Is your colleague one in a million?
- Do you have a trailblazer in your team?
- Do you work with an innovator or a problem solver?
- Do you have an inspirational colleague who deserves the spotlight for their work?
The President’s Award is your opportunity to nominate that colleague who is one in a million.
The techUK President’s Award was launched in 2023 to recognise the significant contribution and positive difference techUK members are making through their work with technology. Every day, individuals in our tech community are effecting real change, whether that is helping small, distinct communities, enabling large-scale projects across countries, or protecting the planet.
Let us help you to celebrate these teammates.
Nominate your colleague in one of four categories:
1. People Award
We are looking for someone who, through technology, has helped support mental well-being, protected people online, driven inclusion or diversity initiatives, supported vulnerable or underrepresented groups, promoted cultural representation, or implemented online safety protocols for vulnerable audiences.
2. Society Award
We are looking for someone who, through technology, has supported digital transformation in the public sector for improved citizen experiences, led digital skills or inclusion initiatives, created technology that enhances personal control over identity, improved outcomes or efficiencies in health and care, enabled community connectivity and cohesion, advanced education for all ages and groups, or developed tech that simplifies life for vulnerable or underrepresented communities.
3. Economy Award
We are looking for someone who, through technology, has improved productivity or efficiency in the public sector, supported procurement or innovation within the public sector, created tech or processes to aid the growth of UK SMEs, led initiatives that position the UK as a leader in a specific technology, developed technology to improve financial control or planning, or helped individuals, businesses, councils, or Government anticipate and mitigate risks, including enhancing cyber resilience.
4. Planet Award
We are looking for someone who, through technology, has led initiatives to support the climate agenda, developed tech or led projects that support the circular economy, nature, or biodiversity, created tech solutions to facilitate recycling and reuse, championed their company's efforts towards achieving net zero, led initiatives to help businesses and communities transition to net zero or renewable energy sources, monitored, responded to, or mitigated extreme weather events, or raised awareness of the impact of climate-friendly solutions.
How we'll reward the winners
- Winners will be announced on stage at the techUK Annual Dinner (Tuesday 1 July) in front of 650+ leading tech companies and government stakeholders.
- Winners will receive a physical ‘award’, and a digital ‘badge’ that they can add to their email signatures and social accounts.
- Winners will be profiled and celebrated on the techUK website.
- Our media partner, ComputerWeekly, will publish an article on the winners.
- We will post a blog about each individual winner, project and company they work for on our website and on our social media accounts (57k followers on LinkedIn) in the weeks following the Award.
- We will create a video about each winner, project and company they work for and post on our website and on our social media accounts in the weeks following the Award.
- We will profile the winners in the first techUK newsletter post the Award ceremony.
- We will profile the winners in relevant techUK Programme newsletters post the Award ceremony (e.g. our climate newsletter, policy newsletter, SME newsletter, skills newsletter etc.)
Plus:
- Event speaking opportunities: Winners will be invited to speak at a relevant techUK event.
- LinkedIn Newsletter: Winners will be profiled in the techUK LinkedIn Newsletter post the Award.
- Tech for Good: Winners will be interviewed for the techUK ‘Tech for Good’ series
- Webinar and blog: Winning companies will be invited to host a webinar and write a blog on a topic related to the project or work they were nominated for.
Who would you nominate?
We want to recognise the people within techUK member companies who are going above and beyond in their work to make a difference to the world around them.
Our judging criteria for nominations in our four categories, people, society, economy, and planet are deliberately broad, applicable to everything that we and our members focus on, regardless of product or service. So don't be afraid of nominating someone - let us be the judge.
We encourage nominations from each and every one of our member companies, so we can shine a spotlight on colleagues who are making the world a better place through technology. Through celebrating their achievements, we'll also showcase the projects and companies making a difference in the UK tech sector.
How to nominate
- Only individuals from techUK member companies are eligible to nominate and be nominated.
- All techUK members are invited to make a nomination.
- We can only accept one nomination from each member company. If we receive multiple nominations from one company, we will defer to your company ‘Authorised Representative’ (the person who manages the techUK membership) to make the final decision on which nomination we accept.
- Members can nominate someone from their own company, or someone from another company (as long as that company is a member of techUK).
- Nominated individuals must still be working for a techUK member company in July 2025 (when the Award is presented)
- The President's Award is free to enter.
- Each nomination needs to document the case for the individual. This should focus on the impact this individual delivered. The nomination form is at the bottom of this page.
