Winners revealed for ARN Women in ICT Awards 2024

ARN is proud to announce the winners of the Women in ICT Awards (WIICTA) in 2024, honouring female excellence within the technology channel following an industry-defining celebration in Sydney.

Played out in front of more than 510 attendees at Doltone House on Jones Bay Wharf in Sydney on 19 September, WIICTA brought together all facets of the Australian ICT industry placing female achievement and accomplishment in the spotlight.

Mirroring the entire local ecosystem, 178 finalists made the shortlist from a pool of over 101 organisations and more than 375 nominations submitted, spanning partner, vendor and distributor businesses.

Following an intensive judging process — selected by an executive panel of more than 170 industry judges — 21 winners were selected across eight categories, in addition to five highly commended acknowledgements.

The collective aim of WIICTA is to ensure as many outstanding women are endorsed through this unique awards program, aligned to the collective goal of providing a platform upon which aspiring female talent can shine across Australia.

“To all our finalists, highly commended and winners, congratulations on your outstanding recognition from not only your own colleagues, but the entire Australian ICT ecosystem,” ARN editor Julia Talevski said. “This is an inspiring example of the deep levels of emerging and established female talent in Australia.”

In total, WIICTA honoured the channel across eight categories, spanning Innovation, Technical, Entrepreneur, Graduate, Rising Star, Shining Star, Achievement and DE&I Champion awards.

All career stages were in the spotlight from graduate-level entrants to well-established CEOs, in addition to inspiring entrepreneurs, creative thinkers and technical experts, as well as talent rising through the ranks and consistent high-performing individuals. This was also supported by champions of DE&I initiatives.

ARN congratulates all winners, highly commended and finalists and thanks all organisations and individuals for supporting this initiative.

INNOVATION This award recognises a creative-thinking candidate who is a standout in bringing innovation to life through a big picture and out-of-the-box approach to business. This individual is unrivalled at converting embryonic ideas into viable working solutions through a unique thought process designed to continually push the envelope.

Partner:

• Deb Cox – Arinco
• Kirstie Elderfield – ASI Solutions
• Imogen Tysoe – Atturra
• Renata Di Stefano – blueAPACHE
• Xara Tran – Champions of Change
• Laura Flynn – Infotrust
• Nikita Yardi – Macquarie Cloud Services
• Demelza Green – Patient Zero
• Maddie Rothwell – The Missing Link 
• Sarina Ferguson – Unified Solutions Group

Winner: Kirstie Elderfield – ASI Solutions

As the head of product and transformation, Kirstie conceptualised and executed a productisation framework, building a bot to help bring ideas into market-ready products. This helped to reduce time to market, improve ROI and enable the sales team, creating a consistent go-to-market strategy and elevated customer experience. 

Vendor/Distributor:

• Anna Christensen – Cloudian
• Catherine Lee – CrowdStrike
• Nicole Quinn – Fortinet
• Sue Murthy – HP
• Carol Ma – Ingram Micro 
• Beki Diamond – Lightwire 
• Danni Munro – Pax8  
• Mila Fedynskaya – Schneider Electric

Winner: Nicole Quinn – Fortinet

Nicole’s innovative process has propelled her towards success, particularly around cyber security education and public policy. As APAC head of government affairs, Nicole prioritises thoroughly understanding the needs and gaps within the current landscape. Her visionary mindset, strategic partnerships and commitment are all clearly seen in her various initiatives at Fortinet.

TECHNICAL This award recognises excellence in the form of technical and engineering expertise, honouring deep domain knowledge in relation to technology products, solutions and services. This candidate has provided business value through specialised skills and competence, spanning technical, pre-sales and support roles.

Partner:

• Simone Bennett – Arkahna
• Angelina Priya – blueAPACHE
• Steffy Mathew – Blue Connections IT
• Alexandra Pepperell – Brennan
• Heidi Tallarida – Business Aspect
• Yera Patel – Exigo Tech
• Sheena Shrivastava – Infotrust
• Ajina John – Insight Enterprises
• Ambily Menon – Intelematics
• Pranavi Macharla – Interactive

Winner: Simone Bennett – Arkahna

Simone’s technical certifications span AWS and Azure and combined with her extensive hands-on experience in high-stakes projects, reflect her specialised skills and competence. Her journey from an IT trainee to a leading consultant highlights her deep domain knowledge, technical excellence and passion for technology.

