ARN unveils record-breaking number of finalists for new-look Women in ICT Awards

ARN is proud to announce the finalists of the new-look Women in ICT Awards (WIICTA), housing a record-breaking number of submissions in what will be the largest celebration of female excellence within the technology channel across Australia.

Representing the entire Australian ecosystem, 205 finalists (185 individuals and 20 companies) make the shortlist from a pool of 120 organisations and more than 340 nominations, spanning partner, telco, vendor and distributor businesses.

This marks a significant expansion in reach, support and market appeal, doubling a best effort of over 100 finalists in 2020 to position WIICTA as the leading technology awards program for gender diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the Australian channel.

Reflective of a diverse technology network - and a thriving channel community - over 70 partner companies are in the spotlight, in addition to more than 40 vendors and over five distributors.

Specific to partners, candidates range from large-scale consultancy giants and global system integrators (GSIs) to emerging start-ups in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney, alongside leading managed service providers, born-in-the-cloud players, specialist solution consultants and boutique digital agencies.

Aligned to the ARN approach of representing established and emerging partners in equal measure, this was the year that WIICTA went mainstream in the local channel.

Within this standout group of finalists, female leaders are located across the entire country spanning multiple states and territories, including New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory.

All career stages are in the spotlight from graduate-level entrants to well-established CEOs, in addition to inspiring entrepreneurs, creative thinkers and technical experts, as well as talent rising through the ranks and consistent high-performing individuals. This is also supported by both individual and company champions of D&I initiatives.

Collectively, WIICTA in 2021 stands tall as the leading forum for setting the industry benchmark for female achievement across Australia.

“This year WIICTA has generated a volume and calibre of nominees never been seen nor conceivable before,” said Cherry Yumul, vice president of Strategic Partnerships and Innovation at IDG. “This is an encouraging sign of a positive trend that gender diversity is high on the corporate agenda of more and more businesses in Australia.

“Not to tick a box or meet a quota but evidently to bring in alternative viewpoints for problem-solving and different leadership styles for competitive advantage, in turn delivering better returns.”

Shaped by the feedback of more than 50 leading female technology executives, WIICTA - now in its 10th year of running - will honour the channel across eight categories, spanning Innovation, Technical, Entrepreneur, Graduate, Rising Star, Shining Star, Achievement and D&I Champion (Company and Individual) awards.

The addition of a new Graduate category is designed to recognise standout candidates who have leveraged apprenticeship programs to start a career within the ICT industry, acknowledging the importance of encouraging young female talent to join the local technology sector.

Also new to the program is a D&I Champion category - spanning both Company and Individual awards - which represents a natural evolution of the long-standing Community honour. This is designed to recognise influential individuals who actively drive D&I initiatives outside of core day-to-day responsibilities, alongside pioneering organisations who have gone beyond surface-level commitments through the introduction of policies and programs to meet D&I goals.

“A decade ago, the industry never thought, let alone, spoke the words of 'diversity and inclusion’,” Yumul recalled. “Yet through our newly launched D&I Champion category we will - for the first time in our history - present a company award at WIICTA.

“We have been encouraged by the testimonials of how to sustain a business through formalised cultural shifts and are proud to chart the journey of technology companies meeting the diversity challenge head-on - there’s a movement underway in Australia which is fast gathering pace.

“And while it may be a common observation that women work more ‘around’ technology rather than ‘in’ technology, we are notably excited about the number of finalists in our Technical category, growing at a phenomenal 300 per cent.”

In response to a wealth of standout submissions, eight categories have been divided to best acknowledge and highlight the depth of female talent in the Australian market. Innovation, Graduate and D&I Champion (Company) will be segmented into two sub-categories spanning Partner and Vendor / Distributor awards. Meanwhile, Achievement and D&I Champion (Individual) will include two sub-categories of Partner and Vendor.

Specific to Rising Star and Shining Star, both will be divided into four sub-categories housing Partner (National), Partner (Multinational), Vendor and Distributor awards. National covers partners focused primarily on Australia - and New Zealand - markets while Multinational houses technology providers which also operate outside of the local industry at regional and global levels.

This is in addition to Technical which will be segmented into three sub-categories, spanning Partner (National), Partner (Multinational) and Vendor / Distributor.

This decision was made by the IDG shortlist panel consisting of Cherry Yumul (vice president of Strategic Partnerships and Innovation); James Henderson (Editorial Director) and Julia Talevski (Senior Journalist) with the aim of providing a foundation upon which a broader range of exceptional female candidates can be recognised.

