Published on the 30/11/2022 | Written by Heather Wright
Peter Beck recognised with Outstanding Contribution at CIO Awards evening…
Alistair Vickers has taken out the top award of CIO of the Year at last night’s 2022 CIO Awards which also saw Peter Beck (pictured) honoured and ProCare Network, BNZ and Auckland Council among the night’s other winners.
Vickers, CIO for Tu Ora Compass Health, claimed top spot from fellow CIO of the Year finalists Quin Carver from WorkSafe NZ, Transpower’s Cobus Nel and Roxanne Salton from Southern Cross Health Society at a packed gala awards dinner at Christchurch’s new Te Pae conference venue last night.
The awards recognise strong and meaningful leadership, innovative and future-oriented approaches and strategic decision making, organisers IDC and Brightstar say.
“With the extraordinary talent, aspirations, and vision of these digital leaders, the future of digital excellence in Aotearoa is guaranteed.”
Vickers has led Tu Ora through a ‘major’ digital transformation, with complexity of multiple legacy applications and a complex system leaving the health organisation prone to cyber attacks, pre-transformation.
Awards were presented across seven categories, with IDC New Zealand country manager Louise Francis saying the winners and finalists had defied the challenges faced by local organisations in the past year, once again setting the stage for promotion of Aotearoa as a hotbed of innovation, inclusion and digital leadership.
Rocket Lab founder Beck received an award for Outstanding Contribution to Technology and Business for his work, including his promotion of New Zealand as a leading innovator on the world stage – and in space. His acceptance filmed from the site of the the company’s upcoming inaugural Electron launch from US soil was typically humble.
In the only other individual award of the night, Saba Samiei, founder and CEO of Macso and Comfort.AI was named Emerging ICT Leader of the Year. Both companies are focused on AI with Macso aiming to create an AI capable of replicating human sensors – Macso AI has been used to create sensors for early detection of respiratory illnesses in livestock – while Comfort.AI provides workshops to non-technical audiences to improve their confidence to introduce AI into businesses.
Desiree Suligan, automation capability lead for Tower Insurance and Simon Wilkinson, head of IT for Jones Family Business were also finalists for the Emerging ICT Leader award.
Healthcare services provider ProCare Network was also a winner, taking out the Business Transformation through Digital and IT category, beating out Auckland Council, Steel and Tube Holdings and Tonkin+Taylor.
Auckland Council bounced back to claim the Sustainability through Technology award, with Christchurch City Council and Computer Recycling finalists for the category.
In the Community Tech Champions category, values-led kaupapa-driven charitable trust and specialist bilingual education lab for STEMM (the last M is for matauranga Maori) Tonui Collab Charitable Trust took top spot from Christchurch City Council and Digital Future Aotearoa.
Tonui Collab has created STEMM learning experiences for more than 20,000 young people.
BNZ’s team culture saw it take out the award for Best ICT Team Culture and Inclusion, with Foodstuffs North Island, Selwyn District Council and Southern Cross Health Society also finalists in the category.
Francis says all of the winners and finalists have ‘shown their peers how to convert the titanic challenges we all face today into opportunities to thrive in the face of digital disruption’.
“With the extraordinary talent, aspirations, and vision of these digital leaders we have celebrated tonight, the future of digital excellence in Aotearoa is guaranteed.”
The full list of winners is:
New Zealand CIO of the Year 2022 – Sponsored by CompTIA
Winner: Alistair Vickers, Chief Information Officer, Tū Ora Compass Health
Finalists:
Quin Carver, WorkSafe NZ
Cobus Nel, Transpower
Roxanne Salton, Southern Cross Health Society
2022 Outstanding Contribution to Technology and Business in New Zealand – Sponsored by Sharp
Recipient – Peter Beck
Emerging ICT Leader of the Year – Sponsored by 2degrees
Winner: Saba Samiei, Founder and CEO Macso
Finalists: Desiree Suligan, Automation Capability Lead, Tower Insurance
Simon Wilkinson, Head of Information Technology, Jones Family Business (JFB)
Business Transformation through Digital and IT – Sponsored by ClearPoint
Winner: ProCare Network Limited
Finalists: Auckland Council
Steel and Tube Holdings Limited
Tonkin+Taylor
Community Tech Champions
Winner: Tōnui Collab Charitable Trust
Finalists: Christchurch City Council
Digital Future Aotearoa
Best ICT Team Culture and Inclusion – Sponsored by Juniper Networks
Winner: Bank of New Zealand (BNZ)
Finalists: Foodstuffs North Island
Selwyn District Council
Southern Cross Health Society
Sustainability through Technology – Sponsored by Younity
Winner:: Auckland Council
Finalists: Christchurch City Council
Computer Recycling Ltd
