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Five Canadian Winners Recognized for IT Innovation and Leadership in 2026 Info-Tech Awards

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Info-Tech Research Group’s annual awards program has named five Canadian recipients whose achievements for 2026 span organizational innovation, IT process improvement, and leadership that supports the advancement of women in technology. The honourees represent municipal government, financial services, manufacturing, and higher education.

TORONTO, Oct. 13, 2026 /CNW/ — Info-Tech Research Group has announced the Canadian winners of its 2026 Info-Tech Awards, recognizing achievements across the country that have strengthened IT performance and its contribution to organizational success this year. The 2026 Canadian recipients include The Regional Municipality of Durham and leaders from Manulife, City of Brampton, Premier Tech, and Yorkville University.

The annual program celebrates both individual leadership and organizational innovation through its Leader of the Year and Innovator of the Year streams. Recipients are selected through an evaluation process that draws on diagnostic data, nomination forms, and interviews, with criteria specific to each category.

“Creating a more capable IT organization means paying equal attention to processes and the people who carry them out,” says Info-Tech Research Group’s Chief Global Services Officer, Hannes Scheidegger. “This year’s Canadian recipients bring those priorities into focus through their achievements in innovation, operational improvement, and leadership. Their contributions set an example for others working to strengthen IT performance and create opportunities for the next generation of technology leaders.”

The five recipients for Canada are among 68 total award recipients recognized worldwide in 2026. Canadian honourees were recognized in both the North America Large and Enterprise Division and the North America Small and Medium Division, reflecting the breadth of achievements across organizations of different sizes.

2026 Info-Tech Awards Canadian Winners
The Canadian winners of the 2026 Info-Tech Awards were recognized across three categories: Innovator of the Year, Women Leading IT, and IT Excellence. Together, their success highlights the contributions of IT leaders and teams across the nation to organizational innovation, operational effectiveness, and the ongoing evolution of the profession.

2026 Innovator of the Year Award
The Innovator of the Year Award honours organizations that deliver impactful, technology-driven initiatives to solve business challenges, improve efficiency, and set new standards.

The following Canadian organization has earned this year’s Innovator of the Year award:

North America – Large and Enterprise DivisionThe Regional Municipality of Durham

2026 Women Leading IT Award
The Women Leading IT Award celebrates women who have elevated innovation, inclusive leadership, and mentorship within their organizations and across the broader industry, helping to shape the next generation of leaders.

Canada’s 2026 Women Leading IT award recipient is:

North America – Large and Enterprise DivisionDawn Borent, Head of Retirement Technology Transformation, Manulife

2026 IT Excellence Award
The IT Excellence Award spotlights leaders who have demonstrated measurable improvements in IT processes and operational effectiveness, based on progress between assessments in Info-Tech’s IT Management & Governance Diagnostic.

This year’s Canadian recipients are:

North America – Large and Enterprise DivisionMedhanie Tekeste, Chief Information Officer, City of BramptonPierre-Luc Simard, Vice President, Information Technology, Premier TechNorth America – Small and Medium DivisionJassi Kaur, Chief Information Officer, Yorkville University

For more information about the Info-Tech Awards and the complete list of global winners, please visit the 2026 Info-Tech Awards page.

To request interviews or expert commentary from Info-Tech’s experts on the evolving role of IT leadership and innovation in Canada, please contact pr@infotech.com.

About Info-Tech Research Group
Info-Tech Research Group is the “get things done” partner for over 30,000 IT, HR, and marketing leaders worldwide. The fastest growing research and advisory firm, Info-Tech enables leaders to make well-informed decisions and transform their organizations through AI, strategic foresight, step-by-step methodologies, practical tools, industry-leading advisory, and training programs. For nearly 30 years, tens of thousands of private and public organizations have trusted Info-Tech to lead their most important initiatives through periods of change and deliver outcomes that truly matter.

To learn more about Info-Tech’s HR research and advisory services, visit McLean & Company, and for data-driven software buying insights and vendor evaluations, visit the firm’s SoftwareReviews platform.

Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software, and hundreds of industry analysts through the firm’s Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact pr@infotech.com.

