FutureEdge 50 & Ones to Watch winners will be recognized at AGENDA20, IDG’s annual business leadership conference focused on digital disruption and emerging technologies

Boston, Mass. – December 16, 2019 – IDG’s CIO and the CIO Executive Council are proud to announce the 2020 FutureEdge 50 and Ones to Watch award winners [click-to-tweet]. The successor to the Digital Edge 50 awards, the FutureEdge 50 recognizes established IT initiatives driving business success as well as early-stage projects pursued for their watershed potential. The award honors the most cutting-edge trials and applications of emerging technologies, and the innovative cultures enabling them. Additionally, the Ones to Watch awards recognize IT leaders who demonstrate potential for C-level roles and responsibilities. Winners have a proven track record of success and routinely go above and beyond in delivering value to their organization.

FutureEdge 50
Over the past few years, digital business has become a necessity for organizations across all industries. According to the IDG 2019 Digital Business Survey, 91% of organizations have adopted, or have plans to adopt, a “digital-first” business strategy. Meanwhile, IDC predicts spending on digital transformation technologies and services will reach $1.97 trillion in the next three years. The FutureEdge 50 awards highlight the organizations harnessing emerging technologies to transform the customer experience, enhance worker productivity and much more.

“The organizations in the FutureEdge 50 are executing business solutions that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. For example, there’s a project using blockchain and quantum computing to establish trust; an indoor navigation system; and many uses of AI/ML for insights and efficiency,” said Anne McCrory, Group Vice President, Customer Experience and Operations, IDG Events, and the FutureEdge and AGENDA20 conference chair. “We are honored to showcase these innovations and many others as we enter into a new era of sophistication with cloud, devices and environments powering the technology-driven business.”

Ones to Watch
The Ones to Watch award spotlights rising technology leaders who have what it takes to become the strategic, C-level business technology executives of tomorrow. A panel of judges, recruited from the CIO Executive Council’s IT leader membership, carefully reviewed submissions and selected 50 technology professionals for this distinguished honor. These individuals possess an essential blend of communication and collaboration skills, as well as a keen understanding of business goals, that made them stand out as Ones to Watch winners.

“The role of CIOs and IT leaders in general continues to shift as these executives are asked to take a more proactive role in business and revenue-generating strategies, as well as company-wide efforts to enhance the overall customer experience,” noted Tim Scannell, Director of Strategic Content at the CIO Executive Council. “These expanded responsibilities demand new skills and approaches for applying technology solutions to business challenges. The Ones to Watch awards recognize individuals who exhibit the budding talent and expertise necessary to one day take the leadership helm as digital transformation continues to evolve from technology strategy to business mandate.”

AGENDA20
The FutureEdge 50 and Ones to Watch award winners will be honored at the AGENDA20 conference taking place March 23-25, 2020, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Each year, the event brings together 250+ senior IT leaders and business stakeholders to shed light on the latest business challenges and the most effective approaches and technologies used to solve them.

AGENDA20 will be centered around four key pillars – The Future of Work, The Future of AI-Driven Business, The Future of Clouds, and The Future of Info Security – and feature keynotes, case studies, breakout sessions, and interactive workshops led by industry experts. Also new in 2020, event partners can take advantage of exciting off-site networking opportunities such as deep-sea fishing, schooner charters, spirits and dining tours, iron chef competitions and much more.

“AGENDA is unlike any other conference in the market,” added Adam Dennison, SVP & General Manager, IDG Events and CIO Executive Council, and Publisher, CIO. “Whether an attendee’s area for improvement involves people, process, technology or vision, AGENDA will serve as the problem-solving platform and connect them with the right people to build their business for the future. In 2020, we’re excited to bring together our award winners, premier business partners and attendees to explore business technology solutions for a better future.”

