Tasktop's Mik Kersten Named Finalist For 2012 World Technology Award

NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The World Technology Network (WTN – www.wtn.net) announced today that Mik Kersten, CEO of Tasktop Technologies and creator of the Eclipse Mylyn open source project, has been named a finalist for a prestigious World Technology Award in the IT Software category. Kersten joins a roster of approximately 50 organizations and 100 individuals in this annual competition deemed by the members of the World Technology Network ("The WTN") to be doing the "most innovative work of the greatest likely long-term significance." The World Technology Awards have been presented by the WTN since 2000, as a way to honor those innovators who are the most innovative in science and technology in 20 different categories. Nominees for the 2012 World Technology Awards were selected by the WTN membership (spread out over 40 countries) through an intensive, global process over a period of many months.

"The impact of software on business, government and education continues to elevate the role of software development in defining our progress and quality of life, and I am honored to represent the work that Tasktop is doing to transform how software is built," said Tasktop's Kersten. "I have spent my career trying to improve the happiness and productivity for everyone involved in the process of software delivery and I am honored to be recognized by WTN within the IT Software category.  I look forward to collaborating with such an esteemed group of individuals who are dedicated to changing the world."

The WTN (www.wtn.net) is a curated membership community comprised of the world's most innovative individuals and organizations in science, technology and related fields. The WTN and its members – those creating the 21st century – are focused on exploring what is imminent, possible and important in and around emerging technologies.

The winners of the World Technology Awards will be announced during a ceremony at the TIME & Life Building on the evening of Oct. 23, at the close of the World Technology Summit. The Summit is a two-day "thought leadership" conference (Oct. 22/23) held at the TIME Conference Center in the TIME & LIFE Building that is presented by The WTN, in association with TIME magazine, Fortune, CNN, Science/AAAS, Technology Review and others.

"This year we are more eager than ever to pay tribute to the talent and innovation of our individual and corporate honorees," says James Clark, founder and chairman of the World Technology Network. "Each year, this event gains momentum and prestige making it the ultimate global platform to honor visionary contributions in the science and technology arenas." Clark adds "The World Technology Awards program is not only a very inspiring way to identify and honor the most innovative people and organizations in the technology world, but it also is a truly disciplined way for the WTN membership to identify those who will formally join them, as WTN Fellows, as part of our global community. By working to make useful connections among our members, we look forward to assisting Kersten in continuing to help create our collective future and change our world."

Kersten is one of the foremost leaders and innovators in the software development and delivery industry. He created the Eclipse Mylyn open source project that today serves as the core technology platform for improving the effectiveness of modern development processes and the productivity of millions of software developers around the globe. As a thought leader, Kersten is a frequent keynote at major conferences and is a sought-after industry commentator from media and industry analysts. Kersten is a Sustaining Member Representative on the Eclipse Foundation Board of Directors and serves on the Steering Committee of the Open Standards for Lifecycle Collaboration (OSLC) project. Tasktop and Kersten also are members of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

About Tasktop Technologies

Tasktop Technologies is the industry leader for Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) integration and developer productivity. The company's mission is to connect the world of software delivery through its Task Federation™ technology that maximizes the flow of information between tools, people, teams and processes. Tasktop created and leads the Eclipse Mylyn project, with more than 2 million downloads per month, upon which its commercial Tasktop Sync ALM middleware and Tasktop Dev IDE tools are based. The company's innovative technology solves one of the biggest challenges facing the software industry today – the complete disconnect and brittle integrations of ALM tools. Tasktop's partner ecosystem consists of open source, point tools and leading ALM suites, to integrate more than 70 disparate ALM tools with real-time connectivity and cross-repository workflow support. For more information, visit (http://tasktop.com).

About the World Technology Network

The WTN exists to "encourage serendipity" -- the happy accidents of colliding ideas and new relationships that cause the biggest breakthroughs for individuals and institutions. The WTN works to accomplish its mission through global and regional events for its members and extended audience, to help make connections among them, and to examine the likely implications and possible applications of emerging technologies.

For more information about the World Technology Network, or to attend the WTN Summit and Awards, please contact:

Media Contacts:  
Christie Denniston  
Catapult PR-IR  
cdenniston@catapultpr-ir.com  
O: 303-581-7760, ext. 13  
M: 303-827-5164

Beth-Ellen Keyes

Director of Events and Operations

The World Technology Network

[email protected]

1.646.246.1081

SOURCE Tasktop Technologies