TIME Named Inaugural Executives of the Year in Tech
The list recognizes fifty leaders, including CIOs and CTOs, for driving business-wide AI and digital infrastructure adoption.
Updated on Sept. 22, 2026 in Cybersecurity
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TIME has released its first list of 50 Executives of the Year for Tech and Data, honoring leaders whose strategic decisions shape enterprise technology deployment. The selection includes chief information, technology, data, and product officers from across the globe.
Why it matters
The list serves as a new mechanism to identify and convene the leadership responsible for the accelerating integration of AI and security frameworks into core business operations. It marks an institutional shift toward formalizing the influence of digital-infrastructure executives in the boardroom.
TIME identified 50 senior leaders, specifically targeting roles in chief information, technology, data, and product management. This count serves as the inaugural baseline for a program that intends to scale into additional industry fields by 2027.
The players
TIME
A global media organization that produces news, analysis, and influential lists tracking business, political, and technological change.
Alex Levy
The BNSF Railway executive named as the TIME and Commvault CISO of the Year for his work in industrial digital security.
BNSF Railway
A major North American freight rail network that maintains extensive digital logistics and operational infrastructure.
Commvault
A data protection and management software provider that co-sponsored the CISO of the Year recognition.
Rokt
A marketing technology firm that provided the presenting sponsorship for the inaugural list.
The details
Editors evaluated leaders based on their measurable impact on the business adoption of technology and data strategies. The cohort includes professionals driving advancements in AI, cybersecurity, and foundational digital infrastructure, with Alex Levy of BNSF Railway recognized specifically as the TIME and Commvault CISO of the Year.
Timeline
September 22, 2026: TIME released the inaugural Executives of the Year list.
2027: The franchise is scheduled to expand into additional professional fields.
The Tech Race
This initiative tracks closely with the expansion of existing industry recognition models like the TIME 100, which have historically focused on broader cultural and political influence. By narrowing the scope to technical and data leadership, TIME is formalizing a benchmark for how technology executives are measured within the competitive landscape of digital transformation.
The list provides a reference for identifying which leadership profiles are currently driving the most significant shifts in enterprise technology policy. While the announcement does not immediately change individual product workflows, it marks the executive benchmarks that often influence corporate vendor selection and technology investment cycles.
The takeaway
The inaugural list signals a maturation in how media organizations evaluate the influence of CIOs and CTOs on business strategy. Monitor the expansion of this franchise in 2027 to see which new industry sectors TIME integrates into this executive-level tracking framework.
Further reading
For broader trends in enterprise digital protection, see the latest coverage in Cybersecurity.
More information
Review the full cohort of recognized leaders on the TIME Executives of the Year list.
Source note: This article includes information reported by TIME.
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