2020 FutureEdge50 Winners
• Bank of America
• Bayer Crop Science
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC
• BNY Mellon | Pershing
• Caesars Entertainment
• Catholic Relief Services
• CBRE
• Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
• ChristianaCare
• City of Cape Coral, Florida
• City of Henderson, Nevada
• City of Virginia Beach Information Technology
• Deakin University
• Diligent Corporation
• Discover Financial Services
• Discovery Health Partners
• Eli Lilly and Company
• Freddie Mac
• Green Climate Fund
• Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey
• IBM
• ICMA-RC
• Intrax Inc.
• Jackson Health System
• Johnson Controls
• Khalifa Empowerment Program – Aqdar
• King County, WA
• Mercer
• Merck & Co., Inc.
• Mercy Technology Services
• MetLife
• Mondelez International
• National Grid
• New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions
• Novant Health
• Nuveen (A TIAA Company)
• Orlando Health
• Penn Medicine
• Peraton
• Port of Seattle (SeaTac International Airport)
• PPG
• Randall-Reilly
• Regeneron
• Rockwell Automation
• Rowan University, Division of Information Resources & Technology
• Tata Consultancy Services
• Under Armour
• UNDP
• Verizon
• WABCO (NYSE :WBC)

2020 Ones to Watch Winners
Aarti Arora, Director Risk Management, Alexion Pharmaceuticals
Tracey Avidan, Head of Customer Platform Lead, Bayer Crop Science
Yelak Biru, Senior Director of Data and Analytics, Associate Digital Experience & Global People Analytics, Walmart
Gregory Bishop, Senior Director, Systems Engineering & Operations, Service Benefit Plan Administrative Services Corporation (SBPASC), an affiliate of CareFirst, Inc
Margaret Brisbane, Assistant Director – Enterprise Solutions, Miami Dade County
Marina Brown, Sr. Application Development Manager, Werner Enterprises
Burton Buffaloe, Leader, IBM CIO Logistics and Blockchain, IBM
Paul Coyne, Assistant Vice President, Clinical Informatics, Hospital for Special Surgery / Co-Founder, Inspiren
Regina DeGennaro, Director, Pershing Technology, BNY Mellon | Pershing
Sheila Eason, Director Customer Service, Internal Revenue Service
Elisa Garbett, Senior Director, IT Global Service Delivery, Bentley Systems, Inc.
Richard George, Global Head, Digital, User Experience & Marketing Technology, Refinitiv
Tyrone Green, IT Sr. Director – Global BRM Practice Lead, IT BRM PepsiCo
Angie Gregory, Network Engineering Senior Manager, SAIC
Eric Haas, Director of IT and Customer Experience, Hinshaw
Cindy Haddix, Director of IT Business Operations, World Wide Technology
Douglas Hamilton, Managing Director, Nasdaq Machine Intelligence Lab, Nasdaq
Ted Hanson, Vice President, Global Information Services, Applied Materials, Inc.
Belinda Jackson, Director of Product & Process Development, Ginnie Mae
Marcus Jennings, Chief of Office of Enterprise Solutions, Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP)
Dr. Anita Jindal, Director, Engineering, NetApp
Sherry Jordan, Director, IT, Blackbaud, Inc.
Aaron Judy, Technology Innovation Strategist, Maricopa County – Clerk of the Superior Court
Raju Kakani, Vice President, Information Services, SIGMA Corporation
Heather Kennedy, Enterprise Architect II, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee
Bojoon Kim, Principal Professional / Smart IT Team Leader, Samsung Electro-Mechanics
Scott Knabe, Director Network & Telecom, Information Technology, Donlen
Priya Komanduri, Head of Product Cloud Platform, Bose
Adrienne Leighton, Digital Transformation Lead, Bayer Crop Science
Janet Mak, Vice President, Systems Development, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Saul Mankes, VP, IT Delivery, Marriott International Inc.
Brian McGrath, VP Unified Commerce, Technology Process Group (TPG), Americas, PVH Corp.
Umesh Murthy, IT Director, General Motors
Nicole Narcisco, Director, CIO Mergers, Acquisitions and Divestitures, IBM
Cheryl Orange, Managing Director – Information Technology, FedEx Services
Chris Persaud, Director of Technical Operations, School District of Palm Beach County
Michael Ryan, VP, Technology Strategy, Freddie Mac
Setal Seth, Associate Director of Technology Operations, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Vineet Sinha, Director and Product General Manager, Johnson Controls
Sudhi Sinha, Vice President & General Manager, Johnson Controls Digital Solutions, Johnson Controls
Danielle Sparandera, Director, CIO DesignOps and Agile, IBM
Thomas Sweet, VP IT Software Solution, GM Financial
Kurt Taylor, IT Applications Director, Merchants Fleet
Roderick Thomas, Director of Application Development and Delivery, BNY Mellon | Pershing
Cem Urfalioglu, Director Intelligent Enterprise, Avanade
Warren Vander Laan, Senior Manager, Shop & Buy, Toyota Motor North America
Raj Varughese, Group Vice President IT, PVH Asia Ltd., PVH Corp.
Steve Wentzell, VP of Information Technology, Lids
Lisa Wilson, Director, Internal Revenue Service
Paula Wood, Business Solutions Director, SAIC

