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ARN unveils finalists as Women in ICT Awards hits new heights

Mirroring the entire local ecosystem, 230 finalists make the shortlist from a pool of over 148 organisations and more than 390 nominations, spanning partner, telco, vendor and distributor businesses

ARN is proud to announce finalists of the Women in ICT Awards (WIICTA) in 2023, underpinned by record-breaking representation as female accomplishment and achievement hits new heights.

Mirroring the entire local ecosystem, 230 finalists make the shortlist from a pool of over 148 organisations and more than 390 nominations, spanning partner, telco, vendor and distributor businesses.

In 2023, WIICTA will house the largest celebration of female excellence within the technology channel across Australia -- surpassing a record-breaking finalists haul in 2022 by more than 20 per cent.

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 2023 stands tall as the leading forum for setting the industry benchmark for female achievement across Australia, honouring the channel across eight categories, spanning Innovation, Technical, Entrepreneur, Graduate, Rising Star, Shining Star, Achievement and D&I Champion (Company and Individual) awards.

In response to a wealth of standout submissions, specific categories have been divided to best acknowledge and highlight the depth of female talent in the Australian market.

The winners will now be selected by an executive panel of more than 170 industry judges, acknowledging creativity, innovation and excellence.

Set for Thursday 25 May, the winners will be announced at an in-person celebration lunch at ICC in Sydney. 

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.

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:

  • Amanda Stenson - Barhead Solutions 
  •  Rachael Waters - Best Technology Services
  •  Vicky Andrews - Business Aspect
  •  Jessica Mansur - Deloitte
  •  Stephanie Gray - InfoTrust
  •  Kate Raulings - Logicalis 
  •  Pauline Thomas - Macquarie Cloud Services
  •  Daphne Dominic - MobileCorp
  •  Sanya Turkalj - Sourced Group

Vendor:

  • Carmen Lyons - BlackLine
  • Julie Bateman - Dynatrace
  • Julie Zheng - Google Cloud
  • Felicity Purdham - HPE
  • Yvonne Patze - Lenovo
  • Crystal Jordan - NextDC
  • Gabe Marzano - Palo Alto Networks
  • Amy Badger - Salesforce
  • Jenana Roper - Schneider Electric
  • Carly Rees - Vocus

Distributor:

  • Kristal Wheeler - Comstor
  • Meenakshi Jaglan - Dicker Data
  • Deanna Jenkins - Exclusive Networks
  • Louise Bristow - Nextgen oSpace
  • Crystal Ting - Pax8

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:

  • Jayanthi Saravanan - Adactin Group
  • Samantha Scott - Aginic
  • Ramandeep Kaur - Brennan
  • Karen Irawan - Cevo
  • Karuna Goel - Data#3
  • Galit Jona - Delta Insights
  • Ritu Sandhu - Interactive
  • Tracey Paine - Macquarie Cloud Services
  • Jen Goeldner - Optus
  • Amila Elcic - Sekuro 
  • Jolene Yu - Sourced Group
  • Chryssie Ta - TribeTech
  • Samantha Lear  - Verizon

Vendor / Distributor:

  • Parisa Safari Nejad - Cisco Meraki
  • Merita Geer - Crayon
  • Jana Dekanovska - CrowdStrike
  • Aruna Kolluru - Dell Technologies
  • Catherine Wang - Google Cloud
  • Elissa McCormick - HPE
  • Kristy Comrie - Ingram Micro
  • Amy Pendergast - Intel
  • Deepika Mahankali - Microsoft
  • Pearlie Zhang - NextDC
  • April George - Okta
  • Loreto Gutierrez - Salesforce
  • Minmin Du - VMware 


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.

  • Natalia Scheidegger - 3rdmill
  • Sarah-Jane Peterschlingmann - ATech
  • Sandra Arena - Cube Networks
  • Joanne Spencer - D6 Consulting
  • Debra Phillips - Lenovo 
  • Regina Melamed - Linktech Australia
  • Hannah Browne - Midnyte City
  • Anna Acopian - MobileCorp
  • Melina Musumeci - RingCentral
  • 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.

