LOS ANGELES, Oct. 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The 2025 SoCal ORBIE Awards recognized the exceptional leadership and innovation of top technology executives from Monster Beverage Corp, Epson America, AMN Healthcare Services, Emanate Health, LA Clippers and Intuit Dome, UCLA Anderson School of Management, Skyworks Solutions, Inc., and Sharp HealthCare. Hosted by SoCalCIO and SanDiegoCIO, and introducing SoCalCISO, chapters of the Inspire Leadership Network, the prestigious awards honor CIOs and CISOs and C-suite technology leaders who drive business transformation and industry impact.
Winners were recognized across eight categories: Super Global, Global, Large Enterprise, Enterprise, Large Corporate, Corporate, CISO Global, and CISO Enterprise. The ceremony, which took place at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach, brought together top executives and industry leaders to celebrate excellence in technology leadership.
“Great leaders understand how transformation is driven by both innovation and meaningful connections,” said Kevin Abbott, SoCalCIO Chair.
“The ORBIE® Awards recognize CIOs & CISOs who are making an impact through leadership excellence. The awards finalists and winners highlight the excellence and vision that are transforming Southern California’s economy,” said Mark Hagan, SanDiegoCIO Chair.
Meet the 2025 SoCal ORBIE Award Winners:
Vishal Kumar, Global CIO, Monster Beverage Corp, received the Super Global ORBIE for organizations over $5.3 billion annual revenue and multi-national operations.
Michael Wang, Chief Information & Digital Officer, Epson America, received the Global ORBIE for organizations over $1.2 billion annual revenue and multi-national operations.
Mark Hagan, Chief Information & Digital Officer, AMN Healthcare Services, received the Large Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $2.8 billion annual revenue.
Daniel Nash, CIO, Emanate Health, received the Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $700 million annual revenue.
George Hanna, Chief Technology & Digital Officer, LA Clippers and Intuit Dome, received the Large Corporate ORBIE for organizations over $350 million annual revenue.
Howard Miller, CIO, UCLA Anderson School of Management, received the Corporate ORBIE for organizations up to $300 million annual revenue.
Greg Kim, VP & CISO, Skyworks Solutions, Inc., received the CISO Global ORBIE for organizations over $4 billion in annual revenue and multi-national operations.
Chase Franzen, VP & CISO, Sharp HealthCare, received the CISO Enterprise ORBIE for organizations up to $900 million annual revenue.
About the ORBIE:
The ORBIE is the preeminent executive recognition for C-suite leaders. Since 1998, the ORBIE Awards have recognized leadership excellence, building relationships between executives and trusted business partners, and inspiring the next generation of executives. 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
- Business value created by technology innovation and enterprise security
- Engagement in industry and community endeavors
SoCal ORBIE Keynote & Attendance:
The keynote address for the SoCal ORBIE Awards was delivered by Carol Fawcett, Corporate VP & CIO (fmr), Golden State Foods, who was interviewed by Kevin Abbott, Head of Global IT, Panasonic Avionics. Over 350 guests attended, representing leading Southern California organizations and their technology partners.
The following sponsors made the 2025 SoCal ORBIE Awards possible:
- Underwriters: Google Cloud, Milestone Technologies, Rimini Street & T-Mobile for Business
- Gold Sponsors: Comcast & Fortinet
- Silver Sponsors: Bristlecone, Cato Networks, Cloudflare, Glean, i-Source, Okta, Palo Alto Networks, Sentinel One, Tata Consultancy Services & Upstack
- Bronze Sponsors: Avasant, Between Pixels, Broadband Dynamics, Cloud Now Consulting, Global Gig, HCLTech, Salesforce, Technologent & Toast
- Media Partner: Los Angeles Business Journal
- Nonprofit Partner: Year Up United
To learn more about sponsorship opportunities and how to connect with leading C-suite executives across North America, click here.
About SoCalCIO, SanDiegoCIO and SoCalCISO:
SoCalCIO, SanDiegoCIO and SoCalCISO are the preeminent peer leadership networks of C-suite technology and security leaders in SoCal. As three of 50 chapters of the Inspire Leadership Network, SoCalCIO, SanDiegoCIO and SoCalCISO belong to a national membership organization exclusively comprised of C-suite leaders from public and private businesses, government, education, healthcare, and nonprofit institutions.
SoCalCIO, SanDiegoCIO and SoCalCISO are led by CIO Advisory Boards, with support from an executive director and staff. Underwriter executives support the chapter and ensure the programs remain non-commercial and exclusive to qualified CIOs, CISOs, and members.
About Inspire Leadership Network:
Inspire Leadership Network is the preeminent peer leadership network of C-suite executives. With nearly 2,000 members across 50 local 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.
Media Contact
Nicole Lammes
[email protected]
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1455cd0e-8f01-41ca-ae57-7210b7bdac2c
