Cortell Australia and CorPlan New Zealand have won the Transformational SaaS Application Award for Asia Pacific at the 2026 IBM Partner Plus Awards. The award was announced during an IBM keynote in Boston.
The businesses were recognised for their work with IBM Planning Analytics, a software platform for planning, budgeting, forecasting and reporting. The award honours partners in the region that deliver results for clients using IBM technology.
Operating as CorTell in Australia and CorPlan in New Zealand, the group was founded by Matthew Hill and Nick Potts in the late 1990s. After initially serving clients from Australia, it opened a New Zealand office in 2020. Since then, it has worked with public sector, private sector and not-for-profit organisations on both sides of the Tasman.
According to the announcement, the businesses were selected from hundreds of entries worldwide. IBM Planning Analytics uses IBM's TM1 database engine and is designed to replace spreadsheet-based processes with a centralised data environment for financial and operational information.
The award follows a recent milestone for the New Zealand arm, which attained IBM Platinum Partner status, the highest tier in the IBM Partner Plus programme. That placed CorPlan among IBM's top-ranked partners and reflected its focus on Planning Analytics and Watson applications in the Australia and New Zealand market.
Nick Potts described the latest recognition as an important moment for the business.
"This validates our commitment to pushing the boundaries of what's possible with IBM technology. Recognition at a global forum like Think 2026 underscores the strengths of our solutions and our team's customer-centric approach and focus on driving real, measurable outcomes for our clients," said Potts, Director and Owner, Cortell Australia.
Matthew Hill said the award also reflected the company's decision to align closely with IBM's data and artificial intelligence products.
"This award is a fantastic affirmation of our decision to align closely with IBM's Data and AI stack. For our clients, it reinforces their choice to partner with us as they transition to becoming AI-first enterprises. It's not just about the technology; it's about providing the expertise that allows organisations to navigate complex planning cycles with confidence and speed," said Hill, Co-Founder and Director, CorPlan New Zealand.
IBM's local leadership has also backed the company's standing in the partner network. Mark Payne, IBM NZ Partner Executive, previously commented on CorPlan's progress after it reached Platinum Partner status.
"Over the years, CorPlan has consistently demonstrated a high level of technical excellence, customer focus, and strategic alignment with IBM's vision. These qualities clearly reflect the standards expected of a Platinum Partner, and we've seen CorPlan's team repeatedly prove its capability to deliver successful outcomes across complex projects, leveraging IBM technologies to create measurable value for clients," said Payne.