Nomination criteria
Each nomination needs to document the case for the individual. Below is what we are looking for:
The kind of people we are looking for have:
- Led the development of tech or a project that supports mental well-being.
- Developed a digital solution aimed at protecting people online.
- Led an inclusion or diversity initiative.
- Made an impact on vulnerable or underrepresented people/groups.
- Led the development of new tech that identifies and encourages representation from all cultures in a platform.
- Instigated online safety protocols for vulnerable audiences.
The kind of people we are looking for have:
- Developed tech to support digital transformation in the public sector to improve the citizen experience.
- Led a project around digital skills or digital inclusion initiatives.
- Developed new tech to enable people to have better control over their identity.
- Developed tech to improve outcomes or efficiencies across the health and care ecosystem.
- Led a project that enables community connectivity and cohesion.
- Led a project around education and learning for all ages and groups.
- Developed new tech that makes life easier for vulnerable groups, underrepresented groups, or communities.
- Developed tech or a platform that enables local groups to interact and grow.
- Developed new tech/a service/a solution to support travel, mobility, or infrastructure.
The kind of people we are looking for have:
- Developed tech to support productivity or efficiency in the public sector.
- Developed tech to support procurement/innovation in the public sector.
- Developed new tech or a process to support the growth of UK SMEs.
- Led initiatives that mark the UK as a leader in a specific technology.
- Developed new tech to enable people to have better control over their finances, or that aid financial planning.
- Helped people, companies, councils or government to anticipate and mitigate risk, including cyber resilience.
The kind of people we are looking for have:
- Led initiatives either within their company or for a wider pool of people to support the climate agenda.
- Developed tech solutions to support a circular economy, nature or biodiversity.
- Developed tech solutions to enable easier recycling, reuse.
- Developed tech, or led a project to monitor, respond, adapt or mitigate extreme weather events.
- Championed their companies work to reach net zero, with broader implications.
- Led initiatives to support businesses and communities to reach net zero or shift to renewable sources.
- Championed and raised awareness of the impact of climate-friendly solutions.
Judging panel
techUK has convened a stellar panel of industry leaders to judge the 2025 award:
Sheila Flavell CBE
Sheila Flavell CBE
Sheila is the President of techUK and Chief Operating Officer and Executive Board Director of FDM Group. She has over 30 years’ experience in both the public and private IT sectors. Sheila played an integral role in the Group’s flotation on AIM in 2005 and was a key instigator of the management buy-out of the Group in 2010 and its subsequent listing onto the main FTSE Market in June 2014 and more recent entry into the FTSE 250.
Sheila’s experience and knowledge of the sector has been crucial in driving the Group’s global expansion programme. She is fully committed to promoting all forms of diversity, especially women in Tech and spearheads FDM’s Women in IT campaign and FDM’s ‘Getting Back to Business‘ programme, aimed at providing opportunities for women looking to return to the workplace. She is frequently called to advise government committees on various issues. Most recently she gave evidence to the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee on bridging the digital skills gap.
She has won numerous awards over many years for her services to the Tech industry, including a ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by ‘Scottish Women In Tech’ and was most recently recognised in the 2020 New Year’s Honours List, by being awarded ‘Commander of the Order of The British Empire’ for services to ‘Gender Equality in IT and Graduate and Returners Employment.’ She is regularly listed as one of the Most Influential Woman in Tech in the UK, by Computer Weekly and has also been regularly named as one of the Most Influential Women in the North American Mid Market’ by CEO Connection.
Sheila is a keen helicopter pilot who also likes to plant trees, play golf/ski and cycle.
If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].
Dr Nicola Hodson
Dr Nicola Hodson
Dr Nicola Hodson was appointed Chair, IBM UK and Ireland, in January 2025. Prior to taking on this role, Dr Hodson served as Chief Executive IBM UK and Ireland, a position she held for two years.
Dr Hodson is an accomplished technology industry leader with a deep understanding of the challenges facing the tech industry, as well as extensive experience in business and digital transformation. In 2023 and again in 2024, Dr Hodson ranked highly in Computer Weekly’s list of the 50 most influential people in UK technology, and in CRN’s 2024 A-List.
Dr Hodson held senior positions at Microsoft for 15 years, including as a global leader of the transformation of the Microsoft commercial sales, marketing and operations business and UK Chief Operating Officer covering its UK commercial and consumer business.
