2025 Judges

Our sincere thanks go to our panel of esteemed and hardworking Awards judges
- the full panel is yet to be announced, watch this space!

Richard Kay

CIO Department of Conservation, NZTE

Richard is NZTE’s Chief Digital Officer. In this role he leads our IT development and support functions, but also provides strategic direction for the organisation, and how it will meet the digital needs of NZTE’s customers.

Richard grew up in Dunedin, spent a number of years in Christchurch before moving to Wellington. He has delivered and owned some of the largest ICT projects in New Zealand during the last decade, including the build of New Zealand’s third largest telecommunications network.

His professional roles have included Global IT Director and Solutions roles for PGG Wrightson, senior technical and consulting roles at Spark (previously Gen-i), senior strategic advisory roles for a number of organisations, and Shared Services Manager for Transpower.

Richard has been with NZTE since late 2015. Apart from a BA Hons. with the University of Otago, he has completed an Executive Leadership Program with the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He also lectures from time to time at the Auckland University, as part of the CIO education programme.

Thanks to his work with NZTE, Richard was judged the 2017 New Zealand CIO of the Year.

Louise Francis

Country manager New Zealand and Research Director A/NZ, IDC

Louise Francis is the New Zealand Country Manager and the Research Director for IDC Australia and New Zealand (A/NZ). Louise is responsible for leading and managing IDC New Zealand’s local team and she is the head of the A/NZ research programme. Reporting to the IDC Australia and New Zealand Managing Director Louise is responsible for:

managing the business performance, research, and strategic direction of New Zealand in collaboration with the global IDC leadership team;
providing customers with strategic advisory services to make more effective technology decisions by providing accurate, timely, and insightful fact-based research leveraging IDC's deep portfolio of expertise;
acting as an interpreter and facilitator for change to IDC customers positioning themselves as digital leaders on the global stage;
leading the NZ InTEP group to lift the level of engagement with NZ CIOs, digital decision makers, and business leaders;
collaborating with the wider IDC research community on customised projects and developing innovative research solutions for customers; and representing IDC A/NZ through presenting keynotes at key events, facilitating panels, and leading roundtable discussions.

Joining IDC in 2008, Louise has over 30 years of experience in the ICT sector within both vendor and end-user organisations. She holds a Bachelor of Business Studies with First Class Honours from Massey University, graduating with a double major of Marketing and Communications. She also holds a Bachelor of Science (Biology) from the University of Auckland.

Paul Littlefair

Executive Technology, Bank of New Zealand

Paul Littlefair is BNZ’s Executive Technology. Paul is an expert Technology leader with strong industry-wide relationships as well as excellent internal networks throughout BNZ and the NAB Group. At BNZ, he has helped to embed Agile principles as well as the DevOps model, driving better delivery towards simple and easy technology experience for colleagues and customers while provide resilient technology platforms. He has also been instrumental in the development and maturity of Big Room Planning practices to help sequence and prioritise work.

Paul won the prestigious CIO of the Year award in 2019, and under his leadership the BNZ Technology team won the Best Team Culture & Inclusion Award at the CIO Awards in 2022. Paul joined BNZ in 2020.

Prior to working at BNZ, he has held several senior and executive technology roles in the financial services industry including at ASB, Kiwibank and Bank of South Pacific.

Dianna Taylor

General Manager, Ten Four Technology

Dianna was the Chief Executive of REANNZ, New Zealand’s Crown-owned National Research and Education Network. REANNZ operates and supports a specialist high-performance digital network that is engineered to meet the unique demands of scientists, researchers, innovators and educators. With access to large data transfer capabilities and network tools that encourage multi-institutional collaboration, New Zealand has access to the world’s unique science facilities and global collaboration opportunities. Prior to this, she held CIO and General Manager roles at NZ Racing Board and Kiwibank.

Dianna brings with her strong strategic and stakeholder engagement skills and experience across a broad range of sectors both in the private and public sectors. She is also recognised as a highly capable leader skilled in developing, mentoring and motivating high-performance staff.

Alistair Vickers

CIO Horizon Energy Group

Alistair has 20+ years of experience working in IT, including roles as CIO for Horizon Energy Group, Tū Ora Compass Health, MetService, and Wellington Water, IT Manager for Plunket, CTO for Parliamentary Service, and Technology Manager, Metering for Vector.

