SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Since 1998, the ORBIE® Awards have recognized leadership excellence, fostered executive relationships, and inspired the next generation of leaders. On August 6, 2026, Inspire members came together from across North America for the National ORBIE Awards in San Jose, California, to close out Converge26, Inspire’s annual member leadership experience.
Inspire Leadership Network announced the winners of the 2026 National ORBIE Awards, recognizing chief information officers and chief information security officers in 11 key categories – CIO Super Global, CIO Global, CIO Large Enterprise, CISO Large Enterprise, CIO Enterprise, CISO Enterprise, CIO Large Corporate, CISO Large Corporate, CIO Corporate, CIO Healthcare, and CIO Nonprofit/Public Sector.
The 2026 National ORBIE Awards winners are:
Jennifer Hartsock, Chief Information & Digital Officer, Cargill, received the CIO Super Global ORBIE for organizations over $25 billion annual revenue and multi-national operations.
Sameer Purao, SVP, CIO & CDO, Celanese, received the CIO Global ORBIE for organizations over $3 billion annual revenue and multi-national operations.
Sastry Durvasula, Chief Operating, Information & Digital Officer, TIAA, received the CIO Large Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $3 billion annual revenue.
Venkat Gopalan, Chief Digital, Data & Technology Officer, Belcorp, received the CIO Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $1.2 billion annual revenue.
Joel Tracy, CIO, IMC Logistics, LLC., received the CIO Large Corporate ORBIE for organizations over $800 million annual revenue.
Sharon Milz, CIO, TIME, received the CIO Corporate ORBIE for organizations up to $800 million annual revenue.
Scott Morgan, SVP & CIO, Health Care Service Corporation, received the CIO Healthcare ORBIE for hospitals and healthcare organizations.
Dr. Bianca Lochner, CIO, City of Scottsdale, received the CIO Nonprofit/Public Sector ORBIE for government, education, and nonprofit organizations.
Krishnan Chellakarai, CISO, Gilead Sciences, received the CISO Large Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $20 billion annual revenue.
Kim Keever, CISO, Cox Communications, received the CISO Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $2 billion annual revenue.
Murtaza Nisar, VP & CISO, Clario, received the CISO Large Corporate ORBIE for organizations up to $2 billion annual revenue.
The 2026 National ORBIE Awards were made possible by the following partners:
- Premier Partners: Comcast Business, Google Cloud, Halcyon, and Lumen Technologies
- Conference Partners: Deloitte, Nutanix, SHI International, and T-Mobile for Business
- Awards Partners: Altimetrik, Future Tech Enterprise, Concord, and Stripes
To learn more about partnership opportunities and how to connect with leading C-suite executives across North America, click here.
About the ORBIE Awards
The ORBIE is the preeminent executive recognition for C-suite leaders. Finalists and winners are selected through an independent peer-adjudicated process led by prior ORBIE recipients based on the following criteria:
- Leadership and management effectiveness
- Engagement in industry and community endeavors
- Driving meaningful business value and impact
About Inspire Leadership Network
Inspire Leadership Network is the preeminent peer leadership network of C-suite executives. With over 2,000 members across over 50 chapters, Inspire members serve public and private businesses, government, education, healthcare, and non-profit institutions. Inspire exists to help leaders thrive in today’s most challenging executive roles.
Each local chapter within Inspire is led by an Advisory Board, and Underwriters ensure programs remain member-led and exclusive to qualified executives.
Media Contact
Nicole Lammes
nicole.lammes@inspirecxo.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e75211a4-c291-42eb-a2cb-25176efe30ef
