The road to one of the most prestigious recognitions in global enterprise IT leadership has officially begun, as the Global CIO Forum (GCF) announced the launch of the evaluation process for the World CIO 200 Summit 2025.

In a virtual townhall held yesterday, attended by country ambassadors from across the globe, Anushree Dixit, Chief Strategy Officer at GCF, unveiled the structured nomination and evaluation process that will culminate at the grand finale in Egypt this September.

“The nomination process is built to recognize not just innovation, but impact,” said Anushree. “Country ambassadors will lead the first round of evaluations. These nominations will then be vetted by an international judging council to ensure a balanced, unbiased, and high-standard assessment.”

This year’s summit promises to spotlight CIOs who are leading transformative initiatives, enabling organizational agility, and demonstrating outstanding leadership in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Country ambassadors play a critical role in identifying technology leaders who are making meaningful contributions at national and regional levels.

“The World CIO 200 Summit doesn’t just reward titles—it rewards transformation,” said Peter Gesper, Country Ambassador, UAE. “Our responsibility as ambassadors is to highlight those leaders who are redefining the role of technology in business and society.”

“The first round of judging is about relevance, innovation, and measurable impact,” added Dr.Jassim Haji, Country Ambassador, Bahrain. “We’re not just looking for great projects—we’re looking for visionaries who lead with purpose and create sustainable change.”

With the first round of shortlisting in the hands of regional experts, the final vetting by the International Judging Council ensures that only the most deserving CIOs are honored on the global stage.

“The bar is intentionally high,” said Tushar Sahoo, Founder of the Global CIO Forum. “Our judging criteria are rooted in leadership effectiveness, innovation depth, scalability, and real-world impact. We don’t just want success stories—we want stories that inspire the world.”

The World CIO 200 Summit continues to be a defining platform for celebrating global technology leadership, uniting the best and brightest minds in the CIO community.