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