Vendor/Distributor:

• Jodi Favaloro – Cradlepoint
• Jana Dekanovska – CrowdStrike
• Nandini Bhardwaj – Google Cloud
• April Neoh  – HPE
• Vanessa Sunassee – MyCISO
• Samantha Van Stokrom – Netskope
• Lisli Laanemets – NEXTGEN
• Luisa Genovese – Palo Alto Networks
• Negar Baseri Salehi – Schneider Electric
• Natalie Mead – Snowflake

Winner: April Neoh – HPE

In a career that spans across Asia and A/NZ over 25 years, April has demonstrated the ability to thrive in complex situations. She has been instrumental in building systems that seek to solve grand challenges and stretch the capabilities of existing systems in high performance computing and the artificial intelligence space.

ENTREPRENEUR This award recognises an enterprising candidate with a risk-taking mentality, honouring excellence in launching new ventures, products or services. This individual has a proven background in building innovation from the ground up, evident through converting market-leading ideas into viable business offerings.

Partner:

• Natalia Scheidegger – 3rdmill
• Sapna Bhatia – Adactin Group
• Sarah-Jane Peterschlingmann – ATech
• Sandra Arena – Gallant Collective
• Pauline Thomas – Macquarie Cloud Services
• Asma Gulbaz – Slalom
• Jill Price – SoftwareOne
• Regina Melamed – TechClick

Winner: Sarah-Jane Peterschlingmann – ATech

Established in Brisbane in 2007, Sarah-Jane started out as a web developer for small businesses as a hobby while pregnant with her first child. Within 12 months, her hobby had grown into a full-time job and evolved throughout the years into a significant cloud hosting player in the market, winning and retaining key customer accounts along the way.

Vendor/Distributor:

• Marissa Shipley – CompliantERP
• Agnes Schliebitz-Ponthus – Fluent Commerce
• Georgia Dowie – Pax8
• Tin Dacanay – Schneider Electric
• Angie Keeler – ZellaDC

Winner: Marissa Shipley – CompliantERP

As CEO and cofounder of CompliantERP, Marissa has spanned international borders, identifying market needs in the process. Her entrepreneurial spirit sees her start with meticulous research and planning to define goals and objectives, aligning them with industry demands and compliance requirements.

GRADUATE This award recognises a standout graduate candidate who has leveraged apprenticeship programs to start a career within the ICT industry. Open to all roles and responsibilities, this individual has made an immediate and positive impact on the business through providing a fresh perspective and high levels of professionalism.

Partner:

• Anastasiia Dovhan – Chamonix IT
• Bouchra Jihany – Datacom
• Jordan Roberts – Deloitte
•  Isabella Baker – Intalock Technologies
•  Pawandeep Kaur – iSeek
• Giselle Levine – Macquarie Cloud Services
•  Charlotte Ross – ONGC Systems
•  Weasley Au – Patient Zero
• Thilini Samaraweera – Sparx Solutions
• Chenuli Abeywardena – Tecala

Winner: Jordan Roberts – Deloitte

Aiming to help as many people as possible through IT, Jordan completed a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology and a Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation. Her engagement in Deloitte’s graduate program has significantly accelerated her career. Having worked on the company’s Cyber Academy program early on, she was pivotal in bringing the student perspective and at the forefront. 

Vendor:

• Vi Le – Cisco
• Emily Qiao – Google Cloud
• Kezia Somerville-Petch – HPE
• Winnie Soemargo – HPE Aruba Networking
•  Ilmini Hakmanaarchchi – Palo Alto Networks
• Hoa Pham – Schneider Electric

Winner: Kezia Somerville-Petch – HPE

After realising that medicine wasn’t for her, Kezia dropped out of pre-med to pursue her interest in technology. Her real break into the tech world came when she joined the HPE graduate program. Since then, Kezia has gained management of her own unique accounts, where she builds on her passion of driving customer relationships and technology outcomes.

DE&I CHAMPION – Individual This award recognises an influential individual who actively drives diversity and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives through mentoring and thought leadership across the ICT industry. This candidate acts as a role model for aspiring executives, cultivating diverse teams to drive change both internally and externally. This award is open to all aspects of diversity and inclusion (gender, race, age, disability, sexual orientation etc).

Partner:

• Cassandra Eastham – Blue Connections IT
• Charlotte Lloyd – Centorrino Technologies
• Nicola Young – Cognizant
• Lisa Sarago – Land on Heart
• Tanur Parira – Logicalis
• Racquel Miller – Oreta
• Rachel Sands – Orro
• Cassandra Ashworth – Rapid Circle
• Brooke Adams – Slalom
• Megan Visser – Virtual IT Group

Winner: Megan Visser – Virtual IT Group (VITG)

Megan’s influence and thought leadership in DE&I have yielded significant results within VITG. Her initiatives have created an inclusive and supportive environment, fostering diverse talent and driving change. She established the Equality Council at Powernet, which she later extended to VITG following the merger.

