SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – The Global Technology Industry Association (GTIA), the nonprofit membership community connecting and representing the worldwide IT channel, has named the winners of the 2026 GTIA ANZ Spotlight Awards, recognising their outstanding commitment, innovation, and leadership across the Australian and New Zealand IT channel and worldwide technology ecosystem.
The winners were celebrated last night at the CRN Channel Awards Australia together with the GTIA ANZ Spotlight Awards, a first-of-its-kind joint event held at the Hyatt Regency Sydney in partnership with CRN Australia.
“Congratulations to all of this year’s award recipients,” said MJ Shoer, chief community officer at GTIA. “Our members across ANZ continue to demonstrate genuine and enthusiastic engagement, innovation, and thought leadership both locally and on a global scale. It’s a privilege to recognise their achievements over the past 12 months, and we thank them for the impact they’ve made on our community.”
The GTIA ANZ Spotlight Awards recognise the following industry leading individuals and organisations:
Gerardo Barranquero, CEO at Avocado Consulting, was awarded the Community Leadership Award, which recognises an individual GTIA member who has spent the past 12 months demonstrating exceptional commitment, passion, and professionalism, and whose leadership and service have made a measurable, positive impact.
Lynda Irving, head of IT delivery at CJI Systems, was tapped as the Future Leader Award winner, an award given to a young professional who demonstrates innovation, entrepreneurial success, and meaningful industry impact.
Jason Garland, director at Secure Access IT, received the Cybersecurity Leadership Award for his exceptional dedication, expertise, and leadership, strengthening the cybersecurity resilience of our community.
Kristal Jamieson, founder and director at One Little Seed, won the Advancing Women in Technology Leadership Award. This award is aimed at recognising those in our community who lead with purpose, impact, and dedication – within the GTIA community, the IT channel, their personal networks, and their broader community – to champion women in technology, serve as influential role models, and drive meaningful change.
One Little Seed itself was recognised with the Associate Member Award for its meaningful engagement with the GTIA community and the positive impact it’s had on the lives and careers of channel professionals across the region.
Crayon, a SoftwareOne company, took home the award for Advancing Diversity in Technology Leadership for championing a more inclusive, equitable, and forward-looking technology channel.
Sophos took home the Innovative Vendor Award for its bold thinking and transformative innovation to meaningfully improve customer experiences, empower partners, strengthen businesses, and unlock new value across the IT channel.
Tech Data, a TD SYNNEX company, won the Innovative Distributor Award which recognises a company that has embraced innovation through new services, improved operational models, forward-looking partner enablement, or technologies that elevate customer experiences and reshapes how the channel moves forward.
Avocado Consulting won the IT Service Provider (ITSP) Award, designed to recognize an organization that has set a new benchmark for excellence, innovation and leadership in delivering technology services. This award celebrates solution providers, MSPs and other technology service organisations that empower customers through high‑quality, forward‑thinking solutions designed to strengthen operations and support long‑term growth.
More information about the GTIA ANZ Spotlight Awards, including the nomination and selection process, can be found at gtia.org.
About the Global Technology Industry Association
The Global Technology Industry Association (GTIA) is the only vendor-neutral, 501(c)(6) nonprofit membership community connecting and representing the worldwide IT channel. We set our members up for success by providing benefits that include trusted resources and networking opportunities. In addition, the association sets industry standards that enable companies to build sustainable, secure, and profitable businesses in an ever-changing technology landscape. Internationally, GTIA represents hundreds of thousands of professionals from nearly 3,000 ITSPs, vendors, distributors and other companies serving the IT channel.
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