CanCham eyes more participants in 2017 ICT Awards

THE Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (CanCham) has refined the upcoming edition of the International ICT Awards to encourage more companies to participate.

For its 11th year in 2017, the ICT Awards introduced four new categories that signal its shift in focus from individuals to companies and their teams.

“We made sure that all the awards are focused on companies and teams, not on individuals,” CanCham national president Julian Payne said in a press briefing on Wednesday.

Payne said the awards body aims to give recognition to the best ICT (information communications technology) companies in the Philippines and this new setup will help them achieve just that.

He said they veered away from personality-focused awards because they want to clearly define what their niche is, given how most award-giving bodies place a premium on individual achievements rather than team effort.

The four new categories are Best First-Time Nominee of the Year, to encourage new nominees; Best C-Suite of the Year, to recognize the important of the management team, replacing Best CEO of the Year; Best Mobile App Developer Company, to replace Best Mobile App of the Year with emphasis on a company’s performance in developing apps; and Best Front-Line Team, replacing Most Popular Team Leader.

There are a total of 15 award categories, the highest of which are Best Company and Best Employer, as well as a special Hall of Fame Award.

Winners of next year’s edition will also be entitled to 12 months of publicity from CanCham and the IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), the chamber’s partner in organizing the event in the last decade.

“We want to ensure that those who win have something they can use to enhance their international image, marketing. One thing we’ll do, during the year following the awards, we’ll be more active in publicizing the companies that win,” said Payne.