Tani Austin Honored with Prestigious 2026 Herizon Award
Starkey Vice Chair recognized for decades of humanitarian leadership and expanding access to hearing care worldwideStaff
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Tani Austin, Vice Chair of Starkey and Co-Founder of Starkey Hearing Foundation, has been named a 2026 Herizon Award honoree by the Business Intelligence Group in recognition of her leadership in advancing global hearing healthcare and creating lasting change in communities around the world.
For more than three decades, Tani Austin has helped bring hearing healthcare to people who might otherwise go without it. Through her global volunteer work she has helped more than one million people globally address hearing loss, championing an approach that combines access to hearing technology with education, professional training and sustainable, community-based care.
Tani Austin has helped transform hearing care into something deeply human: a pathway to stronger relationships, greater confidence, and a richer quality of life. Alongside her husband, Starkey Founder and Chairman Bill Austin, she has helped build a global model for developing hearing professionals in communities where access to care is limited. Starkey Hearing Institute programs in Zambia, the Philippines and El Salvador are preparing a new generation of professionals to deliver care in their own communities, creating opportunities for people to receive hearing services long after an initial outreach effort ends.
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Since the first Starkey Hearing Institute opened in Lusaka, Zambia, in 2016, the programs have graduated more than 200 students representing more than 17 countries. These graduates are helping address the shortage of hearing healthcare professionals in underserved regions and building local capacity to deliver care for generations to come.
“True impact is measured not only by the lives we touch today, but by what we make possible for generations to come,” said Brandon Sawalich, President and Chief Executive Officer of Starkey. “Tani has spent decades turning compassion into action, expanding access to hearing healthcare and empowering people and communities to change lives through service. Her vision has helped make hearing health a lasting part of Starkey’s purpose, and her influence reaches far beyond our company. This recognition reflects the extraordinary difference she continues to make around the world.”
As Vice Chair of Starkey, Tani Austin has also helped foster a culture grounded in caring, service and the belief that business can be a force for good. She has championed philanthropic initiatives and collaborations with organizations including Special Olympics and UNICEF, while her humanitarian work extends to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care through her service on the board of the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the Rocket Fund.
The Herizon Awards, presented by the Business Intelligence Group, recognize women whose leadership and innovation are transforming organizations, industries and communities. Tani Austin’s recognition celebrates a career defined by a belief that meaningful change begins with compassion and grows when people are equipped to carry that change forward.
SOURCE: Starkey
HearingTracker Staff