For information about Info-Tech Research Group or to access the latest research, visit infotech.com and connect via LinkedIn and X.

SOURCE Info-Tech Research Group

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Platform Financial Expands into Alberta with Strategic Leadership Appointments

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TORONTO, Oct. 14, 2026 /CNW/ — Platform Financial is pleased to announce its expansion into Alberta, marking a significant milestone in the firm’s continued growth across Canada. As part of this expansion, the firm has appointed Brad Malazdrewicz as Managing Partner, Alberta, and Blaise Morin, as Director, Insurance Solutions, further strengthening Platform Financials’ ability to deliver comprehensive planning and advisory services to clients nationwide.

Brad Malazdrewicz joins Platform Financial with extensive experience in financial services leadership, business development, and advisor growth. Based in Calgary, Brad will lead Platform Financials’ Alberta operations, supporting the firm’s expanding advisor network and driving growth initiatives throughout the province. His appointment reinforces Platform Financials’ commitment to building a strong presence in Western Canada while maintaining its advisor-first approach.

In addition to its Alberta expansion, Platform Financial is pleased to welcome Blaise Morin, CFP, CLU, as Director, Insurance Solutions.

Blaise brings more than 20 years of experience in the financial services and insurance industry, with a specialized focus on insurance planning, estate preservation, and advisor support. Throughout his career, he has worked closely with business owners, professionals, affluent families, and their advisors to develop sophisticated insurance strategies integrated with broader wealth, tax, and estate planning objectives. His extensive experience includes leading insurance teams, supporting advanced case design, and implementing customized solutions for complex client needs.

As Director, Insurance Solutions, Blaise will support advanced insurance planning initiatives and help deliver customized solutions for business owners, professionals, families, and affluent clients across Canada. His expertise in insurance design, estate preservation, and advisor collaboration further enhances Platform Financial’s ability to provide integrated planning solutions that address clients’ evolving financial needs.

“Our expansion into Alberta represents an exciting new chapter for Platform Financial,” said Matthew Francis, President of Platform Financial. “Brad’s leadership and deep understanding of the advisor landscape make him the ideal person to lead our Alberta operations. At the same time, Blaise’s extensive insurance experience and track record supporting high-net-worth clients significantly strengthens our national capabilities. Together, these appointments reflect our commitment to providing advisors and clients with best-in-class support and sophisticated planning solutions across Canada.”

The addition of Brad and Blaise underscores Platform Financial’s ongoing commitment to attracting exceptional talent, expanding its national footprint, and delivering comprehensive insurance, wealth, tax, estate, and succession planning services under one roof. As the firm continues to grow, Platform Financial remains focused on helping Canadian families, professionals, and business owners achieve their long-term financial goals.

About Platform Financial

Platform Financial is a Canadian advisory firm specializing in life insurance, estate planning, and wealth preservation strategies for affluent individuals, families, business owners, and professionals. Through a collaborative and client-focused approach, Platform Financial provides customized solutions designed to protect wealth, support long-term financial objectives, and create lasting value for clients and their families.

SOURCE Platform Financial

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Huawei’s NG WAN Solution Enters Large-Scale Commercial Use to Drive Carrier Growth

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VIENNA, Oct. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On October 13, at the Net5.5G Intelligent IP Network Summit during UBBF 2026, John Cai, Vice President of Huawei’s Data Communication Product Line, delivered a keynote speech, highlighting AI as a definitive opportunity in an uncertain future. He noted that the widespread deployment of the NG WAN Solution marks the full-scale commercialization of NG WAN. He stated that Huawei hopes to collaborate with industry stakeholders to continuously fortify a secure, resilient foundation and drive shared growth in the AI era.

Security & Resilience: Multi-Layered Defense

Huawei’s NG WAN Solution builds a multi-layered security system spanning device, link, and service layers. At the device layer, Huawei’s innovative RDR solution—powered by independent Threat Protection Units (TPUs) and a multimodal behavior expert algorithm—runs isolated from the router OS to detect over 95% of threats and trace APTs within minutes. On the data plane, Huawei’s proprietary NP and intelligent flow identification algorithm achieve 1:1 traffic inspection, detecting attacks in seconds and reducing DDoS risks by 90%. During over three months of use with a leading Chinese carrier, TPUs have thwarted 324 attacks from eight countries.

