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Five technology leaders received the 2026 CanadianCIO Awards at a ceremony on October 1 in Toronto. The honourees represent private-sector, public-sector and not-for-profit IT leadership, cybersecurity, and the Fawn Annan Memorial Award.
Who won the 2026 CanadianCIO Awards?
The recipients and role descriptions below were reported by Digital Journal on October 2, 2026. The five categories recognize different kinds of leadership; they are not a ranked head-to-head contest.
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| Award | Recipient | Role and organization |
|---|---|---|
| Private Sector CIO of the Year | Brigitte Larivière | Vice-President and Chief Information Officer, Bombardier |
| Public Sector CIO of the Year | Tony Payne | Senior Vice-President of Technology and Innovation and Chief Technology Officer, BCI |
| Not-for-Profit CIO of the Year | Eben Engelbrecht | Director of Information Technology and Facilities, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario |
| CISO of the Year | Rob Antonishen | Director of Cybersecurity and Compliance, BC Hydro |
| Fawn Annan Memorial Award | Jennifer Hutton | Vice-President of Information Technology and Risk and Chief Privacy Officer, Steele Auto Group |
What the award categories recognize
CIO of the Year awards
The private-sector, public-sector and not-for-profit awards distinguish CIO leadership by organizational sector. CIOCAN describes its program as recognizing Canadian technology leaders for business and technological vision, entrepreneurship, enterprise transformation, and their ability to propel value in the marketplace. Its published general eligibility criteria call for a CIO or equivalent senior IT leader working for a Canadian company or an organization with a primary Canadian office.
CISO of the Year
The CISO award recognizes a cybersecurity leadership track rather than a CIO category. CIOCAN’s nomination form presents separate CISO-specific criteria and asks nominators to document organizational context, leadership, security and risk management, and continuous improvement. The form’s CISO-specific wording should not be treated as a universal eligibility definition for every award category.
#1 Best Overall
- Staff Engineer: Leadership beyond the management track
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Fawn Annan Memorial Award
CIOCAN says this award honours a visionary leader whose influence continues to shape Canada’s technology community. The organization’s biography says Fawn Annan became President and later CEO of IT World Canada in 2010, founded the CanadianCIO Awards, and led ITWC’s move to an all-digital publishing model.
How the awards fit together
The recipient list spans executive IT leadership in three sectors, a dedicated cybersecurity leadership award, and a memorial recognition. CIOCAN’s published material does not provide a shared quantitative scorecard or comparable outcome measure for the five recipients, so the results do not establish a single overall ranking across those distinct tracks.
Rank #2
CIOCAN reported more than 25 nominations in 2025. That is a nomination count, not the number of finalists or winners in 2026.
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Event details and award follow-up
CIOCAN lists the October 1, 2026 ceremony venue as Arcadian Loft in Toronto, Ontario. Its official awards page says winners receive a complimentary one-year CIOCAN membership and induction into the CIOCAN Hall of Fame. The page also describes the event as a national celebration of technology leaders driving industry change, digital transformation, and organizational and community value.
Rank #3
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CIOCAN’s awards page still describes the 2026 honourees as finalists and says winners will be announced at the gala. For the final results, the October 2 Digital Journal report is the relevant source; the official page remains useful for the program, venue, criteria and award background.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Finalist comments are not winner acceptance remarks
CIOCAN’s official page includes comments made in the context of finalist recognition, rather than verified acceptance remarks. Rob Antonishen, identified there as a 2026 CISO of the Year finalist, said: “This recognition reflects the strength of that community and the growing role of the CISO in helping organizations lead with confidence in an increasingly digital world.” The finalist comment offers context about his perspective, but it is not an acceptance quote following the award result.
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