About AGENDA20
AGENDA is the business leadership conference focused on driving your business forward in changing times. To learn more about the event and register to attend, visit www.agendaconference.com.

IDG is proud to partner with Google (Strategy Partner), Unisys (Ideas Partner), and Omnivex (Action Partner) for AGENDA20. For more information on partnership opportunities, including the awards celebration, please click here or contact Adam Dennison.

About the FutureEdge 50 Awards
The FutureEdge 50 awards recognize organizations pushing the edge with new technologies to advance their business for the future. The successor to the Digital Edge 50 awards, the FutureEdge 50 recognizes not only established initiatives driving business success, but also early-stage projects pursued for their watershed potential. These initiatives may be in R&D, proof of concept or pilot phases. With this, the FutureEdge 50 awards aim to bring the most cutting-edge trials and applications of emerging technologies – and the innovative cultures enabling them — to our audience each year at the AGENDA conference.

About the Ones to Watch Awards
The Ones to Watch awards honor rising stars in IT, recognized by CIOs and senior staff at leading organizations as individuals with the potential to be strategic C-level business technology executives of the future. Each year nominees are judged on their job history, job scope and on-the-job accomplishments by a panel of CIOs, many of whom are past award winners.

About CIO
CIO focuses on attracting the highest concentration of enterprise CIOs and business technology executives with unparalleled expertise on business strategy, innovation, and leadership. As organizations grow with digital transformation, CIO provides its readers with invaluable peer insights on the evolving CIO role as well as how leading IT organizations are employing technologies, including automation, AI & machine learning, data analytics and cloud, to create business value.

The award-winning CIO portfolio — CIO.com, CIO events, CIO Strategic Marketing Services, CIO Forum on LinkedIn, CIO Executive Council, CIO primary research, and support from IDC’s CIO Executive Council — provides business technology leaders with analysis and insight on information technology trends and a keen understanding of IT’s role in achieving business goals. CIO is published by IDG Communications, Inc. Company information is available at devblacksmith.wpengine.com.

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About the CIO Executive Council
Believing in a members-first approach, the CIO Executive Council, a division of IDC, provides strategic leadership development for the transforming C-suite at the world’s most influential and evolving organizations. The CIO Executive Council offers each member a custom engagement experience that draws upon a wealth of programs and services, including: peer-to-peer interactions, a deep industry knowledge base, a range of professional development programs, and media/public relations opportunities that are tailored to an individual’s strengths and career goals. For more information on joining the CIO Executive Council, visit https://cioexecutivecouncil.com.

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About IDG Communications, Inc.
IDG Communications connects the world of tech buyers with insights, intent and engagement. We are the world’s largest media, data and marketing services company that activates and engages the most influential technology buyers. Our premium brands, including CIO®, Computerworld®, CSO®, InfoWorld®, Macworld®, Network World®, and PCWorld® engage a quality audience of the most powerful audience of technology buyers providing essential guidance on the evolving technology landscape.

Our global data intelligence platform activates purchasing intent, powering our clients’ success. IDG Marketing Services creates custom content with marketing impact across video, mobile, social and digital. We execute complex campaigns that fulfill marketers’ global ambitions seamlessly with consistency that delivers quality results.

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