ARLINGTON, Va. On October 13th, / CNW / -- Info - Tech Research Group announced the winners of the 2026 Info - Tech Awards award. This year, a total of 68 recipients from around the world were honored for their achievements in IT leadership, innovation, and organizational performance.
The annual award program recognizes organizational innovation through the "Annual Innovator" category and individual leadership through four different "Annual Leader" categories: Women's Leadership IT, IT Transformation, IT Excellence, and IT Influence. The evaluation process is based on diagnostic data, nomination forms, and interviews, with each category having its own set of selection criteria.
Info - Tech Research Group Chief Global Services Officer Hannes Scheidegger stated: "When leaders of IT clearly create value for other business departments, they earn credibility. This may mean better services, more efficient operations, or solving long-standing problems in new ways. This year's Info - Tech Awards winners demonstrated the leadership and execution required to drive these improvements, and we are proud to recognize their achievements."
Info - Tech Awards focuses on the successes and impacts achieved by organizations of various sizes, industries, and operating environments. The project includes a North American division for large and corporate organizations in North America, as well as small and medium-sized organizations, and also includes a global division for winners outside of North America. This year's winners reflect the international influence of this award, as well as the contributions of IT leaders and teams in public and private sector organizations.
2026 Info - Tech Awards Winners
The winners of 2026 come from various industries, including healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, higher education, as well as government and public service sectors. Their awards recognize technological projects that address business challenges, measurable improvements in IT processes and stakeholder satisfaction, as well as leadership efforts that have promoted women's entry into the tech field.
In the five award categories, the winners demonstrated how effective IT leadership promotes organizational performance and drives the continuous evolution of this profession.
2026 Innovator Awards
The Annual Innovator Award recognizes organizations that have addressed business challenges through technology-driven initiatives, improved efficiency, and set new standards for innovation. The winners for 2026 include:
- North America – Large and Corporate Departments
- First Student (United States)
- Durham Regional Municipal Authorities (Canada)
- General Dynamics Mission Systems (United States)
- Minnesota State Government – Minnesota Department of Human Services (United States)
- New York Life Insurance Company (United States)
- North America – Small and Medium-Sized Departments
- Whatfix (United States)
- Vituity (United States)
- tZERO (United States)
- Datamotive (United States)
- Forte Group (United States)
- Global
- ECH Inc. (Asia-Pacific)
- Lewis Silkin (Europe, Middle East, and Africa)
- CTM360 (Europe, Middle East, and Africa)
- South East Water (Asia-Pacific)
2026 Women Leading IT Award
Women lead the IT award to recognize those women who demonstrate innovative, inclusive leadership and mentorship within organizations and across a broader industry, helping to shape the next generation of leaders. This year's winners are as follows:
- North America – Large and Corporate Departments
- Alisha Garrett, Chief Corporate Strategy Officer of Utah Department of Transportation (USA)
- Priya Nair, Aspen Tech (a company under Emerson) Customer Support and Training Manager (USA)
- Priya Udeshi, MongoDB IT PMO Senior Director and Chief of Staff (United States)
- Hina Gandhi, Cisco Software Engineering Technical Leader (United States)
- Anh Selissen, Chief Information Officer of the Texas Department of Transportation (United States)
- Robin Alexander, Mattel Vice President of Global Technology Organizations (United States)
- Sarah Vlasic, Vice President of Corporate Data and AI Labor Productivity (USA), Vertex
- Andrea Savage, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield Person in charge of data strategy implementation (United States)
- Dawn Borent, Manulife Retirement and Technical Transformation Leader (Canada)
- North America – Small and Medium-Sized Departments
- Ann Mengelson - Clark, Kuvare Chief Information and Technology Officer (United States)
- Karen D ' Am Token Issuance, DeVry University IT Director (USA)'
- Deborah Duran, Data Science Advisor and Director at the National Institutes of Health (United States)
- Lisa Faison, Goodyear Chief Information Officers (United States)
- Jaya Srinivasan, M Financial Group Chief Information Security Officer (United States)
- Global
- Neena Goel, Vice President of Comviva Group – DPO (Asia-Pacific)
- Radhika Chennakeshavula, Sil Token Issuance, Labs Chief Information Officer (Asia-Pacific)
- Kerrie Woods, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Director of Clinical Informatics Portfolio Development (Europe, Middle East, and Africa)
- Nthabiseng Mosupye, Rand Water Chief Information and Technology Officer (Europe, Middle East, and Africa)
