Published on the 29/07/2021 | Written by Heather Wright

The Kiwi IT leaders and companies vying for honours…

Seven individuals and 16 organisations will be vying for top honours at the annual New Zealand CIO Awards next month.

The finalists for the annual awards, which celebrate innovation and success within New Zealand’s business IT sphere, cover a broad sweep of New Zealand life, from hardware stores and produce providers to New Zealand Parliament.

Mitre 10’s Phil Coster, Vodafone’s Andrew Haddad and New Zealand Parliament’s Robert Lockerd will go head to head for the coveted CIO of the Year award, won last year by Countdown’s Sally Copland.

“Many took the lessons they learned to create innovative business models and accelerate business transformation.”

Also in the running for individual awards are Fresh Direct NZ’s Avinash de Silva, Bob Kombora, previously with Overland Footwear and now at Vulcan , Coundown’s Taryn Olsen and rural broadband provider WombatNet’s Alex Stewart. All four will be vying for the Emerging ICT Leader award recognising talent under the age of 33.

Louise Francis, IDC New Zealand country manager and awards judge, says “As New Zealand organisations emerged from the turbulence of 2020 many took the lessons they learned to create innovative business models and accelerate business transformation programmes.

“The 2021 CIO Award finalists demonstrated not only leadership excellence their peers can aspire to, but also a commitment to contributing to the wellbeing of their employees, customers and communities.”

Technology hub RoboPā, the Greater Wellington Regional Council, Auckland Council, healthcare organisations Tu Ora Compass Health and healthAlliance, the Taka Trust, She Sharp, the Earthquake Commission and Auckland Airport are also among the finalists for the six awards.

A seventh, the Sharp-sponsored award for Outstanding Contribution to ICT in New Zealand, will also be presented to a high profile business person on the night.

Finalists will now face a video interview with the judges, who include John Holt, founder of TAINZ and co-founder of Kiwi Landing Pad; Mercury Energy general manager of Digital services Kevin Angland; BNZ CTO Paul Littlefair and Susan Paterson, independent director for the Reserve Bank of NZ, Electricity Authority and Eroad, among others.

The full list of finalists is:

CIO of the Year, for demonstrating innovation and success in the past 12 months that reinforces the transformational role of the CIO in supporting their company’s overall business strategy.

Sponsor: CompTIA

• Phil Coster, CIO, Mitre10
• Andrew Haddad, CIO, Vodafone
• Robert Lockerd, Chief Information Officer, New Zealand Parliament

Emerging ICT Leader recognising exceptional ICT talent by professionals under 33 years of age

Sponsor: 2degrees

• Avinash de Silva, Technology and Platforms Manager, Fresh Direct NZ
• Bob Kombora, IT Operations Manager, Overland Footwear Group (now at Vulcan)
• Taryn Olsen, Product Owner – Fulfilment, Countdown
• Alex Stewart, CEO and Founder, WombatNET

Community Tech Champions for outstanding initiatives with the goal of educating, exposing and engaging New Zealanders that have been previously underrepresented in the ICT sector.

Sponsor: Juniper Networks

• Greater Christchurch Schools’ Network
• IT Professionals
• RoboPā  – Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi
• She Sharp
• Te Awa Kairangi Access Trust (TAKA Trust)

Best ICT Team Culture recognising outstanding team culture within an organisation’s ICT team where fostering team culture, retaining and nurturing a diverse IT staff has created a competitive advantage for the entire organisation.

Sponsor: RWA Technology People

• Greater Wellington Regional Council
• healthAlliance
• Vocus

Business Transformation through Digital and ICT honouring the achievements of organisations that have successfully planned and executed a business transformation initiative or initiatives through the use of digital and disruptive technologies, producing a range of benefits for their organisation.

Sponsor: Clearpoint

• Auckland Airport
• Auckland Council
• Contact Energy
• Earthquake Commission
• Tu Ora, Compass Health

Sustainability through Technology honouring the achievements of organisations that have successfully planned and executed a sustainability initiative through the use of technology.

SPONSOR: Younity

• Future Fit (Auckland Council)
• Recycle A Device
• Westpac

Winners will be announced at the CIO Awards Gala Dinner on August 31, at Auckland’s Shed 10.