About the Awards

We are thrilled to announce the successful conclusion of the 3rd edition of the CIO Excellence Awards, following our acclaimed events in 2022, 2023 and 2025 in partnership with Protiviti. This year, we celebrated exceptional CIOs and tech leaders who have delivered outstanding value to their organizations through exemplary stakeholder satisfaction. In 2025, over 750 nominations were received, and 60 individuals were honored for their remarkable contributions.

The 3rd edition, held in 2025, proved even more inspiring as visionary CIOs from multiple sectors across the country competed for the top honors, setting new benchmarks in IT leadership and digital transformation. The awards continue to redefine excellence in our industry, and we extend our sincere gratitude to all who participated.

Thank you for being a part of this transformative journey. We look forward to continuing to celebrate and inspire excellence in digital leadership in the years ahead.

Highlights From 1st Edition

Highlights From 2nd Edition

Highlights From 3rd Edition

Award Categories

  • CIO of the Year – Auto & Auto Ancillaries
  • CIO of the Year - BFSI & Fintech
  • CIO of the Year - Consumer Products
  • CIO of the Year - Industrial Manufacturing
  • CIO of the Year - IT/ITES
  • CIO of the Year - Oil, Chemical, Energy & Utilities
  • CIO of the Year - Pharma Healthcare & Life Science
  • CIO of the Year - Real Estate and Infra
  • CIO of the Year - Services
  • CIO of the Year - Technology, Media & Communication
  • Excellence in Innovation
  • Excellence in Cloud Computing
  • Excellence in Cyber Security & Privacy
  • Excellence in IT/ Digital Transformation (Enterprise Application, Mobility & Process Automation)
  • Excellence in Emerging Technologies (AI, IoT, Metaverse, Web3, Drone, Blockchain etc.)
  • Excellence in Data Analytics & Business Insights

Rules of nomination:

  • Nominations are sought for the Sectoral and Thematic categories. The above table illustrates category details.
  • One can only apply for one award in the Sectoral category and up to 3 awards in the Thematic category.

Nomination Criteria

  • CIOs of government, listed & private sector companies.
  • Nominees should directly report to CEO/ MD/ Board/ CFO/ COO but not to any other business head within the same company.
  • Nominees must have been in the same role within the company/ group for at least two years as of the date of nomination.
  • Company revenue qualifying criteria of >250 Crore INR will be considered.

General Guidelines

  • Participants will be required to fill attribute sections for each award in max. of 250 words: also 1 overall 'statement of purpose of maximum 400 words.
  • Submission of nominations constitutes acceptance of all terms and conditions and the decision of the Jury will be final and binding.

For more information: