Hospitality Technology Announces the 2024 Top Women and Rising Stars in Restaurant Technology Award Winners

EnsembleIQ’s Hospitality Technology (HT) today announces the winners of the 2024 Top Women in Restaurant Technology Awards and the 2024 Rising Star in Restaurant Technology Awards. The 2024 awards program is sponsored by WWT Digital, a digital experience consultancy specializing in elevating guest and employee experiences.

Now in its eighth year, the Top Women in Restaurant Technology Awards program honors outstanding women from both restaurants and technology suppliers for reimagining restaurant processes and operations while demonstrating excellence in leadership, inventiveness and skill.

“The Top Women in Restaurant Technology awards program celebrates the achievements of women across a diversity of career levels and roles,” noted Robert Firpo-Cappiello, editor-in-chief of Hospitality Technology.  “We celebrate the contributions that groundbreaking leaders and innovative thinkers have made to our industry. Our greatest hope is that the Top Women and Rising Stars awards will inspire the next generation of restaurant technology professionals to dream big and aim high.”

 "At WWT Digital, we recognize the invaluable contributions of women in shaping the future of technology, particularly within the dynamic landscape of the restaurant industry. By honoring women and their technological accomplishments, we not only celebrate diversity and inclusion but also inspire future generations to innovate and lead with excellence. We are proud to sponsor Hospitality Technology's Top Women in Restaurant Technology Awards as we champion the remarkable achievements of women who continue to drive innovation, foster progress, and transform the way we experience hospitality technology," said Katie Cain, Executive Director of Digital Programs, WWT Digital. 

Winners are recognized in the following categories:

Lifetime Achievement: This award honors women who have had an impact on the foodservice technology industry as well as their colleagues and industry peers through enthusiasm, mentorship and commitment, while also showing how technologies can provide new ways of doing things for more than 15 years.

Winners:

• Jodi Boyce, Chief Marketing Officer, Teriyaki Madness:  CMO Integrates Marketing, IT 
• Mary Jane Riva, CEO, Pizza Factory:  From Franchisee to CEO

Innovator: The award is presented to women who are forward thinkers and who have executed on tools and strategy to transform the foodservice technology space in a positive manner by creating or deploying emerging technologies that reimagine how things are done while paving the way for future technologies.

Winners:

• Tammy K. Billings, New Biz, SignalFlare.ai; CSO, Devour.io; Founder, Industry Bias:  Influencer Drives Innovation, Fosters Connections in Restaurant Technology Community
• Brooke Heinzmann, Director of Product Marketing, Olo:  Innovator Makes Leap From Media to Product Marketing
• Mary Young Mapes, Senior Director of Hospitality & Customer Support, Tock: Innovator is Focused on Team Growth
• Stephanie Nardini, SVP of IT at Jersey Mike’s Franchise Systems and a 2017 Rising Star: Pioneering Innovations in Restaurant Technology
• Shelly Rupel, CEO, Devour: Restaurant Vet Becomes Driving Force Behind Web3-Powered Food Ordering Platform
  
  Check out the slideshow below  of the seven Top Women in Restaurant Technology winners. 

Rising Star in Restaurant Technology Awards

Starting this year, the Rising Star in Restaurant Technology awards are open to any individual who has been working in the restaurant technology industry for less than five years. Honors go to individuals who are re-imagining how things are done in restaurants while demonstrating excellence in leadership, inventiveness and skill. 

“WWT Digital is committed to fostering innovation and supporting emerging talent in the field of restaurant technology. That is why we are thrilled to sponsor Hospitality Technology’s Rising Stars in Restaurant Technology Awards. We believe in empowering and nurturing young talent, as they bring fresh perspectives, creativity, and ingenuity that will continue to propel restaurant technology forward,” added Cain.

The winners of the Rising Star in Restaurant Technology Awards are: 

•  KC Fox, Senior Director, General Manager of Digital Ordering (SMB) at DoorDash: Rising Star Helps SMBs Grow Their First-Party Channels  
•  Kira Hattenbach, GM of PixelPoint, PAR Technology: Rising Star's Customer-Centric Approach Pays Off for POS Software Brand
• Jen McQuown, Project Manager, Dine Brands Global Inc.:  Rising Star Oversees Successful Migration from Legacy POS at 1,500 Locations
  
   

“In recognizing the Rising Stars of Restaurant Technology, we honor not only their remarkable achievements but also their boundless potential to shape the future of our industry. These three honorees have already demonstrated exceptional leadership, inventiveness, and skill in the early stages of their career. As we celebrate their accomplishments today, we also envision the profound impact they will continue to make as the future leaders of tomorrow,” said Firpo-Cappiello.

Top Women in Restaurant Technology Award winners and Rising Star in Restaurant Technology were chosen by Hospitality Technology and members of its Research Advisory Board. Winners will be profiled in Hospitality Technology and throughout the spring in digital profiles on www.hospitalitytech.com/topwomen24 and www.hospitalitytech.com/risingstars24. The winners will be honored during an awards program on March 13  at the 29th annual MURTEC (Multi-Unit Restaurant Technology Conference), March 11-13, at The Paris in Las Vegas.  To register to attend, click here.

Call for Nominations 

Nominations for the 2025 awards will open in early December and will be due January 6, 2025. The winners will be honored during an awards program at the 30th annual MURTEC (Multi-Unit Restaurant Technology Conference), being held March 10-12, 2025, at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas. 

About World Wide Technology 
Founded in 1990, World Wide Technology (WWT), a global technology solutions provider with $20 billion in annual revenue, combines the power of strategy, execution and partnership to accelerate digital transformational outcomes for large public and private organizations around the world. Through its Advanced Technology Center, a collaborative ecosystem of the world's most advanced hardware and software solutions, WWT helps customers and partners conceptualize, test and validate innovative technology solutions for the best business outcomes and then deploys them at scale through its global warehousing, distribution and integration capabilities.

With more than 10,000 employees and more than 55 locations around the world, WWT's culture, built on a set of core values and established leadership philosophies, has been recognized 12 years in a row by Fortune and Great Place to Work® for its unique blend of determination, innovation and leadership focus on diversity and inclusion. With this culture at its foundation, WWT bridges the gap between business and technology to make a new world happen for its customers, partners and communities. 

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About Hospitality Technology

Hospitality Technology (HT) is the only multichannel brand dedicated to covering the role of information technology in improving business performance for both hotel and restaurant operators. The Hospitality Technology editorial content portfolio includes an online publication that reaches more than 16,000 hospitality industry executives, networking and educational events (MURTEC, Hotel Technology Forum and MURTEC Executive Summit), a comprehensive website, e-newsletters, web seminars, and several exclusive annual reports and studies. Hospitality Technology is the parent brand of the Restaurant Technology Network (www.restauranttechnologynetwork.com), a membership community of restaurants and suppliers working together to solve industry challenges by shaping standards and sharing best practices. Visit Hospitality Technology online at www.hospitalitytech.com. Hospitality Technology is published by EnsembleIQ, headquartered in Chicago.
 

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About EnsembleIQ

EnsembleIQ is the premier resource of actionable insights and connections powering business growth throughout the path to purchase. We help retail, technology, consumer goods, healthcare and hospitality professionals make informed decisions and gain a competitive advantage. EnsembleIQ delivers the most trusted business intelligence from leading industry experts, creative marketing solutions and impactful event experiences that connect best-in-class suppliers and service providers with our vibrant business-building communities. To learn more about EnsembleIQ, visit ensembleiq.com.