Top Technology Executives Recognized at the 2026 Wisconsin ORBIE Awards

BROOKFIELD, Wis., Aug. 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The 2026 Wisconsin ORBIE Awards honored leading chief information officers (CIOs) from Frank, Rimerman + Co., LLP, Plexus Corp, U.S. Venture Inc., Promega, City Brewing & Beverage, and Fincantieri Marine Group for their exceptional leadership. Hosted by WisconsinCIO, one 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 Wisconsin. The morning honored excellence in technology leadership across five award categories at Brookfield Conference Center.  

“Technology is only as powerful as the leaders who harness it to drive business outcomes.” Said Tim Dickson, Chapter Chair of WisconsinCIO. “The ORBIE Awards recognize the CIOs who set the vision, build great teams, and turn innovation into measurable impact for their organizations.”

Meet the 2026 Wisconsin ORBIE Award Winners: 

Allen Smith, CIO, Frank, Rimerman + Co., LLP, received the Leadership ORBIE.

Kyle McMillan, Chief Information & Technology Officer, Plexus Corp, received the Global ORBIE for organizations over $3 billion annual revenue & multi-national operations.

Anil Tiwari, CIO, U.S. Venture Inc., received the Large Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $1.5 billion annual revenue.

Sandi Gardner, CIO, Promega, received the Enterprise ORBIE for organizations over $690 million annual revenue.

Eric Ensminger, Chief Information & Transformation Officer, City Brewing & Beverage, received the Large Corporate ORBIE for organizations over $420 million annual revenue.

Snehasish Maity, CIO, Fincantieri Marine Group, received the Corporate ORBIE for organizations up to $420 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 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

Wisconsin ORBIE Keynote & Attendance: 

The keynote address for the Wisconsin ORBIE Awards was delivered by Allen Smith, CIO, Frank, Rimerman + Co., who was interviewed by Sheldon Cuffie, CEO & Founder, Cream City Cyber. Over 300 guests attended, representing leading Wisconsin organizations and their technology partners.

The following partners made the 2026 Wisconsin ORBIE Awards possible:

• Underwriters: 7Rivers, Baker Tilly, Concord, Google Cloud, Xorbix
• Gold Partners: AMD, Brooksource, Deloitte
• Silver Partners: AE Business Solutions, Nutanix, Palo Alto Networks, Synercomm, Tata Consultancy Services
• Bronze Partners: 66degrees, Mindsprint, Naviant, Nvisia, Slalom Consulting, The Redesign Group, Vaco by Highspring, Yash Technologies
• Media Partner: Milwaukee 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 WisconsinCIO:

WisconsinCIO is the preeminent peer leadership network of chief information officers (CIOs) in Wisconsin. As one of over 50 chapters of the Inspire Leadership Network, WisconsinCIO belongs to a national membership organization exclusively comprised of C-suite leaders from public and private businesses, government, education, healthcare, and nonprofit institutions.

WisconsinCIO is led by a CIO Advisory Board, with support from an executive director and staff. Underwriter executives support the chapter 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/a9a47259-bae9-49ea-a9c0-3964c15b46b8