This year, WBJ received 205 nominations for 118 nominees for its 40 Under Forty awards.
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In order to pick the honorees for the 21st annual Worcester Business Journal 40 Under Forty Awards, WBJ opened the nomination period from October through May, where anyone could nominate a business leader, including self-nominations. This year, WBJ received 205 nominations for 118 nominees. The nominations were then sent to judges Melanie Bonsu, Christian McMahan and Emrah Ercan Cakir, who were selected for the role based on their expertise and background. The nominees with the highest cumulative judges’ score are vetted by WBJ staff to verify their eligibility, where they must work in Central Massachusetts, live in Massachusetts and be under 40 years old as of the day of the September awards ceremony. The highest-scoring eligible nominees then became the 40 Under Forty Class of 2020.
The 40 Under Forty Judges for 2020
Melanie Bonsu
Melanie Bonsu is the director of development and marketing/communications for the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts in Worcester, where she oversees all aspects of fundraising and communications for the largest girl-serving organization in Central and Western Massachusetts. Bonsu joined the Girl Scouts in 2012 with a focus on individual giving, corporate/foundation relations, events and alumnae. She’s increased funding in critical areas, including capital improvements, event revenue and funding the community-based programs bringing the Girl Scout Leadership Experience to more than 200 underserved girls every year. In 2017, Bonsu expanded her role and joined the senior leadership team when she took on establishing the new FunDMC department. Bonsu, the proud mother of two boys, has a passion for improving her hometown of Worcester, especially when it comes to children and marginalized groups. She is a member of the WBJ’s 40 Under Forty Class of 2015.
Christian McMahan
Christian McMahan is president of Wachusett Brewing Co. Founded in Westminster in 1994, Wachusett has grown to become the second largest packaging brewer in Massachusetts and was named one of the top 50 largest craft breweries in the U.S. in 2019.
Christian has more than 25 years of beverage industry experience including his work as chief marketing officer for Heineken USA and vice president of marketing for Diageo North America. Christian’s campaigns have earned top honors at Cannes, The Effies, Clios, and DA&D. He has been a pioneer in the digital and social media space in the beverage segment and has been profiled in ABC News, CNBC, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal.
McMahan is a graduate of UMasst Amherst and sits on the board of directors at Rettsyndrome.org.
Emrah E. Cakir
Emrah E. Cakir is the innovative senior enterprise data and analytics leader at Worcester insurer Fallon Health.
He was born close to the Russian border in the northeast region of Turkey and moved to the United States to attend the masters in business administration program at New York Institute of Technology.
After graduation, he moved around the country to fill various roles and first lived in Worcester from 2008 to 2010, as a consultant for Fallon Health.
He returned in 2013 to work full-time for Fallon and hasn’t left since.
He is a member of WBJ’s 40 Under Forty Class of 2019 and an alumnus of the Leadership Worcester training program. He volunteers on the boards of the Pakachoag Music School of Worcester and the EcoTarium’s 200th anniversary celebration committee. In May, he joined the EcoTarium board of trustees.
