ACS – the professional association for Australia’s ICT sector – this month staged its annual Digital Disruptors Awards in Sydney in conjunction with its flagship Reimagination Thought Leaders Summit.
Now in its third year, the ACS Digital Disruptors Awards recognise the achievements and talent of individual ICT professionals and group ICT skills and service transformations across a range of key award categories and is the culmination of a nine-month award process.
“We are here to celebrate and honour Australia’s best individual and team technology disruptors, reflecting the potential of ICT and ICT professionals as a driver of productivity, innovation and business – able to deliver real, tangible outcomes”, said ACS President Anthony Wong.
“The quality and breadth of the Digital Disruptors submissions are evidence of the outstanding talent in this country, and we look forward to the winners continuing to lead Australia’s advancement in the digital economy in years to come.”
The Digital Disruptors Awards ceremony attracted delegates from business, government, education and research spheres, joining the festivities to celebrate the achievements and contributions of these individuals and teams.
Dr Jordan Nguyen was awarded ICT Professional of the Year. With a PhD, a successful social business and a rapidly-developing media career all to his name in his early thirties, Nguyen has chosen to follow his passion – inclusive technology that transforms the lives of people with disabilities.
From the thought-controlled smart wheelchair that he completed as part of his PhD studies, to his use of telekinetic technology to help a young man with severe cerebral palsy control technology around him using just his eyes, Dr Nguyen is at the cutting-edge of biomedical innovation.
Nguyen’s current focus is his start-up, Psykinetic, which aims to create futuristic assistive technology that puts “the mind into action”.
“You can’t do this without your team and without the amazing people around you,” Nguyen told the 600-strong crowd. “My social business Psykinetic is full of six incredible people who are dedicated to what they do. When it comes to digital disruption there’s so much that we’ve got to take into account moving into the future, from automation, artificial intelligence, robotics, virtual reality, blockchain.
“There’s many different things, but it’s our duty to figure out what we need to do and how we’re going to shape this change, and to make sure it’s not just the technical people, but it’s the non-technical people too. We shape the change, we shape the future.”
The winners in each category were:
INDIVIDUAL 2017 AWARD WINNERS
ICT Educator of the Year
- Winner for 2017
o Shanton Chang
- Gold Disruptors for 2017
o Gail Bourne
o William Yeoh
ICT Researcher of the Year
- Winner for 2017
o Manoranjan Paul
- Gold Disruptors for 2017
o Marcus Foth
o Yi Yang
ICT Student of the Year
- Winner for 2017
o Samaneh Movassaghi
- Gold Disruptors for 2017
o Cameron Lonsdale
o Stephanie Jensen
ICT Young Professional of the Year (Female under 30)
- Winner for 2017
o Margaret Zou
- Gold Disruptors for 2017
o Kerry Halupka
o Monique Alvis
o Tyne Daile Sumner
ICT Young Professional of the Year (Male under 30)
- Winner for 2017
o Phillip Matheson
- Gold Disruptors for 2017
o Mark Topacio
o Michael Tulip
ICT Professional of the Year
- Winner for 2017
o Jordan Nguyen
- Gold Disruptors for 2017
o Vivienne Conway
TEAM / PROJECT 2017 AWARD WINNERS
Skills Transformation of Work Teams – (Small Teams under 20)
- Winner for 2017
o Insane Technologies
- Gold Disruptors for 2017
o VicRoads
Skills Transformation of Work Teams – (Medium Teams 21 – 200)
- Winner for 2017
o GS1 Australia
- Gold Disruptors for 2017
o Statewide Super
o GM Holden
o Canstar
Skills Transformation of Work Teams – (Large Teams over 200)
- Winner for 2017
o Australian Taxation Office
- Gold Disruptors for 2017
o NAB
o ANZ
Service Transformation for the Digital Consumer (Corporate)
- Winner for 2017
o Statewide Super
- Gold Disruptors for 2017
o Crewmojo
o Myfreight
o GHD
Service Transformation for the Digital Consumer (Government)
- Winner for 2017
o The University of Queensland
- Gold Disruptors for 2017
o Government of Western Australia – Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety
o Australian Taxation Office
Service Transformation for the Digital Consumer (NGO/NFP)
- Winner for 2017
o Humanoid Robot Project Team
- Gold Disruptor for 2017
o The Smith Family
