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The Ministry of High-Tech Industry of Armenia hosted on Wednesday a press conference to announce the laureate of the Global IT Award 2019. Speakers at the conference included Minister of High Tech Industry of Armenia, Chairman of the Award Organizational Committee Hakob Arshakyan, General Partner VivaCell-MTS’ General Manager Ralph Yirikian, and Award Organizational Committee Coordinator Hovik Musayelyan.

At the press conference the partners presented the founder of “Origami World” theory, author of the concept ‘virtual reality’, professor of the Carnegie Mellon University Takeo Kanade, who was announced the laureate of the Global IT Award 2019,  VivaCell-MTS said in a press release.

“This year marks the 10th anniversary of the GIT Award. This is a unique leadership in this field - to have the GIT Award and hand it over to the tech giants of the world who have changed the world with their creativity, who, we can say, started from scratch, had an idea, developed it and made it possible for mankind to benefit from technologies that make our lives much easier,” Hakob Arshakyan said.

“The GIT Award is 10 years now, and VivaCell-MTS has been by the side of this initiative throughout these years. The impact the award has had on the development of information and communications in Armenia is hard to overestimate. This impact has touched upon value systems and mindsets: our IT community and students welcome exceptional personalities, living legends, whose creative minds have revolutionized the global technological perspectives getting the ITC industry to qualitatively new levels. We shall underline that in today’s world there are very few technological achievements, which can be called true innovations; the global visionaries visiting Armenia are the ones creating groundbreaking technologies. By meeting them and by talking to them our younger generation get living role models and learns the right way of life to choose – to believe in oneself, to work hard, to choose own path, and reach heights no man has ever reached so far,” Ralph Yirikian said.

“The award was established in 2009 and this year we will have the 10th winner in Armenia. It is already the second year that the award is given as the RA State Award. The winner of the Global IT Award 2019 is Dr. Takeo Kanade, who is a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, the founder of “Origami World” theory, as well as the author of the concept ‘virtual reality’. The initiative to award Kanade belongs to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to Japan Mr. Grant Poghosyan,” Hovik Musayelyan noted.

The award was founded on July 6 2009 and is awarded annually for exceptional contributions in global IT industry (technologies, education, entrepreneurship, financial services) that come in various shapes and forms to personalities whose ideas have been revolutionary or near revolutionary for the development of IT.

2019 marks the tenth award to be handed over. The award includes a golden medal symbolizing Armenia and high tech industry, as well as a souvenir.

The award ceremony is coordinated by the organizational committee, and selection of the winner is performed by a commission comprised of international experts.

The winners of recent years were: former CEO of “Intel Corporation” Craig Barrett, the Co-Founder of “Apple Inc.” Steve Wozniak, Chairman Emeritus of “Synaptics, Inc.” and President of “Federico and Elvia Faggin” Foundation Federico Faggin, former CEO of “Hitachi” Tsugio Makimoto, Chief Development Officer of “Sysco Systems” Mario Mazzola, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of “Kaspersky Lab” Eugene Kaspersky, one of the founding fathers of Internet and CEO at “Open-Root” Louis Pouzin and the founder of “Nest labs”, the creator of iPod Tony Fadell, and the founder of the company “National Instruments” James Truchard.