Vendor/Distributor:

• Ciara Fayle – Cisco
• Jade Meara – F5
• Jacqueline Ibrahim – HPE
• Davina Partridge – Ingram Micro
• Sinead Fitzgerald – Microsoft
• Anastasia Kiteri – NetApp
• Sarah Sloan – Palo Alto Networks
• Sumiya Sultan – Schneider Electric
• Shobha Joshi – Snowflake
• Neringa Hojrup – Teradata

Winner: Davina Partridge – Ingram Micro

Since joining Ingram Micro, Davina has transformed the distributor’s approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). In her role, she has been key to ensuring every team member feels seen, heard, and that they belong. Her efforts include leading various educational and learning initiatives aimed at deepening that sense of belonging across the team.

RISING STAR This award recognises a standout candidate rising through the ranks within the ICT industry, acknowledging significant advancement during the early stages of her technology career. This individual is growing in stature and importance through demonstrating outstanding business acumen, deep market expertise and high levels of professional integrity. This award is open to candidates with 10 years or less experience within the ICT industry.

Partner (National):

• Brooke Martin – Arinco
• Amanda Williams – Blue Connections IT
• Samantha Jordan – Centorrino Technologies
• Lara Wright – Connetico
• Jennifer Hizon – Cube Networks
• Nicole Bourke – Data#3
• Madison Spiteri – Kaine Mathrick Tech
• Charuni Mallawaarachchi – Oreta
• Natalie Beaton – Otto IT
• Samantha Buttigieg – Tecala

Winner: Nicole Bourke – Data#3 

Since establishing her career within Data#3, Nicole has had a positive impact on her team’s ability to connect and collaborate, driving several projects to improve team morale, culture and knowledge. She also spearheaded a new process to handle long-tail quoting along with building and developing a new contract management system (CMS) to reduce order processing time and capitalise on renewals.

Partner (Multinational):

• Marilyn Tiangco – ASI Solutions
• Lena Madeleine Chapple – Cognizant
• Katherine Drew – Deloitte
• Catherine Francis – Insight Enterprises
• Melanie Nguyen – Interactive
• Lara Barnett – Logicalis
• Lisa Tierney – Ricoh
• Leah Cerinich – Sourced Group

Winner: Lara Barnett – Logicalis

Since stepping into the ICT industry in 2019, Lara’s influence has been profoundly felt, particularly within Logicalis. Lara has already marked her success with numerous significant projects, one of which generated millions in the sales pipeline. Her passion for continuous learning has led her to level up her business skills as she takes on more executive leadership responsibilities.

Vendor:

• Brearna Leopold – CrowdStrike
• Sarah Wilson – Datadog
• Jessica Stark – GoTo
• Loren Dennett- HP
• Priya Sharma – ImpexDocs
• Mubarra Khan – Fluent Commerce
• Victoria Lam – NetApp
• Lorna Guerin – Palo Alto Networks
• Bec Caldwell – Phriendly Phishing
• Aarushi Arya – Snowflake

Winner: Victoria Lam – NetApp

From the onset of her career as a standout technology graduate of the NetApp S3 Graduate Academy, Victoria has progressed into a talented and respected solutions engineer thanks to her ambition, dedication, and passion. Managing technical workshops has highlighted her comprehensive technical knowledge and ability to lead and execute complex projects.

Distributor:

• Minya Vasili – Exclusive Networks
• Vanessa Jeffery – Ingram Micro
• Sunny McPhillips – NEXTGEN
• Lauren Pinkney – Pax8
• Victoria Carroll – Tech Data
• Ana Gomes – Wavelink

Winner: Lauren Pinkney – Pax8

After managing a team in the US for a year, Lauren shifted to Australia – an entirely new market at the time for both Pax8 and for herself. Overcoming market, cultural and people challenges, Lauren has come out on top as director of business development, managing a team across Australia and the Philippines.

SHINING STAR This award recognises an established candidate with a strong record of achievement, acknowledging excellence in spearheading company initiatives and driving strategic change. This individual is a consistent high performer who regularly achieves standout business results and continues to assume increased levels of seniority within the organisation. This award is open to candidates with between 11-20 years’ experience within the ICT industry.

Partner (National):

• Sarah Norton – Atturra
• Quinita Lindley – blueAPACHE
• Marie Michaud – Bridged Group
• Kristy Tuinman – D6 Consulting
• Priscilla Barboza – Cevo
• Kerri Absolon – Data#3
• Shilpa Reddy – Oreta
• Bay McGovern – Patient Zero
• Pattigrace Lupari – Spirit Technologies
• Amanda Ho – TechClick

Winner: Shilpa Reddy – Oreta

Shilpa’s career is distinguished by her innovative thinking, professionalism, and leadership, which have significantly contributed to her success and the achievements of her team. These qualities have enabled her to excel in various roles, earning her numerous awards and recognition along the way.

