestigious honor highlights Gokul’s and Maarten’s exceptional contributions, including their thought leadership, business impact, certifications and ongoing advocacy for AWS.

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We are proud to announce that SoftwareOne’s (formerly Crayon's) AWS Ambassadors, Gokul Bala and Maarten Bruntink have won awards at the seventh annual AWS Ambassadors Global Summit in Seattle last month.

Gokul had earlier won the Top Ambassador Award 2024 by being the #1 Ambassador from ASEAN region and has successfully retained the same this year by achieving the Top AWS Ambassador 2025. Similarly, Maarten has also retained his Golden Jacket by securing the Certification All-Star Award 2025.

Gokul’s efforts – such as his earlier AWS re:Invent Talk, AWS PartnerCast, AWS Webinar, and his recent AWS Blogs with Maarten on Cost Optimization, Data Platforms, and Migration Acceleration, have played a pivotal role in his technical contributions to the program. In addition, he has also actively contributed to the business by driving the build portion of SoftwareOnes’s AWS Strategic Collaboration Agreement over the past 18 months by helping achieve five competencies (GenAI, SaaS, CloudOps, Data & Analytics, Modernization) and three Service Delivery programs (RDS, RedShift, ECS) in addition to also creating close to 20 Foundational Technical Review (FTR) Validated Solution Offerings and Marketplace Listings for SoftwareOne.

Maarten has been recognized with the AWS Golden Jacket which is an exclusive award given by AWS to recognize individuals who have achieved all currently active AWS certifications. It's a symbol of dedication to AWS and the cloud computing field, representing the highest level of AWS certification achievement.

As SoftwareOne’s Global AWS Services and Solution Directors, Gokul and Maarten are SoftwareOne’s dedicated AWS Ambassadors and are part of an exclusive global community of AWS Ambassadors representing AWS Partners. These awards acknowledge not only their outstanding performance but also their deep expertise and commitment to advancing AWS proficiency within SoftwareOne and sharing insights with the wider community.

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The AWS Ambassador program

The AWS Ambassador program builds a community of AWS professionals within the AWS Partner community. AWS Ambassadors are considered an extension of the AWS partner team and are thought leaders in driving proficiency on the AWS cloud at their partner organizations. They possess fundamental AWS expertise and experience in supporting customers’ success with the AWS cloud. The program fosters sharing and collaboration among peers in the community and AWS.

An AWS Ambassador holds a business or technical leadership role at their organization. They are passionate about AWS and share their expertise internally through presentations, study groups, and workshops, and externally through public speaking, writing blog posts or white papers, publishing articles, and sharing content on social media. AWS Ambassadors are instrumental in steering partner competencies through various APN programs and AWS certifications, launching new opportunities, and developing offerings to support customers’ success on the AWS platform.

AWS Ambassador Global Summit

The AWS Ambassador Global Summit is an exclusive annual event held in Seattle, bringing together AWS Ambassadors to connect, learn, and exchange insights with AWS leaders and industry experts. The summit also helps shape the future of the AWS Partner Network (APN) by gathering valuable feedback. Attendees gain access to sessions led by top executives, service team members, technical specialists, and inspirational speakers.

Topics covered include vision, strategy, service features, planning, and roadmaps, with several roundtables organized to capture the voice of the partner. This summit offers Ambassadors the opportunity for exclusive sessions to engage in interactive discussions with AWS executives, service leaders, and industry experts, providing strategic insights into AWS vision, strategy, service features, roadmaps, and more.

Unlike re:Invent, which focuses on announcements and technical breakouts, the AWS Ambassador Global Summit fosters collaboration, ignites creativity, and celebrates outstanding achievements within this remarkable community.

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SoftwareOne is proud to be an AWS Premier Tier Services Partner with 20+ AWS competencies and partner programs and 1000+ AWS certifications. If you are modernizing on AWS, we have you covered – our team has the experience and skills to deliver your success.

SoftwareOne is proud to be an AWS Premier Tier Services Partner with 20+ AWS competencies and partner programs and 1000+ AWS certifications. If you are modernizing on AWS, we have you covered – our team has the experience and skills to deliver your success.

Author

Su Kent

Su Kent
Global Content Marketing & Analyst Relations Lead

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