Category Archives: Awards

Educ8 Training Group Secures Top 5 Placement at ‘Best Companies to Work For’ Awards

Educ8 Training Group, a leading provider of innovative training and education solutions, has been named in the Top 5 ‘Best Large Companies to Work For in the UK’ list and has also taken the #2 spot in the ‘Best Education and Training Companies in the UK’ category.

The Best Companies list is compiled each year, naming those companies that care about doing the right thing, value their people, and understand the value of a truly engaged workforce. Businesses placed on the list are committed to fostering positivity and recognise their employees as a vital part of their success. The national, regional and sector lists for 2023 were recently revealed at a prestigious ceremony in Battersea Evolution in London.

This year marked Educ8 Training Group’s inaugural entry into the ‘Large Companies’ category, having been named in the ‘Medium Companies’ category in previous years. 2023 is the ninth consecutive year that Educ8 has been commended on the Best Companies list and the third consecutive yearthe business has been in the top 5.

The transition to the ‘Large Companies; category is a testament to the company’s exceptional growth while maintaining its commitment to providing an outstanding workplace environment for its 275 employees.

The awards ceremony, attended by companies from across the length and breadth of the UK, was a hugely encouraging experience that showcased the truly positive and empowering workplace cultures present across the country.

Grant Santos, Chief Executive at Educ8 said: “We are so pleased to have placed so highly amongst some of the best companies in the UK. Educ8 truly values its employees and the important contribution they bring to the workplace every day, and we aim to provide them with a positive and encouraging environment where they feel supported. An organisation’s employees are critical to its success, and nurturing our employees continues to be a priority for Educ8 Training Group.”

Educ8 Training Group has consistently demonstrated its commitment to employee engagement and an inclusive workplace culture by moving to an employee ownership model last year. This strategic decision saw the company transition to an employee-owned business, enabling employees to become more involved in key company decisions through a committee.

Jude Holloway, Managing Director of Operations at Educ8, added: “Moving to employee ownership was a tangible way to acknowledge and reward our exceptional staff. It was an excellent way to crystallise our other employee engagement and wellbeing initiatives that include an increased benefits package, 24/7 staff support and dedicated Rejuven8 time. We are very proud to be named in the Top 5 large companies, and this award inspires us to always strive for the happiness of our employees.”

With 275 employees, Educ8 Training Group remains at the forefront of innovation in the sector, this year introducing a new Energy and Carbon Management apprenticeship and pioneering Virtual Reality (VR) training for hairdressing apprentices in partnership with ISA Training and CEMET.

For those eager to embark on a learning journey with Educ8 Training Group, visit www.educ8training.co.uk to explore the wide range of qualifications and apprenticeships available.

Nuvolt Ltd Celebrates Green Business of the Year nomination at Cardiff Business Awards

In an impressive display of commitment to supporting businesses sustainability and innovation, Nuvolt Ltd has been announced as a finalist for the prestigious Green Business of the Year award at the Cardiff Business Awards. This nomination highlights Nuvolt’s impactful contributions both locally and nationally, marking a significant milestone in their journey towards a sustainable future.

Nuvolt, a Cardiff-based renewable energy installation company, has been at the forefront of integrating low carbon technology solutions in a variety of projects across the UK. Their in-house technical capabilities, coupled with a keen eye for design and product knowledge, have set new standards in the renewable energy sector. The company’s approach to each project, whether it involves new developments, refurbishments, or retrofits, is marked by a deep understanding of sustainable practices and innovative technologies.

At the heart of Nuvolt’s success is a close-knit team of net-zero professionals. Their collaborative spirit and expertise have been pivotal in driving the company’s vision forward. “This nomination is a reflection of our team’s hard work and dedication. Each member plays a crucial role in supporting and guiding our client’s journey towards sustainability” said Matthew Phillips, Director, at Nuvolt.

