The CEO Magazine has revealed the finalists for the 2018 installment of the IT and Telecommunications Executive of the Year Award.

The winners event will be held at the ICC Sydney on Wednesday 21 November with new hosts, media journalists Kylie Gillies and Larry Emdur.

The IT & Telecommunications Executive of the Year Award identifies the achievements of leaders in this industry over the past year and the contributions they have made to their companies.

2017 winner of the IT & Telecommunications Executive of the Year award,  Xero Australia MD Trent Innes said: “It feels absolutely fantastic and it’s an honour to win. It’s a really great sign of all the hard work our team has put in to build such an amazing business.” 

“Each year, the Executive of the Year Award acknowledges the fantastic talent we have within Australian companies, celebrating their hard work and achievements,” said Chris Dutton, co-founder and CEO of The CEO Magazine. “This year we have a brand-new category that recognises quality teaching practices and outstanding contributions to student learning in our Education Executive of the Year award. 

“I look forward to announcing the winners in November,” Dutton added.

The finalists in the 2018 IT and Telecommunications Executive of the Year category are:

Stephen Canning, CEO at JCurve Solutions – they provide software to help assist businesses of all sizes (exclusive technology for small business)

Tara Comerford, Vice President and Managing Director of Australia and New Zealand at GoDaddy – work to assist business to get online easily to further promote their business

Carolyn Breeze, Director at Braintree – is a division of PayPal that specialises in mobile and web payment systems for e-commerce companies

Peter Maloney, Chief Executive Officer at GlobalX – suite of market-leading solutions to make profitable decisions and effectively manage their matters in less time.

This year’s judging panel, tasked with choosing the winner, is comprised of highly regarded business professionals whose industry knowledge and skill sets cover the broad spectrum of award categories, from media and finance sectors to NFP, technology and more.

2018 Judges: Steve Baxter (Transition Level Investments founder; Shark Tank Australia investor), Michael Ebeid (SBS CEO and MD – 2017 CEO of the Year), Lorna Jane Clarkson (Lorna Jane founder), John Banfield (BPAY Group CEO), Maureen Jordan (Switzer Media and Publishing CEO), Marcella Romero (Rehab Management founder and MD), Louise Baxter (Starlight Children’s Foundation CEO), Belinda Robinson (University of Canberra VP for University Relations and Strategy), Chris Beer (George & Matilda Eyecare CEO; Luxottica former CEO), John Karagounis (The CEO Circle CEO), Chris Dutton (The CEO Magazine CEO) and Daniel Di Loreto (The CEO Magazine MD)