Partner:

  • Parminder Brar - Adactin Group
  • Camila Carvalho - Aginic
  • Karuna Macha - Altis Consulting
  • Anna Van der Peet - Araza
  • Kerry Argiriou - Blue Connections IT
  • Jordan Roberts - Deloitte
  • Isabelle Peskett - DigIO
  • Meghana Bommena - Katana1
  • Madi Wheatley - KPMG
  • Sarah Buckle - Linktech
  • Charlotte Ross - ONGC Systems
  • Jacqui Lillyman - Slalom
  • Chenuli Abeywardena - Tecala

Vendor:

  • Emily Turner - Access4
  • Caitlin Fitzgerald-Carter - Cisco
  • Namira Adani - EngageRM
  • Ella Grier - Google Cloud
  • Sabriina Costa - HPE
  • Bonita Rui - Microsoft
  • Angel Lee - NetApp
  • Jaimee Hanich - Rackspace Technology
  • Alice Tran - Salesforce
  • Alexia Bayyouk - SAP
  • Vanessa Washaya - Schneider Electric 
  • Sheril Jose Sao - VMware


RISING STAR

This award recognises a standout candidate rising 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 10 years or less experience within the ICT industry.

Partner (National):

  • Jessica Leong - A Corp Computers
  • Emily Davidson - Advance Computing
  • Amanda Fajerman - Barhead Solutions
  • Maria Cordova - Brennan
  • Tayla Kennedy - Centorrino Technologies
  • Zoe Potter - Cevo
  • Vanessa Kong - CMD Solutions
  • Madeline Stewart-Teh - Cyconsol
  • Neha Mehta - Data#3
  • Madeleine Mirkovic - First Focus
  • Natasha Gregory - Green Light Worldwide
  • Lisa Laing - Katana1
  • Kayal Manamohan - Macquarie Cloud Services
  • Farhana Dawood - Orro Group
  • Justine Olivier - OutcomeX
  • Rhiannon Kenyon - The Missing Link 

Partner (Multinational):

  • Aina Musaeva - KPMG
  • Erandhi Mendis - Kyndryl
  • Devi Anggraini - Logicalis
  • Luci Setoue - Lumify Group
  • Holly Young - Riley
  • Mia Symonds - Sekuro
  • Lucy Easter - Slalom 
  • Amanda Sam - Sourced Group

Vendor:

  • Ryo Suda - Cisco
  • Sarah Jarman - Darktrace
  • Tina Tran - Google Cloud
  • Jessica Stark - GoTo
  • Karina Rozengurt - HP Inc.
  • Bridget Maritz - HPE
  • Meryl Palma - Hosted Network
  • Sarah Harding - Kaseya/Datto
  • Michela Clavenzani - N-Able
  • Lisa Lin - NBN
  • Belinda Barron - NextDC
  • Vanessa Cremona - Rackspace Technology
  • Chelsea Paisley - Qualtrics
  • Anjali Tom - VMware
  • Mia Guo - WatchGuard Technologies

Distributor:

  • Carla Lapid - Arrow ECS 
  • Minya Vasili - Exclusive Networks
  • Lisli Laanemets - Nextgen Group
  • Caroline Jacob - Tech Data
  • Ishita Mathur - Wavelink
  • Laura-Rose Carbone - Westcon-Comstor
  • Lauren Pinkney - Pax8

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 between 11-20 years’ experience within the ICT industry.

