The CIO Association of Canada is pleased to announce that at the Annual General Meeting held earlier today, Humza Teherany, Chief Innovation Officer of Compass Group Canada and Chief Executive Officer of Compass Digital Labs, was appointed President of the National Board. With experience on the Toronto Chapter Board, Humza joined the National Board in September of 2015, taking on the position of Vice-President.
Outgoing President Gary Davenport noted that “In addition to working together for the past year, I had the pleasure of working with Humza in the private sector and know that he will do a great job for us, bringing new energy, fresh ideas, passion and commitment to the role. We are pleased to have acquired someone of his stature and experience as our new president.”
Humza offered his insight into the direction he hopes the Association will follow over the coming years: “This is a very exciting time to be a CIO and I am looking forward to continuing to establish the CIO Association of Canada as the voice of innovation in the country. The current state of technology allows us to move quickly and drive real top and bottom line value within our companies. Our members, some of the best and brightest technology leaders, are creating amazing innovations all across the country.”
Growth in the CIO Association has been steady over the past twelve years. When Gary Davenport accepted the role of President in 2011, the Association had about 250 members and 4 regional chapters. At the end of the past fiscal year, membership was well over 300, and there are now six regional chapters. A number of measures were implemented during Gary’s presidency including focusing the strategic activities of the various boards, changing the underlying support structures, and emphasizing the purpose of the Association, which is summarized in the vision statement: Growth. Influence. Impact.
When asked about the significant accomplishments of his presidency, Gary said “I am proud of our many accomplishments over the past 5 years, including making the Association a more significant and relevant player within the industry. CIOCAN is now widely recognized as being the ‘Voice of CIOs’ in Canada and is routinely sought after by major industry players as a highly desirable partner to work with. We have collectively come a long way, and are well positioned for the future”.