Coalition Rewards, operator and owner of among others the PINS coalition loyalty program, dominated in the Loyalty Awards ceremony in London, receiving 4 globally recognized awards, more than any other company this year. Its CEO Gabi Kool has been named as Industry Personality of the Year across the EMEA region. Gabi Kool is the first non-UK resident to receive this coveted award. 

Gabi Kool, Chief Executive Officer of Coalition Rewards, says: "PINS for the loyalty industry is becoming like Skype for the communications industry. PINS and Skype are great examples of strong brands developed in the Nordic markets, bringing together a new disruptive business model strengthened by innovative technology creating a truly global product. In the case of Skype the concept, brand and technology was developed at the time in Sweden and Estonia, taking on the large established telecom industry players by offering free VOIP services. In the case of PINS we have succeeded in developing a new business model from our home base in Finland and Latvia to change the global loyalty industry by creating the unique ‘shopper-flyer program' model, which combines the best elements of frequent flyer and retail coalition loyalty programs.

It is a great honor to be recognized as the Industry Personality of the Year. In the past decade many industry leaders have been trying to somehow bridge the gap between these two dominant loyalty models, but so far none had been able to find the right technology or business model to do so. Tonight's award is a wonderful way to receive the industry's recognition and acknowledgement of the contribution our team made in its own modest way to the evolution of our industry for the benefit of everyday consumers who are seeking a truly integrated loyalty card offering. Over the past few years we have been inspired by many of the world's leading brands while developing our own offering and we hope that PINS and the model it is based on will serve also as a great inspiration for others across the globe. PINS already has more than 700 partners, and it can be scaled to fit both large and small businesses across many different geographical markets.

Both PINS and Skype are driven by smart technologies, which ensure the adaptability, scalability and intuitive user experience. Moreover, both have been developed in innovative Nordic countries, with Skype eventually being acquired by software giant Microsoft."