HONG KONG, 3 OCTOBER 2008 – The Hong Kong Computer Society has launched the Outstanding IT Achiever Awards 2008 to recognise and reward individual IT professionals for their outstanding contribution to Hong Kong's social and economic development.
This Award is the first in the HKCS’s nearly 40 years of history to showcase the impact that individual IT professionals have made on the local IT industry and the community.
The Award is open to all Hong Kong permanent residents who are currently employed in IT-related industries. All entrants must however be nominated by a company, an organisation or an institution.
Entries will be judged by a panel of IT industry experts and business leaders on six criteria: vision and innovation; leadership; transformation and change management; motivation, execution management; value created, and contribution to the IT Industry and the community.
The results will be published, following the final judging, on 16 February 2009.
“Recognising the excellence of Hong Kong IT professionals in handling local and international IT projects, this landmark award will establish a new professional benchmark in the Hong Kong IT market,” said Sunny Lee, president of Hong Kong Computer Society. “It will also offer a new professional indicator for the IT recruitment market in Hong Kong and reinforce Hong Kong's critical role as the international IT city in Asia.”
Four awards categories
As an all-round award, it covers four major areas and recognises four different professional IT categories:
1. IT Leadership Award – targeting at chief information officers/ heads of IT
2. IT Project Management Award – targeting at project managers
3. IT Research Award – targeting at IT academic researchers
4. IT Professional Competency Award – targeting at all-round professionals
The award scheme leverages the certification system set up by the Hong Kong Institute for IT Professional Certification (HKITPC) – namely the existing CPIT (Project Director), CPIT (System Architect) and CPIT (Quality Assurance Manager); and the newly launched CPIT (Associate Project Manger), CPIT (Information Security Officer) and CPIT (Business Analyst).
Cultivating new IT talent
“Hong Kong's IT industry is facing new challenges in the new digital era. For example, with rents, salaries and operational expenses sky rocketing in Hong Kong, enterprises are opting to virtualise their IT offices or data centres or relocate them to mainland China as well as other developing countries like Vietnam and India,” said Lee. “As a result, local IT professionals need to demonstrate their value in order to stay competitive in the local IT market.”
New digital opportunities were creating a great demand to cultivate a new generation of IT talent that is able to break through traditional ideas, “think beyond the box” and go the extra mile.
“It is essential to encourage youngsters to develop an IT career to 'empower' the future development of the local IT industry. Accordingly, the HKCS sees a strong need to accentuate, recognise and honour the value and contribution of local IT practitioners,” said Lee.
“Strengthening the base of home-grown IT talent and encouraging them to overcome new challenges, capitalise on new opportunities and facilitate innovations in the new digital era is vital. The HKCS Outstanding IT Achievers Awards 2008 will provide incentive to do just that.”
Forum for info exchange
Founded in 1970, the Hong Kong Computer Society (HKCS) was Hong Kong IT industry's first recognised professional organisation dedicated to improving and developing Hong Kong's information technology industry. Members are drawn from a diverse array of IT users, corporations and individuals who work together to enhance the industry's capability and profile.
The HKCS aims to provide a forum for the exchange of information, and ideas among members, as well as working with the Hong Kong government and the general public on matters related to the IT industry and its broader interests.
