Changing the face of the local IT industry, 20 CIOs were appointed Fellows for the development of Australia's very first accreditation for CIOs, which will see IT professionals receive the title CPIO (Certified Practicing Information Officer).

The accreditation is a joint initiative between the CIO Executive Council, Certified Practicing Accountants (CPAs), six universities and the Australian Computer Society (ACS).

Everyone involved in the initiative came together at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney in recognition of the new standards being developed for the IT profession, which is a first for Australia.

The event was hosted by the CIO Executive Council, an advocacy group formed in July 2005, which is a brains trust of the top IT leaders in the country to create programs and methodologies to formalise the profession.

Executive director of the peer to peer networking group, which now has 81 members, is Con Colovos.