Harrisburg, Pa.- Mixed reality. Cybersecurity. The Fourth Industrial Revolution. Kevin Switala, Gannett Fleming’s chief technology officer (CTO), is facing the great technical challenges of our time with unparalleled energy and strategic insight. That, paired with his passion for employee development and community involvement, is why his peers recognized him with the PhillyCIO of the Year^® ORBIE^® Award in the corporate category for organizations with up to $500 million in annual revenue.

“Kevin is a rare combination of talents,” said Bob Scaer, PE, Gannett Fleming chairman and CEO. “In less than two years, he revolutionized our information technology (IT) systems and security, and the results have dramatically propelled Gannett Fleming forward. Kevin’s critical insights on how IT systems can advance business operations have enabled seamless collaboration and access to data within a complex organization of more than 60 offices and 24 service lines. Through Kevin, IT gives us a competitive advantage to provide better value to our clients.”

Examples of this innovative oversight include:

• Research, development, and implementation of mixed reality technology in design, engineering, and construction. This merging of the real and virtual worlds is valuable expertise to offer as our clients face the Fourth Industrial Revolution. 
• Expansion of the firm’s cybersecurity consultancy from physical security planning and design to cyber and information security improvements aligned with the National Institute of Standards and Technology Publication 800-171.
• Creative alignment between business operations and IT through implementation of a new and effective governance model, as well as embedding IT resources within operations.

Prior to his role as CTO, Switala served as a vice president of GeoDecisions^®, Gannett Fleming’s geospatial technology division. Highlights of his nearly 20-year career with GeoDecisions include designing and implementing two generations of sophisticated urban planning spatial decision support systems for the City of Philadelphia, growing the firm’s business in the Middle East, and overseeing development and delivery of consulting services for the federal market, all the while managing his own complex geospatial solutions projects. He holds a Bachelor of Science in environmental design from Delaware Valley University and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania.

Melissa Sawyer, Executive Director of The Philadelphia CIO Leadership Association, which sponsors the CIO of the Year^® ORBIE^® Awards, said of the winners, “Being selected by their peers is testament to the innovation, leadership, and perseverance these individuals have mastered in earning this prestigious recognition.”