Guiding this dynamic team are Nuvolt‘s visionary directors, whose experience and leadership have been instrumental in shaping the company’s path. Their strategic direction and commitment to quality have not only fostered a culture of excellence within Nuvolt but has also contributed significantly to the broader goal of achieving Net-Zero Carbon ambitions for clients and businesses in Wales and across the UK.

Nuvolt’s recognition at the Cardiff Business Awards reinforces the belief that sustainable practices and business success can go hand in hand, setting an inspiring example for others in the industry. Nuvolt’s ambitions align with the Welsh Government’s Net Zero Strategic Plan, showcasing an ambitious path towards decarbonisation.

For more information about Nuvolt and their projects, visit www.nuvolt.co.uk or contact 0330 311 2454.

 

About Nuvolt Ltd

Founded in 2021, Nuvolt Ltd is a leader in advising, designing, constructing, maintaining, and optimizing low carbon technology solutions. Based in Cardiff, South Wales, the company is committed to bringing innovative sustainable solutions through integrated low carbon technology, contributing significantly to the UK’s Net Zero Carbon ambitions. Installation of Solar, Battery Storage and EV Charging Stations.

 

Alternative Futures Group Celebrated with Great British Care Award

Local health and social care charity Alternative Futures Group has been recognised for its excellence in care provision winning The Three R’s Great British Care Award at its North West Regional Finals.

The Great British Care Awards are a series of regional events throughout the UK that celebrate excellence across the care sector.  The purpose of the awards are to pay tribute to those individuals who have demonstrated outstanding excellence within their field of work. As well as winning the Three ‘R’s’ Award, Alternative Futures Group was shortlisted in the following categories;, The Co-Production Award, The Palliative Care/End of Life Award, The ‘Putting People First’/ Personalisation Award and The Supported Living Team Award.

This award focuses on three vital areas for organisations in health and social care; recruitment, retention and recognition. To actively tackle their recruitment needs AFG partnered with a local agency to develop a targeted, multi-channel recruitment marketing campaign and transformed their internal processes. This resulted in a 67% reduction in agency spend which in turn meant that AFG could increase pay for its Support Workers by 11.1% and we were able to improve the consistency and quality of the support provided to vulnerable adults.

AFG also needed to create engaging learning programmes to support their ambitious recruitment plans, retain new and existing talent and address delays in training new starters.

The Learning and Development team designed and delivered role-specific induction pathways for the first six months for all new starters in the organisation, directing new employees to tools and mandatory training required to build skills and knowledge.

“To be shortlisted for six awards already acknowledges the outstanding personalised support provided by our front line colleagues across AFG, but we are thrilled to be able to take home an award further shining a spotlight on the fantastic work and dedication of our people. Our focus this year on attracting the right people, and retaining those individuals has meant we’ve been able to re-invest into our workforce through pay and recognition schemes that we know make our people feel like valued members of Alternative Futures Group. This transformation has been a whole organisation response and this award recognises the efforts of everyone at AFG” Kirsty Murphy, Chief People Officer, Alternative Futures Group.

AI innovations set to revolutionise the NHS.

Answer Digital picked up the Artificial Intelligence Project of the Year award for its pioneering work in advancing AI, accelerating the diagnosis of cancer, stroke and other health conditions in the NHS, at the prestigious UK IT Industry Awards 2023.

The Leeds-based consultancy is working with The London Medical Imaging and AI Centre for Value-Based Healthcare, a consortium of 10 NHS Trusts, to deploy a multi-modal AI platform that supports clinicians with faster and more accurate diagnosis and treatments, personalised therapies, and effective screening across various conditions and procedures.

‘AIDE’, the AI Deployment Engine, is a unique platform designed to implement AI at scale within the NHS. As an intelligent multi-modal platform, it increases the potential benefit of AI by creating a single interface for the deployment of many different AI tools, directly to NHS frontline services.

FLIP enables data from multiple NHS trusts to be used to train new AI models for future clinical use using privacy-preserving Federated Learning technology so that the patient data never needs to be pooled or shared outside of the originating NHS trust.