Alistair moved to New Zealand in 2003 from the UK, after a varied career in teaching, merchant banking, and IT – amongst others. He spent five years in Chad and Algeria as a boy and has worked in France, Germany, Israel, and Australia, as well as the UK and New Zealand.

Alistair’s main areas of interest are in the innovative use of technology to drive new opportunities for service improvement and benefits realization into all organizations and their customers. He was an early champion for and adopter of Cloud Computing, Smart Metering, and the Internet of Things in New Zealand.

Most recently, in his role at Tū Ora, Alistair has made the Top 50 CIO list for the last 2 years and in November was recognised as CIO of the Year for 2022.

Jane Kennelly

General Manager of Wellbeing, Skills Consulting Group

Jane Kennelly is the General Manager of Wellbeing at workplace capability consultancy Skills Consulting Group and the spokesperson for the Work Wellbeing Index, a ground-breaking research study into what Kiwis want from their workplace, how employers are meeting that need and how wellbeing contributes to bottom line. Jane’s Wellbeing portfolio includes two businesses – Instep, which provides EAP programmes and resources to businesses around inspiring a wellness culture in the workplace; and CDL Insight Consulting, a consultancy business that helps organisations manage change.  With over 33 years of HR consulting experience, Jane was previously the founder and former director of Frog Recruitment and involved with WorkChoice Trust for 22 years, eight of those as Chair. On top of that, Jane is also the founder and trustee of the Fantail Network, a charitable trust that supports connects and enables women in business. Jane has expertise across many areas, from social media, communications, PR and employment to personal branding – and has used her natural talent to create numerous community and wellbeing initiatives designed to support positive mental health in the workplace. Jane is a known media commentator, blogger, conference speaker and writer.

Adam Dodds

Professional Director

Adam Dodds is a Professional Director, Advisor, Senior Executive and Industry Analyst focused on business innovation, growth and transformation. Adam has over 20 years' experience in global strategy, digital growth and industry disruption. He has worked extensively across the ICT, FINTEC and Utility industries including starting up a number of successful organisations. He is a member of the Institute of Directors, a Director and Chair of numerous Boards (a specialist in founder abstraction), an AUT Mentor, awards judge and an active investor in start-up to scale up organisations.

Ange Nash

CIO, AA Insurance

Angela is an experienced and accomplished Technology Executive who has led companies through significant technology and transformational change. She recently joined AA Insurance after several years as Chief Information & Technology Officer at New Zealand Rugby. Angela is responsible for AA Insurance's Digital, Data & Technology teams to create more great experiences for its customers now and into the future.

Angela has worked in several executive technology and leadership roles in both the public and private sector, across sectors such as Telecommunications, Consulting, Solutions Delivery & National Sporting Organisations. In addition to her professional experience, Angela works on various boards and committees and is a member of the Institute of Directors. In 2023, she was awarded the IDC & Brightstar CIO of the Year and is ranked #2 on the Foundry CIO Top 50

Vaughan Robertson

Futurist, Presenter, Strategic Change Consultant

Vaughan is a Futurist, Raconteur and Commentator on Digital and Emerging Technologies, with a passionate interest in Digital Transformation and the development of Change Resilience in organisations and individuals.

He has recently retired from an 18 year career with Beca, New Zealand's largest Engineering and Management Consulting practice. In his time at Beca, he worked on the Digital Transformation of the organisation, being "designated futurist" for the business with the role of Group Manager, Digital Strategy. In 2018 he was appointed as a Beca Technical Fellow in Emerging Technologies.

While currently spending quality time on personal projects and improving his "abysmal" golf, he maintains an ongoing interest in monitoring the timing and impact of the emergence new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Quantum computing and the Metaverse.

Divina Paredes

Freelance Writer

Divina Paredes is a freelance writer and editor who has been covering the business technology sector for more than 20 years. She has organised and moderated ICT community events such as roundtable discussions and leaders’ luncheons; and judged ICT industry awards. She holds masteral degrees in Journalism from New York University and International Studies from the University of Sydney.