In addition to honouring winners, ARN also holds wider responsibility for ensuring as many outstanding women are endorsed through this unique awards program, aligned to the collective goal of providing a platform upon which aspiring female talent can shine across Australia.

The winners will now be selected by an executive panel of more than 150 industry judges, acknowledging creativity, innovation and excellence.

Set for Tuesday 7 September, the winners will be announced at a celebration lunch at ICC Sydney. IDG applies COVID-safe conditions of entry to in-person event formats. For more information - click here.

Advancing women in tech

ARN has celebrated gender diversity and recognised female excellence across the Australian channel since first launching WIICTA in 2012, acknowledging the achievements of a talented group of female front runners who have become influential figures across the local industry.

This has been further supported by State of Gender Diversity in the Tech Channel, a new research initiative designed to examine D&I progress across the technology channel.

Launched in May, this in-depth survey will focus on the three core pillars of D&I, spanning Tech Industry, Workplace and Personal Experience.

In an industry-first for the channel, research is open to female, male and other gender identities, welcoming submissions from CEO to graduate levels across all company sizes, industry segments and locations. Questions are designed to be fielded by participants across different age groups, cultural backgrounds and job functions - spanning management, sales, operations, technical and marketing roles - irrespective of industry tenure.

The aim is to independently and confidentially source a range of perspectives industry-wide, aligned to the collective goal of moving the conversation forward in relation to D&I within the channel.

Spearheaded by IDG’s leading channel brands across Asia Pacific - ARN (Australia), Reseller News (New Zealand) and Channel Asia (Southeast Asia) - data will be segmented based on location, company type and job function, covering the core issues of gender pay, career progression and company support among others.

The launch of State of Gender Diversity in the Tech Channel represents a landmark moment in the industry, with IDG - as the world’s leading tech media, data and marketing services company - becoming the first independent outlet to open such dedicated research in Australia. Findings will be presented during the upcoming WIICTA event in Sydney.

ARN congratulates all finalists and thanks all organisations and individuals for taking the time to submit nominations. Finalists are listed below by name and organisation.

INNOVATION

This award recognises a creative-thinking candidate who is a standout in bringing innovation to life through a big picture and out-of-the-box approach to business. This individual is unrivalled at converting embryonic ideas into viable working solutions through a unique thought process designed to continually push the envelope.

Partner:

• Alexandra West - ASI Solutions
• Amanda Stenson - Barhead Solutions
• Adele Buchanan - CSO Group
• Yasmine Mendoza - Data#3
• Jodee Handley - Empired
• Sara Hakami - First Focus IT
• Jodie Korber - Lanrex
• Sharon Melamed - Matchboard
• Jane Nguyen - Pretzel Lab 
• Cassandra Kelsall - Publicis Sapient
• Elizabeth Salvage - Sourced Group

Vendor / Distributor:

• Grace Walker - Access4
• Minya Vasili - Arrow ECS ANZ
• Sarah Chaseling - Commvault
• Kassie Sheldon - Google Cloud
• Natalie Fry - Hewlett Packard Enterprise
• Christina Kernebone - IBM 
• Maggie Wang - Lenovo
• Tianji Dickens - Microsoft
• Michelle Liao - N-able
• Alexandra Fuller - Veeam Software
• Kathryn Chia - VMware
• Angela Bao - Vocus

Read more on the next page...

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TECHNICAL

This award recognises excellence in the form of technical and engineering expertise, honouring deep domain knowledge in relation to technology products, solutions and services. This candidate has provided business value through specialised skills and competence, spanning technical, pre-sales and support roles.

Partner (National):

• Emily Bone - ASG Group
• Kristy Bird - Brennan IT
• Roopa Venkatesh - Cevo
• Smita Longani - Data#3
• Corine Liang - DiUS
• Anushka Krishna - Empired
• Nicole Holmes - First Focus IT
• Laura Flynn - InfoTrust
• Melandie De Lange - Interactive
• Katrina Chapman - Sliced Tech
• Erika Orozco - Tecala 
• Aman Sidhu - The Missing Link

Partner (Multinational):

• Lisa Crosbie - Barhead Solutions
• Suesi Tran - Cognizant
• Jonine Ross - Deloitte
• May Mun - Logicalis
• Elissa Caligiuri - OnePlace Solutions 
• Ramneek Kaur - Publicis Sapient
• Andreia Maia - Slalom
• Asha Potla - Soprano Design

Vendor / Distributor:

