Australia’s leading IT executives honoured at CIO50 2024 Awards

The winners of the CIO50 Awards 2024 have been unveiled at a gala awards ceremony in Sydney.

Australia’s most impactful technology leaders and their teams, along with the country’s leading cybersecurity executives, were honoured at the joint CIO50 and CSO30 Awards at the Shangri-La Hotel on Thursday night. 

Chief technology and innovation officer for Transport for NSW Kurt Brissett took out the CIO50 top spot.  Brissett has been leading the delivery of an AU$1bn portfolio of capital technology and digital initiatives in support of New South Wales’ largest-ever investment in transport infrastructure. Brissett and his team have been responsible for transforming the digital transport experience for its customers across NSW, including a number of firsts for Australia. A former army officer, Brissett is Chair of the Transport Veterans Board and has positioned Transport for NSW as an employer of choice for the Ex-Defence veteran community.

Ranked No. 2 in this year’s CIO50 list is Nicola Dorling, group chief information officer at Downer. Since stepping into her role, Dorling has successfully restructured the IT operating model and focused on AI-driven innovation to uplift safety performance through improved analysis and fault detection.

And coming in No. 3 on the 2024 CIO50 list is Gary Adler, chief digital officer at MinterEllison. Under Adler’s leadership, the company established an automation centre of excellence and implemented initiatives like the MinterEllison Digital Academy and Mintcoin, an internal cryptocurrency designed to incentivise participation in the firm’s digital learning and innovation programs.

The rest of the top 10 in the CIO50 included John Vohradsky of IRT Group, Senthu Jegadheesan of Pen CS, Alex Ji of New Aim, Eglantine Etiemble of PEXA, Bradley Blyth of Kmart, and Suzanne Hall of  Baptcare.

Meanwhile, emerging ICT leaders were recognised in the Next CIO category. This award recognises rising stars in ICT roles who are on the pathway to senior leadership. The Next CIO winner is as an individual who is exceeding expectations and helping drive innovation through their organisation.

The 2024 winner of the Next CIO Award was Carrie Hu, who was recently promoted to chief digital product officer at New Aim. Hu has played a leading role developing AirOxy, an AI-powered platform designed for ecommerce retailers and suppliers. The judges said she has demonstrated significant tangible results across multiple, industry-leading initiatives and strong leadership qualities, both internally and externally through her role as director of Inspiring Girls Australia.

Highly commended in the Next CIO category was Nick Porter, head of IT for Asia at JLL. The judges noted Porter’s customer-centric mindset and his broader business impact at JLL.

CIO50 Team of the Year Awards

Also on the night, four organisations were presented with Team of the Year awards, recognising technology teams that are building and sustaining great team cultures, growing their people, and working to deliver for their companies and customers. 

The Team of the Year: Customer Value category had four finalists Baptcare, City of Sydney, Ramsay Health, P&N Group, and Transport for NSW

This award recognises technology teams delivering increased levels of customer value and experience through a refreshed approach to user engagement. Customer Value can span new projects, solutions and initiatives, in addition to processes, business models and operations. 

The Team of the Year – Customer Value award went to Ramsay Health for their new digital platform that is significantly enhancing the experience of patients. The solution is part of Ramsay’s multi-year transformation strategy to enable integrated patient-centred care across the Ramsay ecosystem. The judging panel said that the platform displays innovative thinking that identifies customer value by putting each stakeholder at the centre of the components of the platform and connecting loved ones to the journey of the patient. 

In the Team of the Year – Culture category, the finalists were Aware Super, Probe CX and The Star Entertainment Group

This award recognises technology teams creating an internal culture that inspires individual growth and allows teams to achieve personal and professional goals. Culture can include increasing cultural diversity, celebrating team wins and/or mentoring staff etc. 

The winner of the Team of the Year – Culture category was Aware Super. The company was praised by the judging panel for its solid range of diversity and recognition initiatives and its collaboration with CareerSeekers, changing lives for refugees and asylum seekers who have sought to restart their professional careers in Australia.

Meanwhile, in the Team of the Year – Talent category, the finalists were Prop Hero, Restive, Land Services SA and Ventia.

This award recognises technology teams creating an enhanced environment for talent development and growth, allowing skilled individuals to flourish and up-skilling to thrive. Talent can include new capabilities and competencies, or employee talent programs and market initiatives.

The winner of the Talent category was Ventia. The judging panel said that Ventia’s development initiatives were clear, goal driven and focused on building high performing talent.