…Highest industry accolade celebrates Wang’s contributions to the VR industry…
London, UK – 22nd October 2020 – The Academy of International Extended Reality (AIXR) has today, in advance of the fourth annual VR Awards taking place on the 12th November, unveiled the winner of this year’s ‘Accenture VR Lifetime Achievement’ award winner: Cher Wang, founder of consumer electronics giant, HTC.
Nominations and the judging process for this award follow a different format to the other 13 highly prestigious awards that are being announced at the upcoming and first-of-its-kind fully immersive, virtual reality awards ceremony. The winner was selected based on their impact on the industry through their life’s work and voted for by the AIXR steering committee. It is the highest accolade given and celebrates outstanding contributions to virtual reality.
Vicki Dobbs Beck, ILMxLAB Executive in Charge and member of the steering committee said: “Cher Wang has been a true pioneer in the VR industry – having vision, taking risks, and moving forward with courage well before consumer demand had taken hold. This is the kind of leadership that helps turn possibilities into an inspired reality.”
Cher was recognised in particular for her exceptional contribution towards a holistic VR ecosystem and for creating an engineering powerhouse in HTC ahead of the ubiquity of smartphones. The previous winner for this award was John Carmack, of Facebook and Oculus fame.
“I am honoured to receive this award, and dedicate it to all of our teams and partners who dared to dream and are working hard to make the vision happen,”
said Cher Wang, Chairwoman and CEO of HTC Corp. “It’s an exciting time to be in the industry. We’re still in the Age of Exploration for VR, discovering new use cases every day, and it’s been fantastic to see so many people, companies, schools, museums, and more recognise the potential for VR, and utilise it for collaboration, training, education, healthcare, art and culture, and even global sustainability. VR truly holds the key to a better world.”
Daniel Colaianni, AIXR Chief Executive commented: “We’re incredibly proud to name Cher as our ‘Accenture VR Lifetime Achievement’ award winner and hope that by showcasing her work, we can inspire the next generation of pioneers to do more, to break new barriers and continue to develop digital technology. As always, we’re thankful to our partners at Accenture for their support which enables us to recognise achievement and nurture a flourishing industry as it continues to grow.”
Nicola Rosa, Europe Extended Reality lead at Accenture and AIXR board director, added: “Today, the business case for extended reality solutions is stronger than ever, providing new opportunities for collaborative, immersive experiences regardless of physical distance. We’re pleased to help support innovators like Cher who are helping to bring the promise of VR to the forefront.”
The VR Awards – the largest global awards ceremony for the VR community – are going virtual for 2020. Implementing state of the art technology to deliver unrivalled networking opportunities, the event will feature a live studio panel, pre-programmed livestream content (indistinguishable from a televised physical show) and thrilling digitised entertainment accessed via desktop or through a VR headset.
2020 finalists can be found live on the VR Awards website: https://vrawards.aixr.org/finalists-2020/ and tickets for the awards ceremony on November 12th can be booked via: https://vrawards.aixr.org/tickets/.
About Accenture
Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security. Combining unmatched experience and specialised skills across more than 40 industries, we offer Strategy and Consulting, Interactive, Technology and Operations services—all powered by the world’s largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. Our 506,000 people deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity every day, serving clients in more than 120 countries. We embrace the power of change to create value and shared success for our clients, people, shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at www.accenture.com.
About HTC
HTC Corporation aims to bring brilliance to life. As a global innovator in smart mobile and virtual reality technology, HTC has produced award-winning products and industry firsts since its inception in 1997, including the critically acclaimed HTC U series line of smartphones and industry-leading HTC VIVE virtual reality system. The pursuit of brilliance is at the heart of everything we do, inspiring best-in-class design and game-changing mobile and virtual reality experiences for consumers around the world. HTC is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE: 2498). www.htc.com
About VR Awards
The VR Awards is at the centre of recognition and celebration of outstanding achievement in VR. Combined with year-round international initiatives, the VR Awards brings together a night of red-carpet highlights, the celebration of excellence and unique access to the world’s most influential names in immersive technology.
The VR Awards is an unmissable awards ceremony for a wide range of decision-making professionals from various industries across the world. The VR Awards are overseen by AIXR’s independent Steering Board.
About AIXR
Internationally, AIXR identifies, celebrates, and exemplifies the very best in immersive technology. By connecting people, projects, and knowledge together AIXR enables growth, nurtures talent, and develops standards, bringing wider public awareness and understanding to virtual and augmented reality industries. Officially founded in 2019, AIXR’s not-for-profit, full time team now boasts over 100 company members, supports a growing network of over 12,000 people internationally and work’s across North America, Europe and Asia. Learn more at https://aixr.org/
Social media
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VR Awards/AIXR press contact:
Nikki Alvey, Big Top PR
+44 (0)7973 354 706
