For many years, Global CIO nominated outstanding digitalization initiatives with the "Project of the Year" award. However, we understand that people are pivotal to business success. Thus, we have established the "Top 100 IT Leaders" list to show the people who guide the projects to success. Global CIO invites you to join the list, showcase your experience and share your insights with IT worldwide.
Listing rules
The "Top 100 IT leaders" list is compiled from applications received through the form on the website.
To participate in it, candidates must hold an executive or deputy role and be responsible for defining the IT strategy and making high-level decisions. Usually, it corresponds to positions of CIO, CTO, CISO, CDTO, Head of Information Technology or IT Leader. IT executives from companies with more than 250 employees are allowed to participate.
The "Top 100 IT Leaders" participants are divided by industries. The distribution of participants within the industry is based on points.
The Industry category includes Energy & Utilities and Construction.
The FMCG/Agro Production category also covers Pharmaceuticals.
Banking/Finance includes insurance and other financial organizations.
The Awards Committee reserves the right, after the application period ends, to adjust the number of final nominations to ensure fair competition, and to reassign participants between categories according to their companies’ activities.
To cast a vote, an IT Leader must be registered on the Global CIO portal with IT Decision Maker status. This status is granted to CIOs or IT leaders at organizations that are not IT service providers and whose registration is confirmed via a valid corporate email.
Timeline
February, 24 — April, 1, 2026
Acceptance of applications
April, 2 — May, 14
Voting period
May, 27
Awarding ceremony
Achievements
IT leaders can earn additional points for:
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- Participant of the “Project of the Year” competition (3 points)
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- Winning the “Project of the Year” competition (5 points)
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- Taking part as a speaker in professional conferences hosted by Global CIO (3 points)
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- Contributing to Global CIO articles (3 points)
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- Member of the IT Leaders Club (3 points)
Participants can also purchase an extended profile section to showcase their company and its competencies.
Participants can receive more additional points by providing extra information about their professional experience in the application. This information will be displayed in the participant’s profile and will help ensure a more comprehensive evaluation of their experience during voting. Additional points for answering optional questions in the application are awarded based on the internal rating methodology, described via the link.
Competences
The list of competencies, сonfermed by other members, includes:
FAQ
Yes, you can nominate yourself. However, to confirm your participation, you must provide the contact details of an IT executive who can recommend you.
Yes, you can nominate the head of your department if they meet the criteria.
Those registered on the Global CIO portal with "IT Decision Maker" status can vote and confirm the competencies of participants. If the head of your company or customer's executive is not a community member, please invite them to register on the Global CIO via the link .
Yes, "Professional" status allows individuals to vote and confirm the competencies for any number of candidates.
The full list of achievements is given above. It includes participation in “Project Of The Year” and other activities.
The distribution of participants within industries is based on their total points.