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ARN Women in ICT Awards 2020: and the finalists are…

More than 110 individuals make the final shortlist in 2020

ARN is proud to announce the finalists of the 2020 Women in ICT Awards (WIICTA), playing host to the leading female front runners across the Australian channel.

More than 110 individuals made the final shortlist in 2020, representing more than 100 organisations in the most competitive line-up in the history of the awards.

This year has seen a record number of submissions across a range of categories, including Entrepreneur; Rising Star; Shining Star; Community; Technical and Achievement. 

As with last year, the awards were again expanded in recognition of the quality and volume of nominations, with both the Rising Star and Shining Star categories split to cover Partner; Vendor and Distributor awards, highlighting the depth of emerging and established talent in the Australian market.

Since launching in 2012, WIICTA has acknowledged the achievements of a talented group of female leaders and innovators who have become influential figures across the local ICT industry.

The finalist submissions were selected by a shortlist panel consisting of ARN Editor Leon Spencer and ARN Senior Journalist Julia Talevski.

The winners will now be selected by a panel of more than 40 industry judges, acknowledging the remarkable creativity, innovation and excellence on display.

This year’s ARN WIICTA winners will be revealed at a virtual event on Friday 20 November that will celebrate and recognise the female leaders of the local ICT industry and provide a platform to celebrate channel success in Australia.

ARN congratulates all finalists and thanks all organisations and individuals for taking the time to submit nominations.


ACHIEVEMENT

The Achievement award recognises the candidate showing outstanding commitment to the ICT industry through continuous career development and professional achievements. The candidate will have risen to a senior ICT role, earned a reputation as an esteemed thought-leader and is recognised as a leader in the industry, and may also act as a role model/mentor to other aspiring female managers.

  • Nicki Bowers - Arinco

  • Adele Pickering - centreRED

  • Alexandra Coates - Datacom

  • Kelly Drewett - Exposé

  • Chelsea Rossney - HP

  • Emily Rich - Microsoft

  • Rajitha Rajasingham - Oreta

  • Frederique Dennison - SixPivot

  • Nicki Dewhurst - Sophos

  • Salma Datenis - Sourced Group

  • Nevash Pillay - Telstra

  • Janet Docherty - Veeam


COMMUNITY

The Community award recognises the candidate with exemplary service within the ICT industry, through initiatives and efforts to foster positive diversity outcomes. This candidate will be actively making a difference by working towards the advancement of gender and general diversity within technology, going above and beyond to give back to the community.

  • Hannah Pearce - Arq Group

  • Courtney Carr - DXC Technology

  • Bernadeth Lucanas - Google

  • Rachael Williams - HP

  • Jade Moffat - IBM A/NZ

  • Tracey Naidoo - Insight

  • Karen Rosenkowitz - Lenovo Data Center Group

  • Beth Worrall - Microsoft

  • Sammy Herbert - SixPivot

  • Karen Drewitt - The Missing Link


ENTREPRENEUR

The Entrepreneur award recognises the candidate who has achieved outstanding results in the ICT industry and is an enterprising individual who has achieved success through risk-taking and proven initiative, often challenging the status quo in business in order to set up new ventures, products or new services.

  • Maria Padisetti - Digital Armour

  • Christina Price - Hewlett Packard Enterprise

  • Julia Sinton - Lenovo A/NZ

  • Laura Veness - Network Solutions Group

  • Rajitha Rajasingham - Oreta

  • Maryanne Demery - Seccom Global

  • Karen Giles - Syntech IT

  • Kath Blackham - VERSA Agency


Read more on the next page...

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INNOVATION

The Innovation award recognises the candidate who is a stand-out in delivering ‘big picture’ ideas and vision within the ICT industry, thereby responding to change and discovering unique and exciting business opportunities. This candidate has highlighted a proven track record of finding new and better ways of doing business, through continually pushing the envelope.

  • Kirstie Elderfield - ASI Solutions

  • Kellie King - Cleared

  • Beth Skurrie - DiUS

  • Nikita Dhami - DXC Technology

  • Anita D'Brass - NBN Co

  • Frederique Dennison - SixPivot

  • Emma Davidson - Tech Data

  • Maria Tsiaplis - Telstra

  • Deirdre Coetzee - The Missing Link

  • May Mun - Thomas Duryea Logicalis

  • Rose Herden - Veeam Software


TECHNICAL

The Technical award recognises the candidate who has excelled in the technical and engineering segment of the ICT industry, demonstrating a proven depth of knowledge and abilities. This candidate has demonstrated excellence in problem-solving and decision-making skills, backed by an exemplary level of accomplishment in job performance.

