The Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa (IITPSA) has released the list of finalists for the 2021 IITPSA President’s Awards, which are themed 'Excellence in the New Normal', acknowledging the important role IT professionals play in helping the world to adapt to a changed environment.

“For the 2021 awards, we recognise IT professionals playing a pivotal role in helping business and society successfully adapt to a digital ‘new normal’,” IITPSA president Admire Gwanzura says.

The IT Personality of the Year Award 2021 recognises a person who has made an outstanding impact on the South African information and communications technology industry over the past year and a significant contribution to the IT profession.

The finalists are Teraflow.ai Global CEO and co-founder Michael Cowen, Ukheshe Technologies CEO Clayton Hayward, Matica Technologies Global CTO Maeson Maherry and University of Johannesburg (UJ) Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Tshilidzi Marwala.

Meanwhile, the Visionary CIO of the Year Award 2021 recognises a personality on the other side of the IT vendor and service provider sector, namely an executive in the corporate IT environment who has demonstrated visionary leadership in applying technology to grow and transform business.

The finalists are Bestmed CIO and innovation officer Herman Swanepoel, UJ CIO Khathu Sibanda, Airports Company South Africa Group CIO Mthokozisi Mncwabe, e4 CIO Fikile Sibiya and Comair CIO Avsharn Bachoo.

Further, the Technology Excellence Award 2021 recognises a person or team who has made exceptional or innovative use of information technology, or has designed an innovative new technology for an organisation and has exhibited technological excellence that has delivered measurable benefit for business and/or the South African economy.

The finalists are Ukheshe Technologies CEO Clayton Hayward, University of Pretoria (UP) Professor of audiology and UP hearX Group co-founder Professor De Wet Swanepoel, Q-Hop CEO and co-founder Ajay Lalu and UP Health and Sciences lecturer, Medsol AI Solutions CEO and Breast Cancer Support Pretoria founder Dr Kathryn Malherbe.

The Social Responsibility/Community Award 2021 recognises a person, team or project delivering the benefits of IT on a not-for-profit basis into the community/or bringing the community into the IT space, and addressing the digital divide.

The finalists are UJ Electrical and Electrical and Electronic Engineering Science Department Research Connect team under Professor Suné von Solms and Professor Johan Meyer, Tomorrow Trust acting GM Taryn Rae, National Treasury Learning and Innovation director Kgopotso Ditshego Magoro and Champagne Sports Resort FD Priya Balakisten.

The winners will be announced during a virtual awards ceremony on April 12.