IT leaders honoured at CIO Awards

Over 700 IT professionals attended annual CIO Awards in Auckland last night

Information technology (IT) has become so important that the CIO has come to be viewed as the key contributor to the success of many organisations.

At an event attended by over 700 IT professionals in Auckland last night, New Zealand’s outstanding industry leaders were recognised at the annual CIO Awards.

The prominence of the CIO position has risen greatly as information has become an increasingly important part of an organisation. This year’s recipient of the CIO of the Year award, sponsored by NetApp, was presented to Craig Soutar for his exceptional performance and leadership at New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA).

“Craig is a role model CIO and makes a significant contribution to the IT industry in NZ. He is a thought leader contributing to government initiatives, is on the ICT Council and is an active member of the CIO Forum as well fulfilling his duties as CIO of the NZ Transport Agency. He demonstrates leadership, innovation and strong influencing skills. He has delivered 120 projects over the last three years and the way he manages his IT portfolio shows a level of expertise that is world class,” noted the judges.

CIO of the Year Craig Soutar, with James Kennedy-Moffat, NetApp

New to the awards this year, Wellington-based Summer of Technology Incorporated, took out the Engaging Youth in ICT award for its internship programme that matches smart technology students with innovative New Zealand employers.

“Since 2006, Summer of Tech has helped create over 300 IT jobs in Wellington. Many Wellington tech employers see Summer of Tech as the go-to place to recruit graduates,” said the judges. The Emerging ICT Leader award, sponsored by Hays IT, recognises, celebrates and encourages the exceptional ICT talent of professionals under the age of 35 years. Chris Reid, general manager of IT at Hallenstein Glasson Holdings is this year’s winner for his leadership in developing the group digitisation of a multiplatform customer retail experience. “We are looking for the future leaders of the ICT sector in New Zealand; people who have demonstrated outstanding ICT initiative. Chris is a deserving winner of Emerging ICT Leader of the Year with his evangelistic approach to the Group Digitisation Strategy at Hallenstein Glasson,” said the judges.

The ANZ New Zealand team were awarded Executive Team of the Year, sponsored by ClearPoint, for strategic use of business technology throughout the implementation of the bank’s NZ Simplification (NZS) programme during a period of significant change in the banking industry.

“The award honours the exceptional teamwork of the ANZ New Zealand executive team in deploying a business technology initiative that has produced a range of benefits for the organisation and its customers,” said the judges.

Earlier in the month Rob Fyfe accepted the Lifetime Contribution to IT Award for transforming the customer interface during his tenure at Air New Zealand.

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