As Deputy President of techUK, the trade association for the IT industry, Dr Hodson has a wide breadth of experience and understanding of the tech sector, from large companies to start-ups, coupled with significant experience in the energy sector. She has extensive Board experience across multiple sectors, including Beazley plc, Drax Group plc, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). She has formerly served as a non-executive at Ofgem, the UK Council for Child Internet Safety, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) group, as a governor of Bradfield College, and as a director of start-up Bramble Energy.
Dr Hodson previously worked in the IT and business services division of Siemens, at CSC (now DXC), as a management consultant for EY and in the nuclear industry at BNFL.
Dr Hodson holds an MBA and a PhD in Engineering. She is married with three sons and two stepsons, loves outdoor pursuits and is a keen motorbike enthusiast.
If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].
Jacqueline de Rojas CBE
Jacqueline de Rojas CBE
techUK Board Member and President Emeritus | Chair Bletchley Park Trust & Chair Institute of Coding | Portfolio Non Exec Director, Business Mentor and Advocate for Inclusion.
"If we are to thrive in a digital future, we must ensure that all our voices heard when it comes to designing technology. If we do not, we will create a world that does not work for everybody.
And as we build this digital world, the need to stay safe is heightened as our dependency to live and work online increases. Competitive advantage will come from teams that look outwards not inwards and therefore businesses that build a culture of inclusion and maximise their security posture"
Voted the Most Influential Woman in IT 2015 and Included in World’s 100 most influential people in digital government 2019: Woman of the Year awarded by Women in IT Excellence 2019, 2020 Asian Tech Pioneer, named in 2021 Connected Britain’s Top 100 Influencers and Stroeous Award Winner: Global Positive Impact Leader of the Year 2021. Listen to her life and music choices on Desert Island Discs podcast March 2019.
Jacqueline was appointed as a CBE in the Queen’s Honours List of 2018 and was conferred an Honorary Doctor of Engineering degree by the University of Bath in 2019.
If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].
Jonathan Cowan
Jonathan Cowan
Jon is Chief of Staff at Sage, a member of the Sage Executive Leadership Team and runs the functions of Strategy, Transformation, and Corporate Development. Jon has a decade of experience at Sage in its UK, European, Marketing, Product, and Global functions, and a background in product & marketing leadership roles in Tech & Telecoms at Skype, T-Mobile and One2One.
Passionate about technology, digitisation an growth (And mountains where he can usually be found outside of work).
If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].
Liz Ashall-Payne
Liz Ashall-Payne
Liz Ashall-Payne is an accomplished healthcare leader and the Founding CEO of ORCHA, a global leader in digital health accreditation and distribution services. With a background as a trained NHS Clinician, Liz has been at the forefront of healthcare transformation programs in the NHS, Europe, and North America, leveraging the potential of digital technology to enhance patient health outcomes and drive economic opportunities.
In 2015, Liz established ORCHA, a groundbreaking venture that garnered investments from influential figures like Sir Terry Leahy and Bill Currie. Under Liz's guidance, ORCHA has experienced remarkable growth, expanding its digital health assessment and distribution services to twelve countries worldwide. Within the UK, ORCHA serves organizations in 70% of NHS regions, positioning itself as a trusted partner in the digital health landscape.
Recognized for her exceptional contributions, Liz Ashall-Payne and ORCHA have received numerous accolades. Liz herself has been honored as a Tech Trailblazer by the BIMA 100, acknowledged as a Healthcare IT Leader in the HIMSS Future 50, and named Entrepreneur of the Year by prestigious institutions such as the British Chamber of Commerce, Norther Powerhouse, and EY. Additionally, she has been featured within the LDC top 50, further highlighting her influential role in the healthcare and technology sectors.
In addition to her accomplishments at ORCHA, Liz Ashall-Payne is an NHS England NIA alumni fellow, demonstrating her commitment to advancing innovation in healthcare. She actively contributes to the development of future healthcare leaders as a coach for the NHS England Clinical Entrepreneur program. Furthermore, Liz serves as the Vice Chair on the techUK Health and Social Care Council, where she helps shape policies and initiatives in the intersection of technology and healthcare.
Liz Ashall-Payne's visionary leadership, extensive expertise in healthcare transformation, and dedication to harnessing the potential of digital health make her a prominent figure in the industry, driving positive change and innovation for the benefit of patients and healthcare systems worldwide.
If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].
