At Otto IT, we are proud of a lot of things. We are proud of the work we do for our clients, proud of the technology we build, and proud of the people who make it all happen. Today, we get to be proud publicly, and that feels pretty good.

Two of our senior leaders have been named finalists at the ARN Women in ICT Awards (WIICTA) 2026, held on 28 April 2026 at Ilumina in Sydney. This is not a small deal. The WIICTA 2026 is the biggest in the award’s 15-year history, with 222 finalists drawn from more than 100 organisations across 372-plus nominations. Being named a finalist in that field means something real.

Our two finalists are Megan Visser, our Chief Customer and Marketing Officer, who earned Highly Commended in the Shining Star category, and Jessica Tolsma, our Chief Admin and People Officer, recognised in the Culture and Equity Champion (Partner) category. We could not be more chuffed for both of them.

Megan Visser: Highly Commended, Shining Star

The Shining Star category recognises individuals who have demonstrated outstanding achievement, impact, and potential within the ICT industry. To earn recognition in this category, you need to show genuine, measurable leadership and a clear trajectory of contribution to the sector.

Megan has been driving the customer and marketing function at Otto IT with exactly that kind of intent. She understands that technology businesses need to communicate differently. They need to cut through the noise, build real trust with clients, and consistently demonstrate value beyond the product. Megan has brought all of that to her role since joining the team, and the results speak for themselves through sharper positioning, stronger client relationships, and a brand that actually sounds human.

Receiving a Highly Commended acknowledgement in the Shining Star category at the women in ICT awards 2026 is a meaningful recognition, drawn from a field of 14 exceptional finalists across the partner category. It is a testament to the kind of leadership Megan brings every day. Not the performative kind. The kind that quietly makes everything work better.

Jessica Tolsma: Culture and Equity Champion (Partner) Finalist

The Culture and Equity Champion category is one of the most meaningful recognitions in the WIICTA program because it shines a light on the people doing the harder, slower work. Building a genuinely equitable workplace is not a campaign or a policy document. It is a practice, and it takes someone who understands people deeply to make it stick.

Jessica has been leading that work at Otto IT as our Chief Admin and People Officer. She oversees the operational and people foundations that allow the rest of the business to function with clarity and purpose. Equity is not an afterthought in her approach. It is baked into the way we hire, the way we develop people, and the way we make sure every person at Otto IT has a fair go.

Being named a finalist in this category reflects the genuine investment Otto IT makes in building a workplace that does not just talk about inclusion but actually delivers it. Jessica is the reason that investment is consistent and credible. You can learn more about our team and how we work at ottoit.com.au/team.

What This Means for Otto IT Culture

These two nominations did not happen by accident, and they did not happen because someone put their hand up for an award. They happened because Megan and Jessica show up every day and do the work with genuine commitment.

At Otto IT, we serve professional services firms who need technology to just work. That means we need leaders who are commercially sharp, operationally excellent, and genuinely decent to work with. Having two of our senior leaders recognised at the biggest WIICTA in the award’s 15-year history tells us we are getting the people side of this right.

It also reinforces something we believe strongly as a business. Diversity of thought and experience is not a nice-to-have in technology. It is a competitive advantage. Teams that bring different perspectives to technical and strategic problems consistently outperform those that do not. The research supports it, but honestly so does common sense.

We are building a business where the best people want to work, regardless of their background. That means creating an environment where leadership is recognised based on contribution, not familiarity. Megan and Jessica are excellent examples of what that looks like in practice. You can read more about how we think about our people and culture at ottoit.com.au/about.

Women in Tech in Australia: Progress and What Still Needs to Happen

The WIICTA program exists because there is still meaningful work to do when it comes to gender equity in the Australian ICT sector. The awards shine a light on the women already succeeding in technology and create a visible pipeline of role models for those coming up behind them.

Australia has made genuine progress in recent years when it comes to women in tech leadership. More women are moving into senior technical and executive roles, more businesses are actively investing in diversity programs, and conversations about equity have shifted from the margins to the mainstream. That is genuinely encouraging.

However, the data consistently shows that women remain underrepresented across the technology sector, particularly in technical and C-suite roles. The pipeline problem is real. Girls are still far less likely to pursue STEM subjects at school, women are still more likely to exit the technology industry mid-career, and senior leadership teams in most tech companies still skew heavily male. The WIICTA program helps address the visibility gap, but visibility alone does not close the equity gap.

What actually moves the needle is businesses making deliberate choices. Choices about who they hire, how they develop and retain talent, how they structure flexibility, and how they ensure that performance is recognised on merit rather than proximity or familiarity. That is the work Jessica is doing at Otto IT, and it is the kind of work that deserves recognition far beyond a single awards ceremony.

The fact that the 2026 WIICTA had 372-plus nominations from 100-plus organisations tells us that the commitment to recognising women in ICT is growing. More businesses are putting forward the women doing exceptional work within their organisations, and that increased visibility matters. It changes what seems possible for the people watching.

At Otto IT, we are proud to be part of that movement. Not because it is good for our brand, although we will admit it does not hurt. We are proud because we genuinely believe that better representation in technology leads to better technology, better businesses, and better outcomes for the clients we serve. If you want to understand what we deliver for our clients, take a look at ottoit.com.au/services.

What Happens Next

The WIICTA 2026 awards celebration lunch takes place on 28 April 2026 at Ilumina in Sydney, bringing together 222 finalists from across the Australian ICT industry. We are proud to have Megan and Jessica in that room representing Otto IT.

Regardless of the final outcome, the finalist recognition itself is a meaningful acknowledgement of the work both women have put in. Being selected from 372-plus nominations in the biggest WIICTA in the program’s history is something to be genuinely proud of, and we are.

Congratulations again to both Megan and Jessica, and to every winner and highly commended recipient at WIICTA 2026.

Want to Know More About Otto IT?

We are an IT, cloud, and cybersecurity MSP built specifically for professional services firms. We believe technology should be reliable, clear, and never a source of stress for the people using it. If that sounds like the kind of IT partner your business needs, we would love to have a conversation.

Visit ottoit.com.au/about to learn more about who we are and what we stand for, or browse our services to see how we help businesses like yours get technology right.

Congratulations to Megan, Jessica, and every single finalist at WIICTA 2026. You have all earned your place in that room.