This highly-respected awards programme celebrates the best in Technology and Innovation, recognising the people behind the businesses in the Thames Valley.
For more information, contact the events team.
It was while working for Comedy Central that Cally was nudged into the sphere of performance and as a 45-year old single parent, Cally first took to the stage. She quickly cemented her position as one of the most exciting and distinctive new stand-ups in the country, with her unflinching, acerbic and intelligent brand of comedy. Her television appearances include being a regular panellist on BBC2’s QI and The Apprentice: You're Fired, as well as Pointless Celebrities, Richard Osman’s House of Games, The Blame Game and Live at the Apollo.
Qualifying Period: 1st January 2023 - 31 December 2023
Got a Question?Ensuring the safety of everyone is paramount. From large multinational corporations to individual home users, the existence of modern communications relies heavily on the security offered by these technology companies. This award aims to honour vendors, distributors, and resellers of Cyber Security.
Questions in this category
Judges are looking at overall impact of an individual or organisation in promoting diversity and inclusion within the tech industry. Both internal efforts within the organisation and external contributions to the broader tech community will be considered.
Questions in this category
Provide supporting documents and/or testimonials when possible.
Judges will look for fintech companies that provide unique solutions to existing problems, novel approaches to financial services, with evidence of groundbreaking advancements within the fintech sector.
Judges will also evaluate the company's impact on the industry, economy, and society at large. This includes examining the company's ability to disrupt traditional financial services, improve efficiency and increase accessibility to financial services.
Other factors that will be considered include growth and scalability, customer value proposition, industry recognition, regulatory compliance, team and leadership.
Overall, judges aim to identify fintech companies that demonstrate excellence, innovation, and leadership within the industry, as well as those with the potential to shape the future of finance.
Questions in this category
Provide supporting documents and/or testimonials when possible.
The tech sector has seen the most significant growth in the UK in recent years. This award celebrates the company that has achieved growth through implementing change, innovative product or service development, and acknowledges those companies that have transformed potential into tangible success in 2023.
Questions in this category
Provide supporting documents and/or testimonials when possible.
This award celebrates the most innovative technology of the year. Judges will assess various attributes that distinguish a technology as innovative. These encompass novelty and originality, looking at how the business is scaling up, problem-solving proficiency, its influence on society, measurable results and sustainability.
If your specialisation lies in AI/ML, blockchain, smart IoT, edge computing, robotics, quantum, virtual and augmented reality or any other innovative technology, then this is the platform to acknowledge and celebrate your impact on the regional tech market.
Questions in this category
Provide supporting documents and/or testimonials when possible.
International trade is a key performance indicator for the UK economy. Bringing trade to the region from international clients, or reaching out to overseas markets to sell products or services, this award recognises those tech companies that are successfully growing their business via international trade.
Questions in this category
Provide supporting documents and/or testimonials when possible.
The Thames Valley is one of the most vibrant regions for Life Sciences and Health Technology businesses in the UK. Nominees for this award will be those that have a background in life sciences and health tech and can demonstrate success, innovation and progress in 2023.
Questions in this category
Provide supporting documents and/or testimonials when possible.
This award recognises the exceptional achievements of a young professional (under 35) in the tech industry. Judges will assess their skills, achievements, and potential.
Questions in this category
Provide supporting documents and/or testimonials when possible.
ESG is no longer just a label but a critical business consideration. It's essential to integrate climate and sustainability into business models, technology, working practices, and workspaces. Technology is a significant catalyst in this shift.
This award recognises companies developing products or services that align with ESG ambitions. Entrants must have in-house developed technology with owned intellectual property, showcasing its contribution to sustainable practices and minimising environmental impact in business.
Questions in this category
Provide supporting documents and/or testimonials when possible.
Are you an employer in the technology sector? Are you proud of the company that you run? Can you point to why you were the best tech employer in 2023? This award is open to companies that have shown they go above and beyond for their employees.
Questions in this category
Provide supporting documents and/or testimonials when possible.
This award will go to a leader that can inspire a team to achieve a great result. Tech Leader of the Year celebrates individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, vision, and innovation in the field of technology. This prestigious award recognises leaders who have made significant contributions to their organisations, industries, and communities through their strategic thinking, impactful decisions, and transformative initiatives.
Nominees for Tech Leader of the Year are individuals who have shown exemplary leadership qualities in navigating challenges, driving digital transformation, fostering innovation, and achieving remarkable results within the technology sector.
They inspire and motivate their teams to excel, foster a culture of collaboration and creativity, and champion diversity and inclusion in the tech industry.
Judges will also consider individuals that have effectively introduced new technology and utilised existing tech to transform ways of working?
Questions in this category
Provide supporting documents and/or testimonials when possible.
This award is presented to an SME that has shown enterprise and invention in using technology to either transform its own business or that of its clients. Judges are particularly looking for SMEs that are forging new paths and, through new concepts and/or products, are standing out from the crowd. Companies with annual turnover up to £15 million that have been trading for a minimum of two years are eligible for this award.