Based on the ongoing success at Kings College Hospital, AIDE has subsequently been rolled out in six NHS Trusts, proving itself as an effective channel for widespread AI deployment across the NHS to benefit patients.

The work is paving the way for AI-enabled hospitals and the future of patient care. Federated learning is being employed to address the long-standing issues surrounding privacy, security and anonymity when collating the large volumes of sensitive patient data traditionally required to teach machines.

Sophisticated AI algorithms from NHS medical images and patient data provide tools for clinicians to speed up and improve diagnosis and care across several patient pathways, including strokes, dementia, heart failure and cancer.

The platform receives a live stream of medical imaging data, allowing clinicians to access near real-time AI analysis within seconds. Once an AI has analysed the clinical data, the results are sent to the electronic patient record to support clinical decision-making.

In developing the award-winning solutions, Answer leveraged its cloud capabilities and understanding of NHS Trust landscapes to create a hybrid cloud/on-premise architecture that delivers value for money, innovation and rapid delivery.

Richard Pugmire, director at Answer Digital, commented: “The award is fantastic recognition for the hard work of the Answer team. We have developed a very close partnership with the NHS on what has become a nationally significant innovation that advances personalised and digitally-enabled healthcare provision across the whole service.”

“The AI programme allows Answer to bring the best technical, clinical and academic minds together to deliver a solution, capable of changing the way healthcare is provided for many years to come. Given the expertise of the partners involved and the nature of AI as a tool, the whole project has the capacity to be truly transformative for the NHS.”

Held in Battersea, London, the UK IT Industry Awards 2023, brings together industry leaders and innovators to celebrate the top achievements in the tech world over the last 12 months. The annual event emphasises acknowledging brilliance and innovation with more than thirty awards distributed, highlighting exceptional projects, companies and individuals shaping the tech landscape.

A-List Status for Meet & Potato’s Senior Event Producer

Sophie Greatbanks has been awarded A-List status in the creative event industry by Conference and Incentive Travel Insight (C&IT) Magazine.

Picking up the award at a glitzy ceremony on Wednesday (8th November),  run in partnership with sponsor Oman Convention Bureau, Sophie was recognised for her talent and dedication to the industry, with a particular focus on creative retail events and conferences across the UK.

Working on a range of events from business seminars for 100 people, to international conferences for 1500 delegates, Sophie supports the team for all production needs. Winners were recognised by a diverse panel of industry experts based purely on their outstanding achievements.

Speaking about the accolade, Sophie, said: “It’s a real honour to be recognised by C&IT and be awarded amongst other hugely respected figures in the industry. At Meet and Potato we live and breath by producing the very best creative and immersive events for our clients so this has put a real spring in my step as we enter a hugely busy period.”

Having worked at his agency for over two years, CEO of Meet and Potato, Jon Kelly, added: “We know Sophie is fabulous at what she does and so do our clients, but for her to get national recognition from the industry is a real coup and truly deserved. I look forward to watching her grow from strength to strength with the business and watch her continue to excel.”

When asked which event she had been most proud of, Sophie replied: “ I produced a big conference for Dunelm at the start of last year (2022). It was a post-pandemic celebration and represented a complete transformation in the way that the business communicated to their people. It was a true collaboration with the client, and they were absolutely delighted with the results. It doesn’t hurt that it was also nominated for a C&IT award for best celebratory event too!”

 

For more information about Meet and Potato, its work or its accolades, visit mandp.agency

Evenbreak win first global award, Go Global Award for Human Resources Excellence.

On 9th November 2023, Evenbreak, the first global job board run by disabled people for disabled people won their first global award at the Go Global Awards held in Rhode Island NY. The award picked up by founder Jane Hatton is for Global Excellence in Human Resources and a true testament to the dedication she and the team have for placing people with impairments and disabilities into roles within inclusive employers where they can thrive.

