The Technology Executives Roundtable (TER), an organization of more than 120 Georgia technology leaders, will honor Atlanta tech industry pioneer, John Yates, with the Tenth Annual John Imlay Leadership Award. The ceremony will take place at 7 a.m. Nov. 12 at the Buckhead Club.

The John Imlay Leadership Award recognizes and celebrates individuals who have shown exceptional leadership on behalf of the Georgia high-tech community. It is named in honor of the late John Imlay, Jr., former chairman of Imlay Investments, who is credited with helping create two of Atlanta's biggest tech industries - software and internet security.

This year's award recipient, John Yates, has played a key role in helping Atlanta become one of the nation's top high-tech cities. He is one of the originators of the technology law field and has provided legal services exclusively in the Atlanta area for more than 35 years.

Yates founded, co-founded and has been a board member of leading technology organizations, including the Southeastern Software Association, Technology Association of Georgia, Southeastern Medical Device Association, TER, and Atlanta CEO Council. Internationally recognized in technology law, Yates has authored and co-authored numerous publications; has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The Economist and the Atlanta Business Chronicle; and has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in Kodak vs. Image Technical Services.

"John's efforts in growing and supporting the tech industry in Atlanta cannot be understated, and there is no one more deserving of this year's John Imlay Leadership Award," said Baha Zeidan, president of TER. "By establishing a strong network of technology professionals, leading top technology organizations in the city, and representing hundreds of tech companies to ensure their success, John has transformed the industry in this region."

"I am honored to receive this year's John Imlay Leadership Award, a recognition shared by top leaders in Atlanta's thriving tech community," said John Yates, inaugural president of TER and partner at Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP. "It's an exciting time to be on the technology industry's front line, and Atlanta's tech community is positioned for hyper growth and global recognition as a leading tech ecosystem."

The TER awards ceremony will include a panel discussion on The Future of Atlanta Tech - Lessons Learned from John Imlay & Atlanta's Tech Leaders. Chris Klaus, CEO of Kaneva; Robin Bienfait, CEO of Emnovate; Bill Nussey, CEO of Solar Inventions; and Ben Dyer, former CEO of Peachtree Software will serve as panelists.

Past recipients of the John Imlay Leadership Award are Tripp Rackley, CEO of Kenzie Lane Innovation; Chris Klaus, founder and former CTO of Internet Security Systems and current CEO of Kaneva; Michael R. Cote, president and CEO of SecureWorks; David Cummings, co-founder of Pardot and founder of Atlanta Tech Village; Bill Nussey, former chairman and CEO of Silverpop; Alan Dabbiere, founder of Manhattan Associates and former chairman of AirWatch; Charlie Moseley, founder of Noro-Moseley Partners; Tom Noonan, co-founder of JouleX, Endgame and TechOperators and former chairman and CEO of Internet Security Systems; and Sig Mosley, managing partner of Mosley Ventures and former president of Imlay Investments.