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Peer recognition ‘spurs IITPSA award winners to greater heights’

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Peer recognition ‘spurs IITPSA award winners to greater heights’

Deadline extended to 23 January for nominations for 2021 IITPSA President’s Awards

Winners of the Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa (IITPSA) President’s Awards report that receiving these accolades serve as career boosts and encouragement for their teams.

Commenting on the extension of the deadline for nominations for the 2021 awards, past winners urged industry players to submit nominations to recognise their peers and reward them for exhibiting excellence in the new normal.

The IITPSA awards have recognised South African IT industry leading lights for over 40 years, acknowledging their professional excellence and setting them as examples of what the country’s IT professionals are capable of. The 2021 awards, themed ‘Excellence in the New Normal’, acknowledge the important role IT professionals play in helping the world to adapt to a changed environment.

IITPSA President Admire Gwanzura says: “The 2020 awards were themed Excellence in Adversity, recognising IT excellence during the challenging early days of the pandemic. For 2021, we accept that times have changed, and IT professionals play a pivotal role in helping business and society adapt to a digital ‘new normal’.”

Past winners include the likes of Dr Stanley Mpofu, CIO of the University of the Witwatersrand, and Nomthi Nelwamondo, CIO of Assupol, as joint Visionary CIO of the Year (2020), Ntuthuko Shezi as IT Personality of the Year (2020), GirlCode, winners of the Social Responsibility/Community Award (2020), Geekulcha COO Tiyani Nghonyama as the IT Personality of the Year and Alexander Forbes, former Group CIO Sandra La Bella as the Visionary CIO (2019), Etion CEO Teddy Daka and Absa CIO for Virtual Channels Jacques Barkhuizen (2018), Entelect CEO Shashi Hansjee and former Sasol Global CIO Alec Joannou (2017).

Dr Stanley Mpofu, CIO at the University of the Witwatersrand and joint winner of the Visionary CIO Award, says, on a personal level, winning the award was humbling and shocking. “Shocking because I did not think my peers thought of me in that way leading to the award. I am grateful to be in the ICT profession,” he says.

Dr Mpofu says there were a number of benefits for him and his team: “Many people who may not have heard about me suddenly came into my professional life and grew my network. There is more trust shown by people I interact with at a professional level. Importantly, my ICT team became motivated because it is their good work that makes me shine as I only provide leadership and direction to them, and my institution got on the map as they provide the space and support to make ICT flourish.”

He believes the IITPSA President’s Awards gives industry professionals the confidence that when one performs well, their peers recognise them. “There is also an element of creating awareness to the general public about the work done behind the scenes by IT professionals which never gets spoken about or into the mainstream media house unless some catastrophe has occurred. The good deeds need to be shared too so that many will be attracted to the profession,” he says.

Ntuthuko Shezi, entrepreneur, innovator, founder of livestock investment platform Livestock Wealth, and winner of the IT Personality Award 2020, describes the award as an honour, saying: “I am so pleased with the work that we have done in bringing agriculture to everyone. It’s been six years of hard work and it’s finally paying off; and this recognition is a cherry on top. It makes all our sleepless nights worthwhile.”

Andre Jacobs, Chief of Product Engineering at IoT.nxt and winner of the Technology Excellence Award, says: “Being recognised by IITPSA as a technology visionary has elevated my profile and I hope in part help to motivate other people in the technology industry to aspire to grow and to in turn inspire the next generation to maximise their potential.”

Prof. André Calitz, Distinguished Professor of Computing Sciences at NMU and recipient of the Distinguished Service in ICT award, says: “It is important to recognise IT professionals for their contributions they make to the industry. The President’s Awards are recognition by the IT industry for meaningful contributions by individuals in South Africa.”

Describing his award as a ‘big surprise, he says: “The Nelson Mandela University acknowledged the achievement on various news platforms and I was also congratulated in the Senate. I’m 40 years at the university this year and I have during this time strived to create closer links between academia and industry. The award was recognition of a lifetime commitment to the IT industry and the IITPSA.”

Nominate now!

Candidates can be nominated for the following award categories: 

*The IT Personality Award, which recognises a highly respected and outstanding ICT professional who has made a significant technical or academic contribution to the industry, who has been successful in building a highly-respected IT organisation or business, and/or who has made a major contribution to the IT profession over a number of years.

*The Visionary CIO Award, which honours a CIO who has demonstrated visionary leadership in using IT to support, grow and transform business and/or who has established best practice in implementing technology solutions in an organisation.

*The Technology Excellence Award, which will be presented to a person or team who has made exceptional or innovative use of technology for an organisation and/or who has exhibited technological excellence that has delivered measurable benefit for business/the SA Economy.

*The Social Responsibility/Community Award, which will be presented to a person, team or project that delivers the benefits of IT on a not-for-profit basis into the community or brings the community into the IT space.

Nominees do not have to be members of the IITPSA. Nominations should be submitted no later than 17:00 on Sunday 23 January 2022. The 2021 IITPSA Presidents awards will be presented during April this year. To nominate deserving candidates, please go to: https://www.iitpsa.org.za/annual-presidents-awards/

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