Nominations for the 2019 Digital Transformation Awards sponsored by IT World Canada (ITWC) are now open.
The Digital Transformation Awards is a national program designed to recognize the best examples of business or organizational digital transformations in the country. It is open to all Canadian businesses and government institutions.
“I’ve heard people say digital transformation has become such a catch-all phrase that doesn’t mean anything,” said Fawn Annan, President and Chief Marketing Officer of ITWC. “We disagree and over the past two years the awards have recognized an organization that disrupted the way banking is done, a national retailer that changed the way people shop, a city that rethought the way it connects with its citizens and a non-profit that uses AI to ensure the right resources are in the right location at the right time.”
This year as more companies embrace the necessity of digital transformation, we hope to entertain nominations from innovative companies from across multiple industry verticals, said Annan.
Awards will be presented in five categories: Large private sector transformation, Large public sector transformation, Small private sector transformation (fewer than 500 employees), MUSH or Not-for- profit transformation, and once again this year, AI–inspired transformation.
Canada has lagged behind the rest of the world when it comes to digital transformation, in part because of the small number of companies willing to showcase their success. Whether it’s modesty or a desire to guard a competitive advantage, the early adopters chose to try and fly under the radar.
“As an IT publisher and the producer of the awards and companion conference, we’re always looking for companies that are proud to share their experiences and help others avoid the pitfalls that they experienced,” said Annan. “Although only five winners will be recognized at our Digital Transformation Conference on August 8, all qualifying nominees are will be featured with an article on our ITBusinness.ca website. There’s something to learn from every business story.”
ITWC has recruited several high-profile industry leaders who have agrees to serve as judges of the nominations. They are: Gary Davenport, past president of the CIO Association of Canada; Lars Goransson, General Manager & Group Vice President, IDC Canada, Samantha Liscio, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, WSIB, Helen Polatajko, Board Member, CDSPI, Ted Maulucci, President, SmartOne Solutions, and Corey Cox, CIO, Tandet Group.
“Digital transformation is not easy. It demands an enterprise-wide commitment to innovate and change to ensure sustainability and success,” says Davenport. “A stronger understanding of the practice of digital transformation will help to ensure a smoother evolution of Canadian business into the digital age.”
Anyone can nominate an organization for consideration. Nominations close in mid-May and the awards will be presented on during a national day-long digital transformation conference Aug. 8 in Toronto.