ArmInfo. A press conference dedicated to announcing the winner of the Annual Award of the President of the Republic of Armenia For Outstanding Contribution to Global IT for the year 2016, took place at the RA Presidential Palace, the press office of VivaCell-MTS has told ArmInfo. The press conference was presided by Armen Gevorgyan, the Chairman of GIT Award Committee, Chief of Staff to the President of the Republic of Armenia, Ralph Yirikian, the General Manager of VivaCell-MTS - the Company-sponsor of GIT Award, Hovik Musaelyan, Chairman of Executive Board of GIT Award, and Tony Moroyan, Representative of the Award Selection Panel, the CEO and Chairman of Viasphere International.
It was announced at the press conference that for year 2016, the inventor of datagram and founder of Open-Root organization Louis Pouzin, who is also known as one of the founding fathers of internet, will be bestowed with the Award of the President of the Republic of Armenia for Outstanding Contribution to Global IT. The Global IT Award of the President of the Republic of Armenia is granted on an annual basis to an individual, whose internationally acclaimed contributions to IT have resulted in near-revolutionary or revolutionary developments that have positively impacted or hold the potential to positively impact the humanity.
The speakers highlighted the importance of the Award for the development of Armenian ICT Sector and promoting the country's image internationally. GIT Award is implemented in Armenia for already seven years, hosting outstanding professional from around the world once a year. Armenia hosted the following international gurus in the previous years: the retired CEO/ Chairman of the Board of Intel Corporation, Craig Barrett in 2010, co-founder of Apple Computers, Inc. Steve Wozniak in 2011, Chairman Emeritus of Synaptics, Inc. Federico Faggin in 2012, President of the Society of Semiconductor Industry Specialists, President of Techno Vision consulting firm Tsugio Makimoto in 2013, Senior Vice President and General Manager for the Insieme Business Unit at Cisco Mario Mazzola in 2014, and Chairman and CEO of Kaspersky Lab. Eugene Kaspersky in 2015.
VivaCell-MTS supports GIT Award during the whole period of its existence, having donated AMD 144.2 million for the realization of the program. The Company's support to the award from the very beginning is based on its vision of Armenia's future - country with internationally competitive ICT sector. The Company contributes to this national objective in synergy with impactful projects implemented at the national level. Apart from positioning Armenia and promoting it internationally as country having achievements and huge yet unrealized potential in the development of ICT, and opportunities for investment in the sector, the Award also has a great role to play internally. The GIT award is stimulating the attractiveness of ICT sector as a professional choice among the Armenian youth. Each visit by a laureate to the country, followed by awarding and lecture by a prominent leader in the sphere of Information Technologies, is a serious promotion of the ICT for the younger generation. "The sphere of Information and Communication Technologies is one of the key directions of Armenia's economic development, and the Award of the President of the Republic of Armenia For Outstanding Contribution to Global IT has a huge importance in terms of promoting Armenia. Time will pass, and internationally acclaimed figures in the sphere of IT will arrive in Armenia, increasing the awareness about our country as one that relies on its intellectual potential," said Chairman of GIT Award Committee, Chief of Staff to the President of the Republic of Armenia.
"We are confident that the gurus, who have received this honorary award, will return to Armenia in coming years, bringing with them contemporary culture of high technologies and will boost Armenia's image around the world as a country relying on intellect and knowledge," said the Chairman of Executive Board of GIT Award Hovik Musaelyan.
In addition to supporting the GIT Award, VivaCell-MTS has been supporting numerous projects in ICT sector with the amount of social investment in the sphere totaling AMD 953.6 million. "For VivaCell-MTS, standing next to the GIT Award from the very beginning, the award is a powerful tool aimed at showing our achievements in the sphere of ICT to the world and strengthening the country's image," VivaCell-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian commented.
"I'm proud that we have managed to maintain the high mark of the Award of the President of the Republic of Armenia For Outstanding Contribution to Global IT, and by doing that, to attract the legends in the sphere of IT to Armenia and become award- winners. We'll repeat it this year as well," said Tony Moroyan, the Representative of the Award Selection Panel, the CEO and Chairman of Viasphere International.