• Vaishali Vijay - Google Cloud
• Romina Sharifpour - Amazon Web Services
• Elissa McCormick - Aruba Networks
• Ghazaleh Pour Sadrollah - Cisco
• Neha Joshi - Google Cloud
• Nirandika Wanigasekara - IBM
• Aaradhana Raval - Mimecast
• Harini Sudarshan - Ping Identity
• Tamara Harris - Procore
• Rose Herden - Veeam Software 
• Geetha Balasundaram - VMware
• Nilam Patel - Westcon-Comstor

ENTREPRENEUR

This award recognises an enterprising candidate with a risk-taking mentality, honouring excellence in launching new ventures, products or services. This individual has a proven background in building innovation from the ground up, evident through converting market-leading ideas into viable business offerings.

• Farzeen Quadir-Hegde - ASUS
• Linda Connolly - Azenix
• Christina Keing - Deloitte
• Emma Lo Russo - Digivizer
• Danielle Peate - Lenovo
• Gill Walker - Opsis
• Karen Giles - Syntech IT
• Angie Keeler - Zella DC

GRADUATE

This award recognises a standout graduate candidate who has leveraged apprenticeship programs to start a career within the ICT industry. Open to all roles and responsibilities, this individual has made an immediate and positive impact on the business through providing a fresh perspective and high levels of professionalism. This award is open to candidates involved in a graduate program between 2018-2021.

Partner:

• Pallavi Tanjavur - Adactin Group
• Julia Quach - Cognizant
• Emily Jensen - Data#3
• Jessica Odri - DigIO
• Ayesha Khokhar - Empired
• Neha Sangwan - Interactive
• Kayal Manamohan - Macquarie Cloud Services
• Vaibhavi Palan - Publicis Sapient
• Cathy Ropkhop - Slalom
• Michelle Leem - The Missing Link

Vendor / Distributor:

• Amelia Wright - Cisco
• Annabelle Devitt - Hewlett Packard Enterprise
• Brigitt Artesi - Lenovo
• Carla Christmas - Orca Technology
• Hayley Morris - Salesforce
• Sharmyn Kayani - VMware

RISING STAR

This award recognises a standout candidate rising up through the ranks within the ICT industry, acknowledging significant advancement during the early stages of her technology career. This individual is growing in stature and importance through demonstrating outstanding business acumen, deep market expertise and high levels of professional integrity. This award is open to candidates with eight years or less experience within the ICT industry.

Partner (National):

• Milly Collison - ASG Group
• Rahwa Salew - blueAPACHE
• Maria Wilkins - Brennan IT
• Xin Liang - Eliiza
• Nikki Mudge - eNerds
• Alison Walker - First Focus
• Regina Melamed - Linktech Australia 
• Rosy Lakin - Nexon Asia Pacific
• Josie Germanos - Oreta
• Sunny Andalebi - Outcomex
• Jemma Healy - Tecala 
• Maddie Rothwell - The Missing Link
• Megan Stamatis - Veritec

Partner (Multinational):

• Pearl Li Ng - Aurecon
• Joanne Chang - AvePoint
• Jasmin Eid - CrossPoint Technology Solutions
• Bianca Isaacson - Deloitte
• Molly Steer - LiveTiles
• Laura Azzopardi - Logicalis
• Claudia Finlay - NTT (now with Avanade)
• Sara Watkins - Sourced Group

Vendor:

• Ella Nguyen - Aruba Networks
• Melissa Horne - Aussie Broadband
• Angelina Liu - Barracuda 
• Josie Sielaff - Cisco
• Brearna Leopold - CrowdStrike
• Lauren Escalona - Datto
• Rika Schoening - Google Cloud
• Meryl Palma - Hosted Network
• Christie Chan - IBM
• Caroline Wiemann - Okta
• Natalie Karageuzian - Veeam Software
• Shannon Xingge Zhao - VMware

Distributor:

• Laura Martin - Arrow ECS ANZ
• Anna Christensen - Exclusive Networks
• Gabe Marzano - Nextgen Group

SHINING STAR

This award recognises an established candidate with a strong record of achievement, acknowledging excellence in spearheading company initiatives and driving strategic change. This individual is a consistent high performer who regularly achieves standout business results and continues to assume increased levels of seniority within the organisation. This award is open to candidates with eight years or more experience within the ICT industry.

