Leading CIOs honored for leadership, innovation, and business impact at the Carolina CIO ORBIE Awards on September 10, 2026, at The Westin Charlotte.
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The 2026 Carolina CIO ORBIE Awards honored leading chief information officers (CIOs) from MetLife, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Armstrong Transport Group, Duke Energy, Beacon Mobility, Rodgers Builders, Hornets Sports & Entertainment, and North Carolina Rate Burreau for their exceptional leadership. Hosted by CharlotteCIO & TriangleCIO, two of over 50 Inspire Leadership Network chapters, the prestigious award honors CIOs who drive business transformation and industry impact. View finalists, partners, and more on the Digital ORBIE Feature.
This exclusive event brought together top executives and industry leaders from across the Carolinas. The morning honored excellence in technology leadership across seven award categories at The Westin Charlotte.
“Behind every technology innovation is a CIO leading the vision and shaping the strategy,” said Jaimee Robles, CharlotteCIO Chair. “The ORBIE Awards are the ultimate recognition program for the leaders behind the work.”
“The ORBIE Awards recognize CIOs driving meaningful impact through leadership excellence. Finalists and winners highlight the business value of technology initiatives shaping and transforming Carolina’s economy,” said Jonathan Shough, TriangleCIO Chair.
Meet the 2026 Carolina CIO ORBIE Award Winners:
- Bill Pappas, EVP & Head of Global Technology and Operations, MetLife, received the Leadership ORBIE.
- Keri Henderson, VP & CTO Clinical Research Business, Thermo Fisher Scientific, received the Super Global ORBIE for organizations over $7 billion annual revenue & multi-national operations.
- Vamsi Tirnati, CTO & CIO, Armstrong Transport Group, received the Global ORBIE for organizations over $1 billion annual revenue & multi-national operations.
- Richard Donaldson, SVP & CIO, Duke Energy, received the Large Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $13 billion annual revenue.
- Guarav Sharda, CTO, Beacon Mobility, received the Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $1 billion annual revenue.
- Markus Hill, CIO, Rodgers Builders, received the Large Corporate ORBIE for organizations over $400 million annual revenue.
- Ronnie Bryant, CIO, Hornets Sports & Entertainment, received the Corporate ORBIE for organizations up to $400 million annual revenue.
- Shelley Chandler, CIO, North Carolina Rate Bureau, received the Nonprofit / Public Sector ORBIE for government and nonprofit organizations.
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 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
- Business value created by technology innovation
- Engagement in industry and community endeavors
Carolina CIO ORBIE Keynote & Attendance:
The keynote address for the Carolina CIO ORBIE Awards was delivered by Angela Yochem, Global Chief Tech & Performance Officer, Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation, who was interviewed by Jaimee Robles, Chief Core Platforms & Product Operations Officer, Gainwell Technologies. Over 300 guests attended, representing leading Charlotte and Research Triangle organizations and their technology partners.
The following partners made the 2026 Carolina CIO ORBIE Awards possible:
- Underwriters: Burwood Group, Dell Technologies, Google Cloud, Rimini Street, Tego
- Gold Partners: Comcast Business, K & B Global, Reynolds & Reynolds
- Silver Partners: Cisco, Dynatrace, Hexaware, McKinsey & Company, Microsoft, Palo Alto Networks, Persistent, Slalom Consulting
- Bronze Partners: Birlasoft Solutions Inc., Everforth Quinnox, Handshake, HCL Tech, HP, Movate, NTT Data
- Media Partner: Charlotte Business Journal, Triangle Business Journal
- Nonprofit Partner: Year Up United
To learn more about partnership opportunities and how to connect with leading C-suite executives across North America, click here.
About CharlotteCIO & TriangleCIO:
CharlotteCIO & TriangleCIO are the preeminent peer leadership networks of chief information officers (CIOs) in Charlotte and Research Triangle. As two of over 50 chapters of the Inspire Leadership Network, CharlotteCIO & TriangleCIO belong to a national membership organization exclusively comprised of C-suite leaders from public and private businesses, government, education, healthcare, and nonprofit institutions.
CharlotteCIO & TriangleCIO are led by a CIO Advisory Board, with support from an executive director and staff. Underwriter executives support the chapters and ensure the programs remain member-led and exclusive to qualified CIOs and members.
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.
Media Contact
Nicole Lammes
nicole.lammes@inspirecxo.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cf8179ea-e8b9-4423-bf4b-f92a7700ae22