Questions in this category
Provide supporting documents and/or testimonials when possible.
This award is open to tech companies of any size or turnover, based in the Thames Valley. Judges will take into account the achievements of the company in 2023 in; innovation, sales and profitability, product development and/or contribution to the sector – and will assess the winners of other categories to decide the overall Thames Valley Tech Company of the Year.
Questions in this category
Provide supporting documents and/or testimonials when possible.
Voco Hotel - next to Reading FC Conference & Events, for a special rate click here
Ticket includes networking drinks reception upon arrival,
three-course gala dinner,
half bottle of wine per person,
teas and coffees.
Price excludes VAT
£1,800.00
Ticket includes networking drinks reception upon arrival,
three-course gala dinner,
half bottle of wine per person,
teas and coffees.
Price excludes VAT
£1,000.00
Ticket includes networking drinks reception upon arrival,
three-course gala dinner,
half bottle of wine,
teas and coffees.
Price excludes VAT
£200.00
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Partnership with an award delivers more than simply brand presence.
Sponsorship benefits include:
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- Business networking
- Business development
Register your interest in next year's event
RegisterThe sixth annual Thames Valley Tech & Innovation Awards showcased the outstanding achievements of a diverse range of leading businesses from across the region.
Finalists were drawn from software developers, telecoms providers, hardware suppliers and manufacturers, cloud solutions companies, science-based businesses, people working in artificial intelligence, and others working in space technology.
Comedian Simon Evans hosted Awards with his trademark acerbic wit.
The Awards took place at Reading’s Select Car Leasing Stadium. Richard Thompson, Managing Director of The Business Magazine, said: “We had many, many excellent entries, and I’d like to thank the judges – who interviewed a number of the shortlisted companies and diligently assessed the strengths and potential of the contenders.
The independent judges were Sue Elliott from British Business Bank, Shane Hanson from Panasonic, and Jurek Sikorski from Henley Business School.
This year’s Awards sponsors were BDO UK, Boyes Turner, Freeths, Crowe UK, ESP Global Services, R3vamp, James Cowper Kreston, NatWest, Blake Morgan, Culturehood and Penningtons Manches Cooper.
During the evening, guest made generous donations to Special Effect. The charity helps transform the lives of physically disabled people through the innovative use of technology.
Winner: CyberCrowd
“It's been a year of growth for us. We have brought on apprentices, graduates and senior individuals. We have tried to develop as a company both bottom-up and top-down. We opened a security operations centre that means we can bring a lot of remote staff into the office, so we feel a lot more like one company. An example of our direct support for clients was providing a range of cybersecurity services at golf's Ryder Cup that demonstrated protection at the network level and the end-point.” Kris Reddin, Sales Team Lead, CyberCrowd
Winner: Amberjack
“As a recruitment company, our focus is on supporting our clients to identify the potential in people. That comes from looking at diversity rather than always recruiting the same types of people. Our own Equality, Diversity & Inclusion policy means we embrace the differences in people, whatever their backgrounds. I think there is a lot of diversity in the tech industry in general, except for gender diversity, although it is getting better.” Cassie Sissons, COO, Amberjack
Winner: Aurum Solutions
“We are establishing a broad bridgehead in a couple of key marketing sectors – gaming and payments. On the back of that we are moving across a number of other industry verticals that see value in our software, which is being recognised because of the importance of having good governance, audit and control capabilities. We are now in Portugal, which is a first big step in where our talent comes from, traditionally it has been in Reading. We have just moved into Thames Tower in Reading – aspirational premises for an aspirational business, and a great place to work.” Dave Anfield, COO, Aurum Solutions
Winner: Redstor
“It's been a fantastic year for us regarding introducing new technology, particularly our anti-malware products, which have been really well received. We have seen good growth from our existing partnerships and also added some new flagship partnerships. We only sell through partnerships, so they contribute massively to our success. Also, we are expanding globally with our partnerships, in Asia-Pacific, the US and Central Europe – all from our Reading HQ.” James Griffin, CEO, Redstor
Winner: Techex
“It's been a phenomenal year for us. We won the Innovation of the Year award at the broadcast industry's major award event. What's amazing is that a small company based in Bracknell is behind all of the major live sports events on the planet. We are helping the big broadcasters and brands that people know and love to transition from 'old world' TV to the new world of the cloud and internet - safely and securely. Looking ahead, we will continue to expand internationally.” Mark Sutherland, Chairman, Scott Kelley, CEO, Techex
• Brainomix
• Content Guru
• CyberCrowd
• ESP Global Services
• Lifestyle Software
Winner: Content Guru
“As a local organisation with a global reach, I am proud that Content Guru was recognised with this award. Our enterprise customers utilise our global availability in over 150 countries worldwide, supported by industry-leading reliability, security and AI capabilities on the storm cloud communications platform. Over the past year, we have worked hard to achieve global headcount growth across our offices from California to Tokyo, despite a volatile economic climate, with significant progress in Europe and the Americas. Driven by our innovation in AI, 2024 will be our most successful year ever – and 2025 is set to improve on our success.” Martin Taylor, Co-Founder and Deputy CEO, Content Guru