Daniela Menzky
Daniela Menzky
Daniela Menzky is a serial entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in the corporate sector across diverse industries and business models. Daniela held a number of senior Human Resources & Organisational Strategy roles in major blue chip organisations such as Kodak and Avon Cosmetics before moving into General Management as a Managing Director for HAVI Logistics, the world’s largest privately-owned food service logistics company, as well as small & medium size technology enterprises.
Following her successful corporate career, she co-founded and scaled several companies across Cybersecurity, IoT Communications, and Climate Mitigation. She is co-ceo of ANGOKA, a cyber security company and co-founder and chair of Climate Essentials, a startup helping organisations reach net zero via their data-driven multi-stakeholder software solution, Climate Essentials.
If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].
Andy Hague
Andy Hague
Andy is the CEO of TechWM, an independent not-for-profit organisation that sits at the beating heart of the West Midlands tech sector acting as the voice of the region’s tech ecosystem. He is also the founder and director of 4TSec, a boutique cybersecurity advisory business.
Andy acted as CEO of The Cyberfort Group from starting the business with Private Equity backing in 2017 until the start of 2024 and continues to act as a Board Advisor to the business. Cyberfort was created from his idea to bring together the best of breed products and services in the field of data security by a combination of targeted acquisition , industry recruitment and organic build of market leading services and has grown to be one of the largest cyber services SME’s in the industry.
Prior to founding Cyberfort, Andy held a wide variety of roles across technology businesses and cybersecurity notably heading up the cybersecurity division of NCC Group in its early days and setting the foundations for the business to become a global player in the field.
In his early career Andy carried out the MBO of a software business and transformed it into a telecoms business operating in over 100 countries before selling the business to an AIM company in 2005. This venture saw him receive a much respected Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
In January 2023 Andy helped set up the SME cybersecurity forum within TechUK that has now gained strong momentum and has seen him subsequently pick up the SME industry panel remit within the Cabinet Office for the rollout of Secure By Design.
Other current roles include sitting as a member of the Bank of England Decision Making Panel providing important industry data and feedback on a monthly basis to help shape the MPC policy decisions.
Outside of business and advisory roles, Andy is a passionate advocate of Neurodiversity inclusion and acceptance where he has always embraced the strong crossover with cybersecurity skills.
Andy lives outside Stratford upon Avon with his wife and two young children, one of whom is autistic and provides inspiration every day to help shape and improve the future life chances of neurodiverse individuals. This has served as a primary driver in moving to roles that allow him to promote and improve the tech skills and life chances of Neurodiverse individuals.
If you wish to contact a member of the Board, please do so via [email protected].
Award timeline
| Awards open for nominations | 10 March |
| Nominations close | 25 April |
| Longlist announcement | 2 May |
| 'Meet the Judges' day | 5 June |
| Shortlist announcement | 11 June |
| Winners announced at techUK Annual Dinner | 1 July |
Learn more about the President's Award from Sheila Flavell CBE
Award entry criteria - FAQs
Who can enter?
- All techUK members are invited to make one nomination. We can only accept one nomination from each company. If we receive multiple nominations from one company, we will defer to your company ‘Authorised Representative’ (the person who manages your techUK membership) to make the final decision on which nomination we accept.
- Details of your Authorised Representative can be found when you login to your techUK account on the techUK website.
- The awards are free to enter and are a member benefit.
- Only individuals from techUK member companies are eligible to nominate and be nominated.
- Only one entry per member company. Please note this is not one entry per category.
- Nominated individuals must still be working for a techUK member company in July 2025 (when the Awards are presented)
- Members can nominate someone from their own company, or someone from another company (as long as that company is a member of techUK).
- Each nomination needs to document the case for the individual. This should focus on the impact this individual delivered.
How many entries can we submit?
Only one entry per member company. Please note this is not one entry per category.
- We can only accept one nomination from each company. If we receive multiple nominations from one company, we will defer to your company ‘Authorised Representative’ (the person who manages your techUK membership) to make the final decision on which nomination we accept.
- Only individuals from techUK member companies are eligible to nominate and be nominated.
- Members can nominate someone from their own company, or someone from another company (as long as that company is a member of techUK).
- Details of your company's Authorised Representative can be found when you login to your techUK account on the techUK website.
Can I nominate myself?
Yes you can, but if we receive multiple nominations from your company, we will defer to your company ‘Authorised Representative’ (the person who manages your techUK membership) to make the final decision on which nomination we accept.
