SHIFT Named One of Top 30 Companies in the “Engineering Organization Branding Awards 2026”

SHIFT Inc. (“SHIFT,” headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan; Masaru Tange, CEO and Representative Director), a provider of business transformation services rooted in quality, today announced that it has been recognized as one of the top 30 companies in the “Developer Organization Branding Awards 2026.”

This award recognizes the top 30 companies highly rated by engineers for their strong engineering organization brands, based on the results of the “Engineering Organization Brand Survey 2026” conducted by the Japan CTO Association among 1,165 engineers. SHIFT ranked 29th in the survey.

[Comment from Ryusuke Ito, General Manager of Development Department, Development Division, SHIFT Inc.]
We are truly honored to receive such a prestigious award. Originating in software testing and quality assurance, SHIFT has expanded its business scope while partnering with customers throughout their system development projects. In a sense, we are, in many ways, a latecomer among system integrators.. Because we were latecomers, we were able to break free from conventional frameworks. Leveraging the data analysis, utilization capabilities, and systematization know-how built in the quality assurance field, we were quick to establish a development system predicated on human-AI collaboration. We are deeply honored to receive such high recognition for our entire engineering organization. We view this award not as a goal, but as a starting line for our engineering organization. Moving forward, we will continue to address the individual career paths and aspirations of our engineers, striving to build an environment where everyone can thrive as we pursue what an engineering organization should be in the AI era.

[“Developer Organization Branding Awards 2026” Overall Ranking]

・Announcement by the Japan CTO Association: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000057.000081310.html

[Key Initiatives in SHIFT’s Engineering Organization]
Building a Development Structure Based on Human-AI Collaboration to Pursue High Quality and Productivity
SHIFT has established its proprietary development standard, “SHIFT DQS (Development Quality Standard),” and quality assurance framework, “SQF (SHIFT Quality Framework),” to ensure highly reproducible quality independent of specific personnel or projects. By combining these frameworks with AI, SHIFT has realized a “human-AI collaborative development structure,” significantly boosting development productivity. These efforts extend beyond phase-specific development support to large-scale system overhauls, including core system modernization, delivering high-quality solutions across the entire development lifecycle.

・AI Modernization: https://contents.shiftinc.jp/modernization/
・AI Testing Solution “NEMURANAI”: https://contents.shiftinc.jp/nemuranai/

Technology-Neutral Approach and Active Alliance Initiatives
Maintaining a technology-neutral stance independent of specific vendors, SHIFT continuously selects and evaluates the latest optimal technologies for R&D and service development. Furthermore, through active alliance initiatives, SHIFT accelerates the rapid adoption and practical deployment of advanced technologies alongside diverse partner companies.

Learning and Career Support Empowering Autonomous Growth for Engineers
SHIFT continuously expands its learning programs and qualification support systems—including “SPARK,” a proprietary internal e-learning platform featuring around 180 courses for technical skill enhancement, and “Top Gun,” a career advancement program offering roughly 90 courses. These initiatives foster an environment where individual engineers can autonomously upgrade their technical skills and shape their career paths.

Active Knowledge Sharing and Technical Dissemination Internally and Externally
At SHIFT, more than 20 types of internal study sessions are held regularly, embedding a culture of sharing field insights across the entire organization. This culture of mutual learning extends to external technical dissemination—most notably through the “SHIFT Group Tech Blog,” which features over 540 authors and more than 2,700 total articles. SHIFT also actively supports external tech communities by offering event venues and providing speaker support for engineers, driving knowledge sharing across the entire industry.

・SHIFT Group Tech Blog: https://note.shiftinc.jp/

Recognition and Awards for Technical Excellence
SHIFT’s accumulated technical capabilities and proactive commitment to information sharing have earned high acclaim through various industry awards:

Received Best Speaker Award and Best Booth Award at Developers Boost 2025 Awards (Jan 2026)
https://www.shiftinc.jp/news/20260109_developers-boost-2025/

Total of 15 Selections Across 3 Categories, Including the Global “AWS Ambassador” Recognition (Jun 2026)
https://www.shiftinc.jp/news/20260625_aws_ambassador/

SHIFT Employee Named to Cisco Systems’ “Best Engineer 2026” (Aug 2026)
https://en.shiftinc.jp/news_en/20260806_cisco-best-engineer-2026/

SHIFT Receives the Special Award at the FY2025 Japan AWSome Business Leaders Award Organized by AWS(Aug 2026)
https://en.shiftinc.jp/news_en/20260908_aws_award/

[About the Japan CTO Association]
The Japan CTO Association is an organization dedicated to driving Japan’s transformation by sharing the insights and experiences of technology leaders with society, under its mission to “Make self-transformation through technology a standard in Japanese society.”

・Name: Japan CTO Association
・Established: September 2, 2019
・Representative Director: Masayuki Imamura
・Location: 609 Miyamasuzaka Building, 2-19-15 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
・URL: https://cto-a.org/