Partner (Multinational):

• Nina Rizk – Cognizant 
• Galit Jona – Delta Insights
• Michelle Buhne – Exigo Tech
• Sarah Turnbull – Insight Enterprises
• Liz Nguyen – Interactive 
• Gina Lilicrap – Orro
• Radhini Sivanathan – Slalom
• Risa Nurhidayati – Software One
• Sanya Turkalj – Sourced Group
• Deepti Kakkar Wadhwa – Wipro

Highly Commended: Sarah Turnbull (Insight) and Gina Lilicrap (Orro)

Winner: Liz Nguyen – Interactive

As the driving force behind Interactive’s network services business, Liz has a list of accomplishments across the industry. She has been credited with developing and launching Interactive’s network core, the NNI, which saw the migration of customers onto one shared platform that significantly improved its underlying technology and service levels.

Vendor:

• Grace Walker – Access4
• Mary Armstrong – Cisco
• Prayna Prasad – Cloudflare
• Bec Paior – ConnectWise
• Anna Mascarello – Elastic
• Rachna Kumar – ExtraHop
• Anna Coniglio – Google Cloud
• Jordana Desmyth – HP
• Elisa Kelsall – IBM
• Sarah Carney – Microsoft

Highly Commended: Mary Armstrong (Cisco) and Prayna Prasad (Cloudflare)

Winner: Sarah Carney – Microsoft

As the national CTO, Sarah has been instrumental in driving the adoption of generative AI across Australian workplaces, showcasing her ability to lead and innovate in a rapidly evolving tech landscape. Having worked across a wide range of industries prior to Microsoft, she leveraged her transferable skills and seized opportunities that allowed her to move through the ranks into her current leadership role.

Distributor:

• Elizabeth Paterakis – Dicker Data
• Maria Ianni – Ingram Micro
• Fay Messaike – NEXTGEN Group
• Sara Furlong – Pax8

Winner: Fay Messaike – NEXTGEN Group

Fay’s time at NEXTGEN thus far has seen her drive significant sales growth for the company in both established accounts and innovation logos. This highlights her expertise with maintaining existing relationships and capitalising on emerging trends to tap into new ones. Her astute business sense, calm and considered demeanour have led exceeding her team’s revenue expectations.

ACHIEVEMENT This award recognises a standout candidate who has delivered an unrivalled contribution to the ICT industry, evident through outstanding professional and personal achievements. This individual has earned a reputation as an esteemed thought leader following a distinguished career as both a business leader and role model for aspiring executives. This award is open to candidates with 21 years or more experience within the ICT industry.

Partner:

• Joana Valente – Deloitte
• Jenny Southon – Insight Enterprises
• Katie Bentley – Interactive
• Lisa Bebawy – Macquarie Cloud Services
• Nichole Wynne – Nicstar
• Jane Beck – Slalom
• Joanna Kennedy – TechClick
• Sherran Evans – Tecala

Highly Commended: Joana Valente (Deloitte)

Winner: Jenny Southon – Insight Enterprises

For more than 30 years, Jenny has played a pivotal role in the IT industry across a variety of organisations. Throughout her career, she has built and developed high performance sales teams, and is widely recognised for her strategic insights and transformative impact. She has a strong influence on aspiring tech professionals, particularly women. 

Vendor:

• Emma Harris – Cisco
• Beverley Allsop – Dell Technologies
• Angela Walker – Dynabook
• Yvette McEnearney – GoTo
• Julie Barbieri – HPE
• Philippa Cogswell – Palo Alto Networks
• Anita Moorehouse – Rapid7
• Astrid Groves – Schneider Electric
• Cathy Conroy – Snowflake

Winner: Julie Barbieri – HPE

A trailblazer in the ICT industry, Julie began her career as an engineer in the 1980s. Since then, she has made several bold, strategic moves including taking on various senior leadership roles across a variety of organisations. Her strong aptitude for executing and devising strategic business decisions has led to an array of successful programs that have garnered a significant return on investment.

Distributor:

• Rhonda Robati – Crayon
• Hope McGarry – Ingram Micro
• Linda Volker – NEXTGEN Group
• Julie Ceresa – Westcon-Comstor

Winner: Hope McGarry – Ingram Micro

Described as a beacon of inspiration and a pivotal figure in the IT industry, Hope embodies a lead-from-the-front attitude that motivates her team and sets a high standard across the organisation. Under her leadership, Ingram Micro’s ASG, specialty, and commercial divisions have undergone remarkable transformation, delivering outstanding results.