At the link layer, the PQC algorithm is supported on all Huawei devices in all scenarios, boosting encryption performance by 40%. The industry’s first built-in QKD solution enables three-channel integration, slashing network construction costs by 60% and breaking the 80 km transmission distance limit. Recently, Huawei and a carrier in Macao unveiled the world’s first quantum-secured target network, driving a 50% surge in private line revenue.

At the service layer, “1+4” defense-in-depth reduces border DDoS attack response from 1 minute to under 5 seconds. It improves unknown threat detection by 15%, achieves a 100% ransomware detection rate, and shortens threat handling to under 30 minutes via the CT-SOC.

Lossless Computing Efficiency: Unleashing Token Productivity

As AI increasingly advances into core business, intelligent computing is hyper-sensitive to packet loss—a mere 0.1% loss can slash computing efficiency by up to 55%. Huawei’s NG WAN Solution leverages AI Fabric to strengthen compute through network enhancements: The simplified two-layer multi-plane architecture expands network scale fourfold while reducing hardware usage by 30%. Network-wide NPLB achieves 98% link utilization and lifts training and inference performance by over 7%. For computing-network synergy, the Starnet lossless algorithm achieves zero packet loss for transmission over 1,000 km with more than 96% remote computing efficiency. This enables carriers to deliver a local-like experience, accelerating ToB monetization. The solution was deployed by a Chinese carrier to support a healthcare project, slashing hospital computing costs by 30% while driving a fivefold surge in private line ARPU.

Network Autonomy: AN L4 in Four Scenarios

Huawei’s “One Map, One Brain” autonomous network architecture achieves AN L4 across fault handling, network changes, network optimization, and security protection. Closed-loop automation is achieved for network changes spanning configuration verification, simulation, and comparison. Security protection enables intrusion detection, attack tracing, and one-click blocking within minutes.
Huawei has helped multiple carriers achieve AN L4, with a South African carrier becoming the world’s first to reach this level of autonomy on an IP network.

Over 60 carriers worldwide have deployed the NG WAN Solution. Through continuous innovation in lossless computing efficiency, multi-layered security, and network autonomy, the solution shifts carriers’ AI strategies from efficiency optimization to value creation, solidifying a secure, resilient network foundation for the AI era.

Looking ahead, Huawei will work with industry partners to expedite the global adoption of the NG WAN Solution, helping build secure, resilient, intelligent, and efficient next-generation bearer networks to drive carrier growth in the AI era.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/huaweis-ng-wan-solution-enters-large-scale-commercial-use-to-drive-carrier-growth-302908609.html

SOURCE Huawei

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Peoples, Ltd. Begins Trading on OTCQX Best Market

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WYALUSING, Pa., Oct. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Peoples Ltd. (OTC: PPLL) OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM), operator of regulated markets for trading 12,000 U.S. and international securities, today announced Peoples, Ltd. (OTCQX: PPLL), the holding company for PS Bank, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX® Best Market. Peoples, Ltd. upgraded to OTCQX from the OTCID™ Basic Market.

Peoples, Ltd. begins trading today on OTCQX under the symbol “PPLL.” U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com.

Graduating to the OTCQX Market marks an important milestone for community banks in the U.S. public markets. The OTCQX Market enables banks to maximize the value of being a public company by providing transparent trading and easy access to company information for shareholders. To qualify for OTCQX, community banks must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance, and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws.

“Joining the OTCQX Market is an exciting next step for Peoples Ltd. as we continue to grow and connect with investors. This move supports our focus on creating lasting value for our shareholders while staying true to the community banking values and financial stability that have guided us for generations” said Anthony J. Gabello, President & Chief Executive Officer.

About Peoples, Ltd.

The Company provides a full range of basic financial services to individuals, small businesses and corporate customers through offices in Bradford, Lackawanna, Sullivan, Wyoming, and Susquehanna counties of Pennsylvania.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/peoples-ltd-begins-trading-on-otcqx-best-market-302908649.html

SOURCE Peoples Ltd.

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