CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The 13^th Annual MIT Sloan CIO Symposium today announced four Finalists for the 2016 MIT Sloan CIO Leadership Award. The winner will be announced on the eve of the Symposium, which takes place at MIT on May 18, 2016.

The MIT Sloan CIO Leadership Award honors Chief Information Officers (CIOs) who lead their organizations by delivering business value and innovative use of IT in exceptional ways.

"After much deliberation, the awards committee is proud to recognize these four 2016 Leadership Award Finalists," said Ray Chang, Co-Chair of the Award Program.  "These CIOs set themselves apart with their high level strategy and exceptional technology offerings, enabling our digital economy to thrive."

The MIT Sloan CIO Symposium 2016 MIT Sloan CIO Leadership Award Finalists are:

Suresh Kumar
Suresh Kumar is the SEVP and CIO for BNY Mellon (NYSE: BK), a global investments company that delivers informed investment management and investment services in 35 countries and more than 100 markets. As of Dec. 31, 2015, BNY Mellon had $28.9 trillion in assets under custody and/or administration, and $1.6 trillion in assets under management. A member of the company's Executive Board, Kumar leads the company's nearly 13,000 Client Technology Solutions employees in creating and delivering innovative and exceptional technology solutions to enable its clients and employees to succeed.

"Year after year, MIT recognizes technology leaders that are transforming not just their business but their industry," said Kumar. "For the past four years, I've had the honor of leading the digital transformation at BNY Mellon, a company that has been a leader in its industry for more than 230 years. To be named a Finalist and recognized for these efforts by MIT, a leader in technology education and innovation for more than 150 years is an incredible honor."

Jeanne Lieb
Jeanne Lieb is the SVP and CIO at FM Global, one of the world leaders in commercial property insurance. Jeanne is a member of FM Global's executive oversight group for business transformation, the company's technology steering committee and its market and product development committee.  In her role, Jeanne provides strategic vision for leveraging technology in support of the company's insurance, risk engineering and claims solutions that allow its clients to manage risk and focus on their business resiliency. Under her leadership, multiple solutions enabled through technology have won industry awards for business value and innovation. 

"It is an incredible honor to be selected as an MIT Sloan CIO Leadership Award Finalist," said Lieb. "It puts the spotlight on the strategic importance at our company of leveraging technology to deliver unparalleled insurance, loss prevention and claims offerings that positively affect our business operations and clients on a global basis as well as the impact of the contributions of FM Global's IT team."

David Neitz
Mr. Neitz is the CIO at CDM Smith, a leading engineering and construction firm that provides lasting and integrated solutions in water, environment, transportation, energy and facilities to public and private clients worldwide. He is responsible for all aspects of the firm's Business Technology practice, including a transformative Digital Capital strategy that creates value and delivers business outcomes. His focus on innovation has resulted in the application of new disruptive technologies and processes that capture digital assets and provide new visualization and collaboration capabilities, resulting in superior results for the firm's clients.

"It is truly an honor to be selected as a MIT Sloan CIO Leadership Award Finalist and to be associated with other passionate IT leaders," said Neitz. "I am so proud of the Business Technology team and the business partners who work together every day to create value for our clients, using Digital Capital to transform the architecture, engineering and construction industry."

Steve Phillips
Steve Phillips is the SVP and CIO for Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT), a leading global technology distributor. He is responsible for Avnet's global IT strategy and enterprise effectiveness initiative. Phillips and his global team deliver world-class IT systems that create a competitive advantage for Avnet and its customers, focusing on key imperatives such as digital transformation, operational excellence and customer engagement. Additionally, he serves as the chairman of the board at Wick Communications, a news and specialty publications company.

"MIT is at the forefront of technical innovation that improves the world, which strongly aligns with Avnet's strategic approach to its markets," said Philips. "Business should always be at the center of IT, and being named a Finalist validates the incredible efforts of the entire Avnet team to find new ways to use information technology to advance the business goals of Avnet and our partners. I congratulate my fellow distinguished Finalists, and their remarkable efforts to help their companies evolve and grow."

After two rounds of extensive review, a panel of judges that includes CIOs, academic researchers and IT professionals selected award Finalists who exhibit the key traits of a CIO leader in the following areas:

Exceptional Communicator 
Articulates a vision for strategic business value from IT and works across the organization to build partnership around this vision. Focuses communications on value and innovation, not technology. Helps all IT staff to understand the business and speak the language of business leaders.

Recognized IT Leader
Clearly demonstrates value-for-money in the management of core IT services – providing the right services at the right price and the right level of quality. Recognized among peers as an effective leader of the IT unit.

Value Driver
Understands the business and needs of the CEO, CFO, Line-of-Business heads and other senior executives. Ensures clear focus on potential and realized value in all IT initiatives. Incorporates IT into business decision-making by participating in key strategic conversations, suggesting innovative uses of IT, and managing risk.

Trusted Partner 
Exercises authority beyond IT itself. Considered a trusted member of the senior executive team, not just a technology leader. Suggests innovative uses of IT to transform the business – and successfully executes the changes. May receive additional non-IT responsibilities such as Chief Operating Officer or VP of Strategy, or strategic temporary roles such as Head of M&A integration.

These criteria are adapted from the award-winning book The Real Business of IT: How CIOs Create and Communicate Value, which draws extensively upon research conducted at MIT Sloan. 

For more details and to view the full agenda, visit www.mitcio.com.

About the MIT Sloan CIO Symposium
The MIT Sloan CIO Symposium is the premier global conference for CIOs and digital business executives to become more effective leaders. In one day, CIOs and senior IT executives explore enterprise technology innovations, business practices and receive actionable information that enables them to meet the challenges of today and the future. The Symposium offers a unique learning environment by bringing together the academic thought leadership of MIT with the in-the-trenches experience of leading, global CIOs and industry experts. The MIT Sloan CIO Symposium is organized and developed by the MIT Sloan Boston Alumni Association, the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy (IDE), and the MIT Sloan Center for Information Systems Research (CISR). Visit www.mitcio.com for more information and registration.

Editor's Note:
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