Alex Zaharov-Reutt, Bronwyn Boyle, Evan Kirstel, Jukka Seppänen and Sean Martin bring further expertise in enterprise technology, AI, cybersecurity, cloud and technology broadcasting

The Tech Trailblazers Awards has welcomed five new judges to its 2026 panel, strengthening the international expertise assessing this year’s enterprise technology startups and scale-ups.

Alex Zaharov-Reutt, Bronwyn Boyle, Evan Kirstel, Jukka Seppänen and Sean Martin join the Awards’ wider community of technology leaders, analysts, investors, entrepreneurs and journalists. Together, the panel combines technical knowledge, commercial experience and influential industry voices to recognise emerging businesses with the potential to make a lasting impact.

Meet our five new judges

Alex Zaharov-Reutt

Alex Zaharov-Reutt is Global AI and Technology Editor at iTWire.com and one of Australia’s best-known technology journalists. He has reported on business and consumer technology since 1998. His work across television, radio, print and digital media brings an experienced editorial perspective to evaluating emerging technologies.

Link to Alex Zaharov-Reutt announcement: https://techtrailblazers.com/tech-trailblazers-welcomes-alex-zaharov-reutt-to-its-global-judging-panel/ 

Bronwyn Boyle

Bronwyn Boyle is Chief Information Security Officer at payments fintech PPRO and EVP Resilient Communities at Cybermindz. She combines extensive security leadership experience with a commitment to mental resilience and inclusion in cybersecurity. Her perspective connects technological innovation with the people responsible for putting it into practice.

[Link to Bronwyn Boyle profile and interview: https://techtrailblazers.com/judges-on-fire-classics-critical-thinking-and-cyber-resilience/ 

Evan Kirstel

Evan Kirstel is a B2B technology thought leader, content creator and broadcaster. With more than three decades of enterprise technology experience, he brings expertise spanning AI, cloud, telecommunications, 5G, customer experience and cybersecurity. He hosts What’s Up with Tech? and TechImpact.TV, exploring how innovation translates into business and societal impact.

Link to Evan Kirstel announcement: https://techtrailblazers.com/tech-trailblazers-welcomes-evan-kirstel-to-its-global-judging-panel/

Jukka Seppänen

Jukka Seppänen is CIO and CISO at European cloud infrastructure provider UpCloud. Combining responsibility for IT and security, he brings practical insight into cloud operations, resilience, cyber risk, AI security and digital sovereignty. His judging perspective emphasises evidence of customer benefit and technology that performs in real operating environments.

Link to Jukka Seppänen profile and interview: https://techtrailblazers.com/judgesonfire-with-jukka-seppanen-cio-and-ciso-at-upcloud/ 

Sean Martin

Sean Martin is Co-Founder of ITSPmagazine. Based in California, he has more than 30 years of experience spanning cybersecurity engineering, product development, marketing, journalism and media. His work bringing technology products to international markets, alongside his broadcasting and editorial experience, combines technical depth with an understanding of business needs.

Link to Sean Martin profile and interview: https://techtrailblazers.com/tech-trailblazers-welcomes-sean-martin-to-its-global-judging-panel/ 

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“We’re delighted to welcome Evan, Alex, Bronwyn, Jukka and Sean. Each brings a distinctive perspective on what makes enterprise technology valuable, from building and securing systems to understanding customers and communicating innovation.

“Our wider judging panel is one of the great strengths of the Tech Trailblazers Awards. These are people who build, buy, scrutinise, fund and explain technology across international markets. Their collective expertise helps us recognise ambitious companies wherever they are based and give outstanding innovation the attention it deserves.”

Rose Ross, Founder and Chief Trailblazer, Tech Trailblazers

What our judges want to see

In their recent Judges on Fire interviews, Boyle and Seppänen also highlighted what entrants should demonstrate. Boyle encouraged authentic applications that clearly explain the innovation, while Seppänen emphasised practical results and evidence that customers benefit.

A truly international judging panel

The five additions complement a wider panel spanning Europe, North America, Asia, Africa and Oceania, including judges based in India, Singapore, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and across Europe. Its members contribute thought leadership and experience across enterprise infrastructure, software, security, investment and business growth, bringing different regional and market perspectives to the assessment of entries.

A Global Judging Panel for a Truly Global Awards Programme

Join our Secret Judging Panel

Alongside our stellar judging panel and the voting public, we are enlisting an industry army to help decide the winners and runners-up.

We are gathering more than 1,000 CIOs, CISOs and other senior IT decision-makers from around the globe to help choose our 2026 Tech Trailblazers.

These “secret panel” judges will join the process once the shortlists have been selected, adding their considerable weight to the evaluations of our expert judges and the voting public.

“We are on a mission to give our Tech Trailblazers the widest possible exposure to senior decision-makers at the coal face. No doubt venture backing is key, but as it becomes increasingly challenging, the most powerful backers and ‘investors’ will continue to be customers.

“We very much hope this direct engagement with the IT community will spark the relationships that help startups build their base of happy customers more quickly, opening more doors than ever before.”

Rose Ross, Founder and Chief Trailblazer, Tech Trailblazers

To register your interest in joining our Secret Judging Panel, click here.

Enter the 2026 Tech Trailblazers Awards

The Tech Trailblazers Awards recognise technological and commercial innovation and entrepreneurial excellence. Eligible enterprise technology companies are privately held, under ten years old and privately funded or backed up to Series C. Categories cover a broad range of enterprise technologies, with additional recognition for individual leaders and organisations supporting the startup ecosystem.

Link to eligibility information and award categories: https://awards.techtrailblazers.com/ 

Put your innovation in front of this international panel. Enter the Tech Trailblazers Awards before submissions close on Sept 30, 2026 at 23:59 Pacific Time.