In 1998, when the first Georgia CIO of the Year® ORBIE® Awards was presented, it was the products, not the people, who were at the center of attention.
Laptop of the Year, Printer of the Year and PC Magazine’s Editor’s Choice awards were common, but it was a start-up called Intellinet that noticed the real heroes were Chief Information Officers (CIOs) who implemented these products, developed solutions and created business value for their organizations.
Roll the clock ahead twenty years, and today CIOs are at the center of business transformation for all organizations. Technology is the engine that drives innovation and growth in every industry and sector in our global economy. It is the leaders who facilitate change by tech-enabling their organizations who are the rock stars of business today.
The first CIO of the Year Awards was not only a trailblazer for recognizing the people leading transformation, but eventually led to creating GeorgiaCIO - a local, member-centric, professional organization dedicated to helping corporate technology leaders foster meaningful relationships, share best practices, solve problems and achieve their leadership potential.
In 2015, BostonCIO was launched which led to forming the Inspire Leadership Network, the preeminent peer leadership network with local chapters across the country. Today, Inspire is in over 30 markets growing relationships, recognizing professional achievements and inspiring the next generation of technology leaders. Today, we are proud to be in these 25 chapters growing relationships, recognizing professional achievements and inspiring the next generation of technology leaders.
The C-suite technology executives honored through the ORBIE Awards are inspiring and challenge all of us to step up and lead well in our organizations. The power of leaders working together – across public and private business, government, education, healthcare and nonprofit organizations – is incredible. Together, the Inspire Leadership Network is making a difference transforming organization with technology and enriching the world.