SINGAPORE — Cisco is proud to announce that 14 Cisco women have been listed as finalists of the new-look Women in ICT Awards (WIICTA). The WIICTA awards housed a record-breaking number of submissions this year, in what will be the largest celebration of female excellence within the technology channel across Southeast Asia.
Representing the entire ASEAN ICT industry ecosystem, 160 finalists (150 individuals and 10 companies) made the shortlist from a pool of more than 65 organizations and over 220 nominations, spanning partner, vendor, and distributor businesses.
Vicki Batka, Vice President, APJC Partner Sales for Cisco who is also the executive sponsor for Cisco’s Women of Cisco Asia Pacific, Japan, and Greater China chapter, has explained that the women who made the finalist list this year truly recognize and embody the unique strengths, vision, and achievements of female leaders in the IT channel across the region.
“On top of everything that has happened over the past 18 months, these exceptional women on this list have pushed forward with innovative business plans, marketing initiatives, and other comprehensive route to market initiatives to support our partners and customers, helping them through the uncertainty brought on by the global pandemic. Cisco celebrates these exceptional women for their leadership, dedication, and commitment to the channel and our partners,” said Batka.
The 14 Cisco finalists are listed below:
- Angeline Ong
- Atitaya Surapunthu
- Deborah Wong
- Farah Darlina
- Fidi Putri
- Huong Nguyen
- Jina Park
- Kerri Lampard
- Lynette Lim
- Maria Eva Kalaw
- Michelle Teo
- Sarah Quinto
- Ulrike Agostin
- Vicki Batka
“Channel Asia congratulates Cisco on having 14 finalists named, with strong representation in every award category,” said Cherry Yumul, vice president of Strategic Partnerships and Innovation at IDG. “We applaud your standout contribution in helping to set an industry benchmark for female achievement across Southeast Asia.
“This year’s WIICTA has generated a volume and calibre of nominees that have set new standards in the award’s history. This is an encouraging sign of a positive trend that gender diversity is high on the corporate agenda of more and more businesses in ASEAN.
“This is not just to tick a box or meet a quota, but evidently, to bring in alternative viewpoints for problem-solving and different leadership styles for competitive advantage, in turn delivering better returns.”
Reflective of a diverse technology network – and a thriving channel community – over 25 partner companies are in the spotlight, in addition to more than 30 vendors and four distributors.
Within this standout group of finalists, female leaders are located across the entire region, spanning Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
All career stages are 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 consistently high-performing individuals. This is also supported by both individual and company champions of D&I initiatives.
Collectively, WIICTA in 2021 stands tall as the leading forum for setting the industry benchmark for female achievement across Southeast Asia.
Shaped by the feedback of more than 50 leading female technology executives, WIICTA – now in its 10th year of running – will honour the channel across eight categories, spanning Innovation, Technical, Entrepreneur, Graduate, Rising Star, Shining Star, Achievement, and D&I Champion (Company and Individual) awards.
The winners will now be selected by an executive panel of more than 45 industry judges – acknowledging creativity, innovation, and excellence – before being announced at a virtual celebration event on Thursday, 5 August.
