Tech Leaders Awards 2018 – finalists revealed!

The final shortlist for Britain’s flagship celebration of tech leaders, innovators and disruptors, the Tech Leaders Awards, has been revealed. The winners will be announced at a gala ceremony on 13 September

The UK’s leading celebration of the business, IT and digital leaders driving disruptive innovation and demonstrating value from technology is today revealed.

The Tech Leaders Awards, organised by Information Age and sponsored by Frank Recruitment Group and BAE Systems, brings together hundreds of Britain’s top business and technology executives to honour the industry’s leading players across 14 categories.

The UK’s world-leading tech sector is a vital part of the British economy, with digital industries growing 32% faster than the rest, according to Tech City UK. Digital tech industries have a combined annual turnover of £161 billion in the UK, and the benefits are felt well beyond digital companies. Indeed, the UK digital and tech sector has increased international trade by more than 20%, according to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

>See also: Tech Leaders Awards 2017 – winners revealed

The awards recognise the leading figures at the forefront of disruption and innovation, those who play a central role in helping organisations use technology to its full potential as a driver of business value, both at the top line and bottom line, as well as in the public sector to improve the lives of UK citizens.

The shortlist announced today presents 117 finalists whittled down from over 300 nominations. The winners will be decided by a panel of esteemed tech leaders at a judging day on 15 August 2018. The judges are:

This awards programme provides a platform to celebrate the UK’s thriving IT industry, by bringing together the highest achievers to honour excellence in tech leadership and showcase the powerful contributions of technology and innovation in today’s economy.

“Recognising the leaders behind the UK’s technology industry is important, and I’m delighted that the Tech Leaders Awards facilitates this deserved celebration,” said Nick Ismail, Content Editor at Information Age. “I would like to thank our judges for working their way through the shortlist, whittled down from a list of over 300. The quality and breadth of the shortlist confirms Britain’s standing as a leader in digital innovation today. Making it onto the final shortlist is an incredible achievement in itself and we look forward to announcing the winners on what will be an exciting evening for the tech industry next month.”

>See also: Innovation in the enterprise at the heart of Tech Leaders Summit

The winners will be announced at a special gala ceremony at London’s Royal Lancaster London on 13 September, as the industry comes together to recognise tech leadership, excellence and innovation, and to celebrate technology’s growing importance to every successful organisation in the UK. Click here to book your place at the Tech Leaders Awards.

The shortlist

AI Leader of the Year

Business Leader of the Year

CIO of the Year

Cloud Leader of the Year

CTO of the Year

Data Leader of the Year

Rahul Lath, EXLService Holdings
Gael Decodu, Shop Direct
Richard Tate, EE
Gareth Powell, N Brown Group
Tim Lum, Virgin Atlantic
Helen Crooks, Lloyd’s of London
Joe Morrissey, Hortonworks
Kate Platonova, HSBC
Kevin Joyner, Croud
Aykut Sadi, Lifetime Learning
Caroline Carruthers, Lowell Group

Digital Leader of the Year

Disruptive Leader of the Year

Diversity Leader of the Year

Mahek Vara, Code Camp
Vikki Leach, Kantar
David Henderson, Global Media & Entertainment
Barbara Harvey, Accenture
Sheree Atcheson, Women Who Code
Sheila Flavell, FDM Group
Paul Wright, iotec Global
Louisa Allison, eBECS

Employer of the Year

Future Leader of the Year

Rupal Patel, Smart DCC
Faheem PARKAR, Kier Group
James D’Rozario, Vodafone UK
Emma Wilcock, Accenture
Akama Davies, Oath
Sam Harrison, Global
Byrion Smith, Global Media & Entertainment
Pallavi Boppana, Capgemini UK

Security Leader of the Year

Matt Palmer, Willis Towers Watson
Paul Farrington, CA Technologies
Andy Wall, Office for National Statistics
Craig Goodwin, CDK Global
Tony Richards, Securestorm
Mark McClain, SailPoint
Melanie Oldham, Bob’s Business
Naina Bhattacharya, Deloitte

Transformation Leader of the Year

Mahesh Chikodi, Robert Bosch Ltd UK
Darren Linden, Equal Experts
Jo Hutchinson, The Prince’s Trust
Graham Herries, Laing O’Rourke
Phil Clayson, Talk Talk
James Munson, The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
Dan Broomham, Sopra Steria
Lisa Heneghan, KPMG
Michael Cook, Kier Group

Young Leader of the Year

The UK’s largest conference for tech leadership, Tech Leaders Summit, returns in September with 40+ top execs signed up to speak about the challenges and opportunities surrounding the most disruptive innovations facing the enterprise today. Secure your place at this prestigious summit by registering here