- Liubov Shchigoleva, Qualtir Chief Operating Officer (Asia-Pacific)
2026 IT Transformation Award
IT The Transformation Award recognizes leaders who have implemented strategic measures consistent with organizational goals and utilized Info-Tech's CIO Playbook to achieve measurable results. The winners for 2026 include:
- North America
- Sherif Youssef, Cathay Bank Vice President of Enterprise Architecture (USA)
- David Blum, United Wheels Chief Information Officer (United States)
- Chris LeLeux, Colorado Springs Utilities Chief Information Officer / IT General Manager (USA)
- Guillermo Garcia, TMEIC Vice President of Information Technology (USA)
- George McNulty, Chief Business Technology Officer for Minnesota Medical Assistance, Minnesota State Government (United States)
- Robert Sprinkle, Deputy Chief Information Officer of Florida State University (United States)
- John Burris, Southeastern Louisiana University Chief Information Officer (United States)
- Global
- Alex Bazin, Lewis Silkin Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer (Europe, Middle East, and Africa)
2026 IT Excellence Award
IT The Excellence Award recognizes leaders who, within the IT Management and Governance Diagnostic of Info-Tech, have made measurable improvements in process and operational efficiency between two evaluations. The winners for 2026 are:
- North America – Large and Corporate Departments
- Daniel Christenson, Kubota Tractor Corporation IT Director of Infrastructure (United States)
- Dr. Monique Sendze, Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer at California State University, Chico (United States)
- Medhanie Tekeste, Brampton Chief Information Officers (Canada)
- Pierre - Luc Simard, Premier Tech Vice President of Information Technology (Canada)
- North America – Small and Medium-Sized Departments
- Chad Ulland, Minnkota Power Cooperative Senior Manager of Information Technology and Enterprise Cybersecurity (USA)
- Jassi Kaur, Yorkville University Chief Information Officer (Canada)
- Ronald McKenzie, Fort Lauderdale Chief Information Officer of Municipal Information Technology Services / IT Director (United States)
- Eddie Huebsch, Chickasaw Nation Industries, Inc. Senior Manager of Business Solutions (USA)
- Abdoul Kabaou, Chief Information Officer of Little Stone City (USA)
- Global
- Josh Bovell, Chief Information Officer of a Private Company (Asia-Pacific)
- Esteban Remecz, Maxion Wheels Chief Information Officer, Vice President of Information Technology and Digitalization (Europe, Middle East, and Africa)
- Nikunj Mandlas, Chief Information Officer of the South Australia Department of Child Protection (Asia-Pacific)
- Barry Wiech, Hastings Deering Chief Digital and Information Officer (Asia-Pacific)
- Mark Bancroft, the person in charge of R-token issuance Australia IT (Asia-Pacific)
2026 IT Influence Award
The following leaders have been recognized for their achievements in this category:
- North America – Large and Corporate Departments
- AJ Grande, Suns Legacy Partners Senior Corporate Technology Director (USA)
- Marlen Bogan, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Chief Technology Officer (USA) Office
- Behzad Zamanian, Chief Information Officer of Washoe County in Nevada (United States)
- North America – Small and Medium-Sized Departments
- Andrew Harsha, MSD Lawrence Township Chief Technology Officer (United States)
- Suzanne Barnes, Chief Information Officer of the American Mathematical Society (United States)
- Clayton von Helf , Palm Desert City Information System Manager (USA)
- Troy Cole, Director of Information Technology, Montgomery County Virginia (United States)
- Jason Frame, Southern Nevada Health District Chief Information Officer (United States)
- Global
- Sean Carritt, Infrastructure NSW Chief Information Officer (Asia-Pacific)
- Artwell Bernard, Chief Information Officer of the Bank of Jamaica (Latin America)
- Nick Garland, HUB24 Limited Group Technical General Manager (Asia-Pacific)
- Sarah S. Alamri, Arab National Bank IT Senior Officials in Strategy and Innovation (Europe, Middle East, and Africa)
- Jacob Johnson, Settlement Services International Limited Technical and Digitalization Leader (Asia-Pacific)
For more information about Info - Tech Awards and the complete list of winners, please visit the 2026 Info - Tech Awards page.
For inquiries regarding this award program or the role of IT in leadership and continuous innovation, to schedule an interview, or to obtain comments from Info-Tech experts, please contact [ email protected ].
Regarding Info - Tech Research Group
Info - Tech Research Group is a "get things done" partner for over 30,000 IT, HR leaders, and marketing professionals worldwide. As the fastest-growing research and consulting firm, Info-Tech helps leaders make informed decisions and drive organizational transformation through artificial intelligence, strategic foresight, step-by-step methodologies, practical tools, and industry-leading consulting and training programs. For nearly 30 years, tens of thousands of public and private organizations have relied on Info-Tech during periods of change, leveraging its expertise to drive their most important initiatives and deliver truly significant results.
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