The CTO of the Year Award is given to the most prominent technology drivers of highly successful European companies; people who can be regarded as inspiring leaders and technology managers with foresight. It recognises and rewards the most successful technology leaders within two categories, namely: SMEs and Large Corporations. The recipients do not necessarily have to be a CTO by job title, although the person should be responsible for the company’s technology and its development at the highest level, whether called a CTO, Head of Research, VP of Product Development, R&D Manager, Chief Scientist, or any other such title. Moreover, nominees should be able to show how they have leveraged innovation to create a positive change or impact to the growth and performance of their companies.
The nomination process is open until 1st October, and all submissions are to be made via the dedicated online entry form.
Supported by Orgalim, this accolade is presented in recognition of prominent technology leaders, with the aim of highlighting the role of innovation as an enabler of European prosperity and progress. Orgalim represents Europe’s technology industries. It is a European-level federation that engages with EU policymakers on behalf of their membership, speaking for 32 national industry associations and 15 European sector associations.
The award will be presented during the Orgalim conference ‘Reinventing Europe’s industrial leadership’ on 12 November 2019 in Brussels. In a new format, finalists will be invited to present live to the conference audience – and the audience will have the chance to vote for their preferred finalist, with the judges taking this into account when selecting the eventual winners. The concept is pan-European and, as Jean-Eric Paquet, Director-General for Research and Innovation, European Commission says: “Europe needs to celebrate those who advance technology and innovate. Initiatives like the “CTO of the Year Award” are very welcome as they lead to role models and further strengthen innovation in Europe”.