  • Sara van de Moosdijk - Amazon Web Services

  • Corine Liang - DiUS

  • Azadeh Khojandi - Microsoft

  • Wing-yan Louey - MNF Group

  • Pearlie Zhang - NEXTDC

  • Mitali Guruchal - Nutanix

  • Sarah Dewan - Secure Agility

  • Secil Yanik - Sophos

  • Leonie Visser - Telstra

  • Jyoti Sharma - Verizon Enterprise Solutions

  • Kim Crawshay - Vocus


RISING STAR

The Rising Star awards recognise candidates with less than eight years experience within the ICT industry, who demonstrate commitment to continuous career advancement with a proven desire to reach the next level of professional development. This candidate is fast growing in importance within the industry, through demonstrating outstanding business acumen and professional integrity.

RISING STAR - PARTNER

  • Amanda Milin - Arq Group

  • Rebecca Lowe - ASI Solutions

  • Rahwa Salew - blueAPACHE

  • Ayleshia Pillay - CustomTec

  • Victoria Whitmore - DDLS

  • Jennifer Ranson - DWM Solutions

  • Trisha Gidwani - DXC Technology

  • Nikki Mudge - eNerds

  • Sarah Loughlin - Insight Enterprises Australia

  • Jenessa O'Conell - KPMG Australia

  • Keely Thurecht - NTT Ltd.

  • Sharlie Raymond - Outcomex

  • Niamh Brady - Seccom Global

  • Maddie Rothwell - The Missing Link

  • Ashlee Richardson - Thomas Duryea Logicalis

  • Megan Stamatis - Veritec

RISING STAR - VENDOR

  • Dayana Vucic - 8x8

  • Emma Pezzimenti - Aussie Broadband

  • Lauren Young - Citrix

  • Chantell Cao - Cisco

  • Sarah Vodicka - CrowdStrike

  • Lauren Escalona - Datto, Inc.

  • Jessica Robinet - Lenovo A/NZ

  • Arabella Mason - Microsoft

  • Lucy Grigg - Mimecast

  • Katrina Fox - NBN Co

  • Charnelle Willis - Sophos

  • Pia Veloz - Telstra

  • Avipsa Padhi - Veeam Software

  • Nikki Saunders - Vocus

RISING STAR - DISTRIBUTOR

  • Sanya Turkalj - Arrow

  • Brooke Said - Comsol

  • Anna Christensen - Exclusive Networks

  • Gabe Marzano - NEXTGEN


Read more on the next page...

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SHINING STAR

The Shining Star awards recognise candidates with eight years or more experience within the ICT industry. This candidate will have recorded notable achievements during a successful career, evident through promotion or successful project/company initiatives.

SHINING STAR - PARTNER

  • Deirdre Stankard - Blackbook.ai

  • Renata Di Stefano - blueAPACHE

  • Hetal Dave - Bridged Group

  • Jeni Clift - DWM Solutions

  • Kelly Drewett - Exposé

  • Jessica Elton - First Focus IT

  • Karla Dwyer - Fujitsu Australia Limited

  • Smitha Anilkumar - NTT Ltd.

  • Megan Visser - Powernet IT Solutions

  • Anita Sheridan-Roddick - Seccom Global

  • Sarah Dewan - Secure Agility

  • Salma Datenis - Sourced Group

  • Jennifer Favelle - Tecala

  • Emily Curlewis - Veritec

  • Mathangi (Mathu) Shanmugam - Verizon Business

SHINING STAR - VENDOR

  • Corrie Briscoe - Amazon Web Services

  • Nikki Kovacevic - Aussie Broadband

  • Rebecca Bradburne - BlackBerry

  • Louise Bramston - Dell Technologies

  • Kia Lagopodis - Eaton

  • Kushal Chandran - HP

  • Sara Palmieri - Lenovo ANZ

  • Shiva Movahedi - Microsoft

  • Asher Tarren - NBN Co

  • Eileen Tan - Nintex

  • Rachel Willoughby - Nutanix

  • Patricia Polak - Telstra

  • Aggie Grom - Veeam Software

  • Renee Cathcart - VMware

SHINING STAR - DISTRIBUTOR

  • Kate Davis - Dicker Data

  • Angela Conlon - Exclusive Networks

  • Sally McIntosh - NEXTGEN

  • Michelle Clements - rhipe

  • Belinda Balchin - Westcon-Comstor

ARN congratulates all finalists and thanks all organisations and individuals for taking the time to submit nominations.