22 September 2025 | News
Image Courtesy: Public Domain
Kate McAfoose, P.E., President of Chang Robotics and Co-founder of Curabotics, has been honored as a Stevie® Award Finalist in two categories: Most Innovative Woman of the Year – Technology and Achievement in Technology Innovation, in the 22nd annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business.
The Stevie Awards for Women in Business honor the achievements of women executives, entrepreneurs, employees, and the organizations they run – worldwide. Nicknamed Stevie for the Greek word for “crowned,” the Stevie Award has been hailed as the world’s premier business award.
The awards will be presented at a gala event in New York City on Monday, November 10, where Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie placements from among the Finalists will be revealed.
More than 400 women and their guests from around the world are expected to attend the presentations, which will be broadcast live.
More than 1,500 entries from organizations and individuals in 48 nations and territories were submitted this year for consideration in categories such as Executive of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Company of the Year, Startup of the Year, Women Helping Women, and Women-run Workplace of the Year, among many others.
Kate McAfoose is a finalist for two awards in recognition of her key contributions to Chang Robotics in 2024. As president, she spearheaded the healthcare and robotics initiative that a top national hospital has adopted and is now expanding nationwide to tackle nurse burnout and turnover. At the heart of this initiative is the nurse assist-bot, a collaborative robot that delivers supplies, such as linens, medications, or suture kits, directly to nurses within 90 seconds when called via a mobile interface. This reduces repetitive tasks, allowing nursing staff to focus more on patient care. Drawing on her extensive technical engineering expertise and leadership skills, Kate guided this innovation from prototype to large-scale deployment. Her vision also led to the creation of Curabotics, a new company dedicated to advancing robotics and automation in healthcare, aiming to bring hospital systems into the age of automation.
“It's a tremendous honor to receive this recognition,” McAfoose said. “I'd like to extend my congratulations to all the winners this year, and I'm looking forward to working with as many of these outstanding executives as possible over the coming year and beyond.”
Finalists were determined based on the average scores of more than 190 business professionals worldwide, serving across seven judging committees. Their scores will also determine the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie placements.
Maggie Miller, president of the Stevie Awards, said, “Now in its 22nd year, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business attracted an exceptional range of nominations. We are continually inspired by how meaningful it is for women to receive a Stevie Award and the lasting impact it can have on their careers and organizations. We extend our congratulations to all of this year’s Finalists and look forward to announcing the final award placements on November 10.”
