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Adapt IT CEO named IT Personality of the Year

By , Portals editor
South Africa , 24 Nov 2016

Adapt IT CEO named IT Personality of the Year

Sbu Shabalala, CEO of Duban-based and JSE-listed company Adapt IT has been voted IT Personality of the Year at the IITPSA (Institute of Information Technology Professionals) President's Awards 2016 held in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Along with Visionary of CIO of the Year Award winner Peter Alkema, CIO Business Banking at FNB, and Distinguished Service in ICT Award winner Professor Barry Dwolatzky, Professor of Software Engineering at the Wits School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Shabalala was recognised by industry at a ceremony organised by the IITPSA in association with ITWeb, Gartner, the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) and Engineer IT.

In its financial results for the year ended 30 June 2016, Adapt IT confirmed a 38% increase in turnover to R796 million, a 58% increase in operating profit and a 36% increase in headline earnings per share.

The company provides specialised software solutions and services to various sectors in markets across Africa, Australasia, Europe and North America. Shabalala said there are plans to grow the business, particularly in light of an increasingly tough market in South Africa.

ICT professionalism

The event is hosted annually to recognise talent and achievement within the ICT sector, with specific attention to those who have strengthened standards of professionalism.

Tony Parry, CEO of IITPSA, said the organisation has been in service for 59 years and is the third oldest of its kind globally, and the Personality of the Year Award was in its 38th year of existence.

Ulandi Exner, President of the IITPSA emphasised the role of the awards in celebrating achievement, but also in bringing awareness to the efforts of the "unsung heroes" of the sector, those who – through their efforts – have contributed to job creation, and underlined technology's contribution to social development.

"The awards are a testament to the work ethic and dedication of individuals and businesses," said Exner.

Brenda Aynsley, former president of Australian Computer Society Inc., highlighted the importance of teamwork, professionalism and training with regards to the ICT field, and mentioned the ongoing issue of gender disparity that continues to impact on the development of the sector.

"There have been improvements in gender disparity, but we have a long way to go," said Aynsley, who also reiterated the need for business leaders to make ICT an attractive and accessible career pathway for an increasingly diverse workforce.

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