Partner (National):

  • Angel Chan - Aginic
  • Estelle Ivory - Atturra
  • Renata Di Stefano - BlueApache
  • Juzel Pantaleon - Cevo
  • Amanda Toogood - Data#3
  • Donna Grugan - Interactive
  • Jarize Loyola - Katana1
  • Michelle Lewis - MobileCorp
  • Nadine Lindsay - ONGC Systems
  • Lisa Papli - Somerville Group
  • Chanel Leigh - Secure Agility

Partner (Multinational):

  • Deepti Kakkar Wadhwa - Cognizant
  • Poppy Salerno - Datacom
  • Jessica Field - Insight Enterprises
  • Jaya De Silva - Sekuro
  • Krystal Allen - Slalom
  • Salma Datenis - Sourced Group

Vendor:

  • Alyssa Blackburn - Avepoint
  • Natalie Barrett - Dynatrace
  • Rose Salazar - HPE
  • Emma O'Sullivan - Lenovo
  • Daniella Mathews - Microsoft 
  • Susan Mo - OpenText
  • Anne Tran - Palo Alto Networks
  • Harini Sudarshan - Ping Identity
  • Linda Motherwell - Pure Storage
  • Varsha Kajrolkar - Rackspace Technology
  • Justine Nowitz - Salesforce
  • Ashley Allen - Zoom

Distributor:

  • Andrea Aguila - Arrow ECS
  • Juleen Chuah - Crayon
  • Shelly Sharma - Dicker Data


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 21 years or more experience within the ICT industry.

Partner:

  • Sheeza Shakeel - Accenture
  • Anne Drebing - Blue Connections IT
  • Tash Macknish - Data#3
  • Lesley French - Insight Enterprises
  • Helen Stefanis - Interactive
  • Cathy Heaney - Kyndryl
  • Joanna Kennedy - Linktech Australia
  • Lisa Fortey - Logicalis Australia
  • Erin Mikan - Macquarie Cloud Services
  • Sarah Dewan - Secure Agility

Vendor:

  • Cindy Schwartz - AWS
  • Kathryn Porter - Cisco
  • Angela Walker - Dynabook
  • Angela Coronica - Google Cloud
  • Yvette McEnearney - GoTo
  • Julie Barbieri - HPE
  • Karen Law - Lenovo
  • Katie Scott - Microsoft
  • Monique Hyndman - Nutanix 
  • Janet Docherty - Palo Alto Networks
  • Jenna Braunstein - Red Hat
  • Diana Tucker - Salesforce
  • Astrid Groves - Schneider Electric
  • LuLu Shiraz - Vertiv
  • Sally Creber - VMware

Distributor:

  • Robyn Elmes - Arrow ECS
  • Kate McGorman - Crayon
  • Clare Zeynoun - Ingram Micro
  • Lauren Matlin - Multimedia Technology
  • Veronica Kruse - Nextgen Group


D&I CHAMPION – Company

This award recognises the standout company in driving diversity and inclusion (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:

  • Altis Consulting
  • InfoTrust
  • Insight Enterprises
  • Kyndryl
  • Linktech Australia
  • Logicalis 
  • Orro Group
  • OutcomeX
  • Patient Zero

Vendor / Distributor:

  • Arrow ECS
  • Cisco
  • Dicker Data
  • HPE
  • Lenovo
  • NetApp
  • Nextgen Group
  • VMware 




D&I CHAMPION – Individual

This award recognises an influential individual who actively drives diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiatives 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:

  • Emma Gin - Accenture
  • Larissa Lefevre - Atturra
  • Cassandra Eastham - Blue Connections IT
  • Niamh McPherson - Deloitte
  • Ffrances Lawes - InfoTrust
  • Michelle Pallas - KPMG
  • Tanur Parira - Logicalis
  • Demelza Green - Patient Zero
  • Tenille Windsor - Truis

Vendor / Distributor:

  • Daniela Figueiredo - Arrow ECS
  • Kim Gascoigne - Cisco
  • Rika Schoening - Google Cloud
  • Pia Rueda - Lenovo ANZ
  • Sinead Fitzgerald - Microsoft
  • Sally McIntosh - Nextgen Group
  • Sharon McManus - Rackspace Technology
  • Eloise Lloyd - Salesforce
  • Zeena Skelly - Tech Data
  • Nbeela Shauab - Veeam 

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