Toshiba America Business Solutions Vice President of Solutions and Outbound Marketing Kerstin Woods is one of five finalists for the LA Times Studios Orange County Executive Leadership Award in the Chief Marketing Officer category.

The LA Times Studios Orange County Executive Leadership Award recognizes the best and brightest in Orange County, California, who make a difference in the region's business world. All finalists and honorees encompass the spirit of being effective leaders, while demonstrating resilience, growth and wisdom within their respective fields.

Upon accepting a marketing leadership position at Toshiba in June 2019, Woods has notched numerous accomplishments for her company and herself. She has led multiple profitable product launches while defining and introducing new product categories for Toshiba, as well as launching the organization's popular cloud platform, which enables organizations to enhance their print productivity and digital automation across the Americas.

By successfully directing Toshiba's 2023 LEAD Beyond client and reseller conference, her organization earned the Gold Stevie Award for Best Brand Engagement Event. This Gold Stevie is awarded to events that drive customer engagement to a brand, build great customer relationships and have a strong post-event impact.

For her marketing excellence at Toshiba, Woods won the Stevie Award for Female Executive of the Year. She is also an ENX Magazine Difference Maker, The Cannata Report Woman Influencer and heads up the company's AI Task Force.

To share her love of STEM and to encourage the next generation of engineers through experience-based education, Woods serves on the executive committee within the board of directors for Ocean Institute, a Southern California nonprofit providing firsthand STEM education to 13,000-plus students a year. She also conducts admissions interviews on behalf of Stanford University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions as a member of the university's alumni ambassador program.

Woods additionally directed Toshiba's first-ever industry-wide giveback while raising more than $20,000 for Orangewood Foundation, a Southern California nonprofit helping foster youth transition into adulthood.

"Kerstin is truly a dynamic and formidable leader for Toshiba," said Larry Weiss, president and CEO, Toshiba America Business Solutions. "While a brilliant marketer, she profoundly impacts all levels and departments of our organization.  Kerstin is also a powerful advocate for many worthy causes in our community."

In other news, Toshiba America Business Solutions' Corporate Communications Lead Rick Havacko is one of five national finalists for a PRNEWS People of the Year Award.

PRNEWS selected its People of the Year finalists from a record-breaking number of entrants and upon evaluation by more than 200 judges from across the PR and communications industry.

The 2025 People of the Year Awards will be celebrated at the Platinum PR Awards Gala on Oct. 7 at Pier Sixty in New York City, New York. Widely recognized as the biggest night in PR, the gala will convene more than 450 industry leaders, top brands and powerhouse agencies to honor the campaigns and professionals who defined the year in communications.

"Each of our People of the Year honorees has made an indelible mark on the communications field," said Kaylee Hultgren, content director, PRNEWS. "From breaking new ground in strategy to championing meaningful change, Rick Havacko and all other honorees reflect the ingenuity and excellence that define our industry at its best."

Havacko is an accomplished public relations professional who delivers measurable and industry-differentiating impact for Toshiba while managing the company's communications program. Providing consistent, high-quality and timely news to local, national, trade media and market analysts, he enables Toshiba to remain at the forefront within the B2B technology space.

Havacko's efforts result in Toshiba consistently besting its competition in key metrics (per Cision) throughout the United States, Latin America and Brazil. His story placements for Toshiba, its products and people appear in such notable outlets as CNBC, U.S. News & World Report, Fox Business Network, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Morning Brew, CIO, Los Angeles Times, Orange County Business Journal and Washington Post.

He is also a recipient of the Gold Stevie Award in The 2024 International Business Awards for Communications Professional of the Year as well as a national finalist for Ragan Communications and PR Daily Media Relations Professional of the Year.

"Rick's latest recognition is a powerful testament to his continued excellence in delivering strategic, high-impact PR results that strengthen our brand's presence in a competitive landscape," Woods said. "His ability to secure top-tier visibility and foster lasting credibility across B2B markets is unmatched. We're thrilled to see his contributions honored once again and look forward to celebrating even more of his success."

A supporter of worthy causes, Havacko enjoys volunteering for charities, particularly Breakthrough T1D, the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes research. He is also an admirer of the great outdoors and enjoys playing in Austin, Texas, sand volleyball, soccer and softball leagues.