March 6, 2026 The CIO Association of Canada (CIOCAN) has launched the CanadianCIO Fawn Annan Memorial Award to recognize women in IT leadership whose work reflects the late industry pioneer’s impact on Canada’s technology community. The award expands CIOCAN’s national recognition programs and aims to highlight women advancing leadership across the country’s IT sector.
The announcement was made as part of CIOCAN’s recognition of International Women’s Day and honours Fawn Annan’s role in shaping Canada’s technology leadership landscape.
Through her work with IT World Canada, Annan founded the CanadianCIO of the Year Awards and the CIO Hall of Fame, programs that established national platforms for recognizing technology leaders.CIOCAN now serves as the steward of those initiatives and says the new memorial award is designed to extend Annan’s legacy by celebrating women whose leadership reflects her commitment to innovation and professional advancement in the technology sector.
The organization is inviting nominations for the award and encouraging the broader technology community to identify female IT leaders who demonstrate the same leadership qualities Annan championed throughout her career. Nominations can be submitted here.
Nominations are also open for the CanadianCIO of the Year Awards across public, private and not-for-profit sectors, along with awards recognizing outstanding chief information security officers. These programs, now administered by CIOCAN, continue to recognize executives responsible for major technology initiatives and digital transformation across Canadian organizations.
