Aflac, a leading provider of supplemental insurance in the U.S., announced that Chief Digital Information Officer Rich Gilbert was recognized as a 2021 CIO of the Year® honoree by GeorgiaCIO. Gilbert was presented with an ORBIE Award in the Global category for helping reinvent Aflac as a digital-first company, an initiative that was accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since joining Aflac in 2019, Gilbert oversaw Aflac's digital transformation via the One Digital Aflac (ODA) initiative. ODA centers on using technology to make it easier for customers to buy from Aflac, for its distribution team to sell, and for employees to successfully fulfill Aflac's promise to policyholders: be there when it matters most. During the pandemic, Gilbert evolved the ODA strategy from traditional IT to a digital service organization, leading Aflac to compete in a digital-first world, where customers are more willing to adopt and use digital channels. Capabilities such as a guest checkout option for online claims, a claims status tracker, and both live and virtual assistant chat capabilities bring a familiar digital experience to insurance, while transforming the way Aflac engages with insureds.

The CIO of the Year^® ORBIE^® Awards is the premier technology executive recognition program in the U.S. Since its inception in 1998, more than 1,800 chief information officers (CIOs) have been honored as finalists, and more than 400 CIO of the Year winners have received the prestigious ORBIE Award. The ORBIE Awards honor CIOs who have demonstrated excellence in technology leadership. Finalists and winners are selected by an independent peer review process, led by prior ORBIE recipients, based on: leadership and management effectiveness; business value created by technology innovation; and engagement in industry and community endeavors.

"The GeorgiaCIO ORBIE winners demonstrate the significance of strong technology leadership in these uncertain times. Over the past year, CIOs are leading in unprecedented ways and enabling the largest work-from-home experiment in history," according to Karen Wilson, executive director of GeorgiaCIO. "Rich Gilbert's Global ORBIE is meaningful because he was judged by peers – CIOs who understand how difficult this job is and why great leadership matters."