Winner: Barinthus Biotherapeutics
“Our work is based around what we can do for patients and guiding them to a cure for diseases, in particular hepatitis B and coeliac disease. We are growing by working in partnership with institutions in these areas as well as other projects, for example, on treating shingles. Any biotech company will tell you the huge challenge is to balance doing good for patients with meeting your business development objectives. For us, it’s about trying to focus on where we can do the most good with the resources that we have.” Jonathan Blackbourn, Investor Relations and Public Relations Manager, Barinthus Biotherapeutics
Winner: Tiago Veiga – CEO, Aurum Solutions
“When I joined the company, we were working out of a living room. We’ve now just moved into offices in Reading’s Thames Tower. As CEO, I see my role as about making sure everybody around me feels comfortable to deliver the best they can every day. I try to ensure everyone feels empowered to do this. Being a relatively young CEO has its challenges. But I think that in the UK, there is respect for people who have accountability and who get things done. The next 12 months for us are super-exciting. We’ve opened a European office that will help take us to the next level and we are about to launch a new product.” Tiago Veiga, CEO, Aurum Solutions
Winner: measurable.energy
“Our AI-plug sockets that help to reduce energy consumption are in demand in the construction and commercial real estate sectors. We are also moving into stadiums and pubs – anywhere with a need to save energy. A highlight this year has been going from start-up to scale-up and doubling in size by headcount. Rapid expansion comes with teething problems and we have to look carefully at how to grow in the most suitable way. Our product team is constantly working on new innovations – the next development is hopefully going to be an extension lead product.” Mashal Sadiq, Head of Customer Success, measurable.energy
Winner: James Griffin – Redstor
“One of the important things for me is taking a collaborative approach. The way I like to run the business is with transparency and honesty. I give people enough space to make their own decisions. My job is just to guide them. I’m also a strong supporter of women in tech. A company has to represent society and I don’t think opportunities have existed for women to move into tech. At Redstor, we have changed our maternity policy, introduced mentoring and set up a women’s network. Another priority for me is giving back to the community. One of the biggest impacts we have had is with the Redstor Academy, where we have put over 400 kids in South Africa through technical training that would otherwise not been able to get.” James Griffin, CEO, Redstor
Winner: Oxford BioTherapeutics
“We develop innovative therapies to treat cancer that would otherwise not be able to be treated. This year, our clinical asset has been doing really well and it is currently in Phase 1 of development while two other assets developed in partnerships are also doing well. A new iteration of our discovery database is a significant technology advancement that enables the selection of targets to suit particular modality that increases the chances of success in treatments.” Lindsey Hudson, Senior Director of Business Development
Winner: Bridewell
“A lot has happened this year. The integration of Arculus Cyber Security has been great. They have a very similar business strategy as us, so there’s great synergy and good prospects for what we can deliver. We’re continuing to build our US presence in Houston and New York and are looking at future expansion in other territories as well. On the AI front, we are building our platform to deliver increased machine learning and AI so we can bring more cybersecurity expertise to clients through a better understanding of their data and incident management.” Craig Moores, Principal Lead, Bridewell
It’s very much up to you, but typically the main entry is 300-500 words.
Most nominations are completed quickly in less than 30 minutes.
From supporting documents that bring your entry to life, through to testimonials that demonstrate the support from your clients and customers (dated testimonials are better as we then know that they are current).
Executive Summaries at the start of your nomination that clearly lay out who you are, your achievements and why you think you should win are also great ways to stand out.
All of our awards have both category judges and independent judges.
After the nomination period has ended, judges are invited to a judging day where finalists and winners are decided.
All judges have a say in the winner for each award.
We will contact all finalists after the judging day and the list of finalists will be published in an article on https://thebusinessmagazine.co.uk
Not really, it’s set at 1000 words for the main category, but most nominations are 300-500 words.
Yes, it’s totally free to enter a nomination.
Absolutely
Yes, but please confirm that they are aware that you are making the nomination.
Contact us at [email protected] we’ll be glad to help
If you've saved a nomination and are having trouble recovering it, please get in touch. We can help retrieve your entry for you. Our team is always here to assist with any technical difficulties or issues that may arise during the nomination process. [email protected]
• Brainomix
• Content Guru
• CyberCrowd
• ESP Global Services
• Lifestyle Software
• Brainomix
• Content Guru
• CyberCrowd
• ESP Global Services
• Lifestyle Software
ROUNDTABLE: How SMEs can plan for growth over the next decade 
South Coast Property Awards 2025 
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