Partner (National):

• Catie Gould - Allcom Networks
• Vania Collett - ASG Group
• Shantel Wilson - ASI Solutions
• Renata Di Stefano - blueAPACHE
• Kelly Griffith - Data#3
• Kellie Blackall - Empired
• Lizzi Long - Interactive
• Sue Vander - Jasco Consulting
• Alicia Payne - Lucid Software
• Sarah Dewan - Secure Agility
• Jennifer Favelle - Tecala 
• Melanie Fisher - The Citadel Group
• Hetal Dave - Trident
• Emily Curlewis - Veritec

Partner (Multinational):

• Amy Reynolds - APCD
• Deepti Kakkar Wadhwa - Cognizant
• Heather Reed - Insight
• Shamane Tan - Privasec 
• Angela Logan-Bell - Rackspace Technology
• Fatemah Beydoun - Secure Code Warrior
• Jane Beck - Slalom
• Sam Galappatti - SoftwareONE
• Salma Datenis - Sourced Group
• Desiree Kelly - Versent

Vendor:

• Davinia Simon - Amazon Web Services
• Catherine Lee - CrowdStrike
• Yvette McEnearney - LogMeIn
• Katrina Yon - HP
• Rocielle Barandino - Intel
• Alison O'Hare - Mimecast
• Amber Watson - Nutanix 
• Jenna Braunstein - Red Hat
• Orla Hanby - Rubrik
• Cynthia Halim - Snowflake 
• Sonia Chamberlain - Sophos
• Kerry Soussou - Veeam Software
• Megan Peters - Zscaler 

Distributor:

• Julie Malcolm - Arrow ECS ANZ
• Janpaula Gonzi - Dicker Data
• Tammy Vorster-Jones - Rhipe

ACHIEVEMENT

This award recognises a standout candidate who has delivered an unrivalled contribution to the ICT industry, evident through outstanding professional and personal achievements. This individual has earned a reputation as an esteemed thought leader following a distinguished career as both a business leader and role model for aspiring executives. This award is open to candidates with 25 years or more experience within the ICT industry.

Partner:

• Katherine Rossini - AC3
• Jennifer Maritz - Barhead Solutions
• Jane Livesey - Cognizant
• Trena Foote - Cube Networks
• Paula Fountain - Data#3
• Rose Dyson - DDLS
• Adrienne Maxted - Deloitte
• Melissa Lukianenko - Ignite Project Services
• Theresa Neate - Slalom

Vendor:

• Vanessa Sulikowski - Cisco
• Kelly Johnson - ESET
• Julie Barbieri - Hewlett Packard Enterprise
• Alissa Murray - HP
• Helen Silva - Nutanix
• Lisa Sim - Palo Alto Networks
• Rhonda Twohill - Poly
• Catherine Ballantyne - VMware

D&I CHAMPION – Company

This award recognises the standout company in driving D&I across all aspects of the business, spanning employees, customers and key stakeholders. This organisation has gone beyond a surface-level commitment through the introduction of policies and programs to meet D&I goals, evident through targeted initiatives, strong leadership and clearly defined deliverables. This award is open to all aspects of diversity and inclusion (gender, race, age, disability, sexual orientation etc).

Partner:

• Araza
• Capgemini
• InfoTrust
• Logicalis
• Powernet IT Solutions
• Sekuro (formerly Privasec)
• Secure Code Warrior
• Slalom

Vendor / Distributor:

• Aussie Broadband 
• Cisco 
• Dell Technologies
• Dicker Data
• Equinix
• Hewlett Packard Enterprise
• HP
• IBM
• Lenovo
• Microsoft
• Pegasystems
• VMware

D&I CHAMPION – Individual

This award recognises an influential individual who actively drives D&I initiatives beyond their current job responsibilities through mentoring and thought leadership across the ICT industry. This candidate acts as a role model for aspiring executives, cultivating diverse teams to drive change both internally and externally. This award is open to all aspects of diversity and inclusion (gender, race, age, disability, sexual orientation etc)

Partner:

• Jacinta Hargan - KPMG
• Tracy De Paolis - Novata Solutions
• Jane Headon - Publicis Sapient
• Leah Cerinich - Sourced Group

Vendor:

• Sophia Demetriades - 8x8
• Jane Bilsborough - Access4
• Seema Hyne - Cisco 
• Jade Meara - F5 Networks
• Karen Zhang - Google Cloud
• Simone Filetti - Hewlett Packard Enterprise
• Chelsea Rossney - HP 
• Rachel Bondi - Microsoft
• Erin Howell - Trend Micro

For more information regarding sponsorship opportunity or event details - click here.