Details of your Authorised Representative can be found when you login to your techUK account on the techUK website.
How do I know who my Authorised Representative is?
How do I enter?
Simply complete the online nomination form.
Here are the timescales we are working to:
| Awards open for nominations | 10 March |
| Nominations close | 25 April |
| Longlist announcement | 2 May |
| 'Meet the Judges' day | 5 June |
| Shortlist announcement | 11 June |
| Winners announced at techUK Annual Dinner | 1 July |
How do I know if my nomination is longlisted/shortlisted?
We will email longlisted nominees (and their nominator) with the good news in May. And we will email shortlisted nominees (and their nominator) with the good news in June.
This email will come from [email protected] or [email protected] so please check your junk/spam just in case.
In general, this is the award timeline:
| Awards open for nominations | 10 March |
| Nominations close | 25 April |
| Longlist announcement | 2 May |
| 'Meet the Judges' day | 5 June |
| Shortlist announcement | 11 June |
| Winners announced at techUK Annual Dinner | 1 July |
What happens if I win?
The award winners will be announced at the techUK Annual Dinner, taking place on 1 July in London. All shortlisted nominees will be invited to the Annual Dinner as our guest.
The benefits of winning:
- Winners will be announced on stage at the techUK Annual Dinner (Tuesday 1 July) in front of 650+ leading tech companies and government stakeholders.
- Winners will receive a physical ‘award’, and a digital ‘badge’ that they can add to their email signatures and social accounts.
- Winners will be profiled and celebrated on the techUK website.
- Our media partner, ComputerWeekly, will publish an article on the winners.
- We will post a blog about each individual winner, project and company they work for on our website and on our social media accounts (57k followers on LinkedIn) in the weeks following the Award.
- We will create a video about each winner, project and company they work for and post on our website and on our social media accounts in the weeks following the Award.
- We will profile the winners in the first techUK newsletter post the Award ceremony.
- We will profile the winners in relevant techUK Programme newsletters post the Award ceremony (e.g. our climate newsletter, policy newsletter, SME newsletter, skills newsletter etc.)
Plus:
- Event speaking opportunities: Winners will be invited to speak at a relevant techUK event.
- LinkedIn Newsletter: Winners will be profiled in the techUK LinkedIn Newsletter post the Award.
- Tech for Good: Winners will be interviewed for the techUK ‘Tech for Good’ series
- Webinar and blog: Winning companies will be invited to host a webinar and write a blog on a topic related to the project or work they were nominated for.
Quotes from our previous Award winners
"To be recognised as a company really making a difference in tech is wonderful. It’s incredible to have this room of experts at the cutting edge, really thinking about all of the implications of how tech can dramatically improve society.”
“I was nominated for the Society Award because of the software tools that Forensic Analytics provides to law enforcement and the criminal justice system. Done right, technology can absolutely have a fantastically beneficial effect for society. Being recognised by the tech industry for our work feels a little bit surreal!”
“I’m most delighted on behalf of my company, Plexal, because we’re on a real journey and real mission, and to be at the head of that charge is so exciting for me. A moment like this is recognition that we’re heading in the right direction.”
“I feel humble and proud because I feel techUK has recognised all the work that we have been doing with Climate Essentials in the past three years, and I feel super happy. Winning is amazing for me.”
“Amazing to win. It’s so exciting to have the work of the team recognised for what we’ve done. Delighted.”
“It feels fantastic. Absolutely amazing. Great for Access Elemental, it’s great for social prescribing, it’s great for the Access Group and for the community voluntary sector and all the people that we support."
“I think I was nominated because I’ve had the opportunity to represent the interest and power of an SME community and I think this is a celebration of the effect and power SMEs can have."
“Absolutely amazing. Super pleased. Love the fact that this award is peer judged in a techUK community where we’re all trying to do good. Amazing.”
Media partner
For more information about techUK President's Award, please contact:
Alex Smith
Alex joined techUK in September 2021 as our Head of Brand and Campaigns.
The techUK President’s Award is our opportunity to shine a spotlight on the amazing talent we have in the UK tech industry. We are always bowled over by the quality of nominations we receive each year, and we want to thank every techUK member who has put forward a colleague. Through each of the four awards: People, Society, Economy, and Planet, we recognise the positive difference individuals from techUK member companies are making through their work with technology. With over 1,100 members, techUK now represents over 1.1 million tech workers in the UK so our award winners truly are one in a million.