The Go Global Awards program unites international business leaders, government officials and industry organisations offering them the opportunity to connect and collaborate for the good of global commerce. The awards are open to businesses who have achieved significant international success and expansion.

The 2023 Go Global awards was hosted by Rhode Island Commerce Corporation and International Trade Council plus multiple foreign government export promotion, economic development and foreign direct investment agencies.

Jane accepted the award at a glittering event where around 50 US and foreign government economic development agencies and 400 companies were invited to attend. This incredible accolade will enable Evenbreak to expand into new markets by increasing global awareness. Therefore attracting more employers and offering more people with disabilities the life opportunities they deserve.

 

Evenbreak, Founder and CEO, Jane Hatton, said: “It’s amazing to win the Go Global Award for Excellence in Human Resources at Providence, Rhode Island. We were up against companies from all over the world, and it’s a real testament to the remarkable team that we are not just winning UK awards but are now being recognised internationally for the work we do.”

 

Logicalis awarded Global Sustainability Partner of the Year at Cisco Partner Summit 2023

  • Logicalis is the first Cisco partner to receive the inaugural global accolade.
  • The award reflects Logicalis’ outstanding performance and leadership in sustainable practices across its global operations and customer engagement.
  • Logicalis also recognised for the second consecutive year as the winner of the Cisco Global Enterprise Networking and Meraki Partner of the Year Award.

Logicalis, a leading global technology services provider, has been named Sustainability Partner of the Year at Cisco Partner Summit 2023. Cisco’s Partner Summit Global Awards recognize top-performing partners demonstrating innovation in delivering solutions that help customers succeed in new ways.

Announced today at the Global Partner Summit event in Miami, the inaugural award recognises Logicalis’ outstanding sustainability performance and success in helping customers reduce the environmental impact of their IT infrastructure across the globe.

In partnership with Cisco, Logicalis is powering customer progress on their sustainability goals through Cisco-powered services, including:

  • Responsible recycling and repurposing of end-of-use equipment by customers such as GJames in Australia.
  • Smart building solutions that maximise energy and resource efficiency for customers such as UKRI in the United Kingdom.
  • Logicalis’ suite of digital managed services, including the Cisco-powered Intelligent Connectivity solution, underpinned by Logicalis’ award-winning Digital Fabric Platform, that enable customers to measure and reduce the environmental impact of their IT infrastructure.

 

Logicalis was also named – for the second year running – the Cisco Global Enterprise Networking and Meraki Partner of the Year for demonstrating continued innovation, driving engagement, and delivering even greater value for its customers and communities. The recognition follows Logicalis’ launch of its Cisco-powered Intelligent Connectivity suite earlier this year, which includes solutions such as Private 5G, SD-WAN, SASE, SSE, SD-Access and ACI Data Centre.

 

Commenting on the wins, Robert Bailkoski, Global CEO at Logicalis said: “Over the past 12 months, our goal was to create meaningful change for our industry as we focused on driving sustainable outcomes for customers through our managed connectivity services. It’s a privilege for those efforts to be recognised with the awards of Global Partner of the Year for Sustainability and Global Enterprise Networking and Meraki Partner of the Year for the second consecutive year. These accolades reaffirm our commitment to facilitating sustainable business outcomes for our customers moving forward.”

 

“The theme at Partner Summit 2023 is ‘Greater Together’ and our Partner Summit Global Award winners are fantastic examples of our shared success and the power of partnering,” said Jeff Sharritts, EVP and Chief Customer and Partner Officer at Cisco. “Congratulations to Logicalis for being Global Sustainability Partner of the Year and Global Enterprise Networking and Meraki Partner of the Year Award 2023. You have demonstrated your ability to deliver outstanding results, respond to customers’ challenges, and lead in a dynamic competitive landscape.”

“As one of only six Cisco Global Gold certified partners, Logicalis holds the Cisco Environmental Sustainability Specialisation in 15 territories around the world and is one of only six Cisco Global Gold Certified Partners.”

 

“​​Logicalis is defining the future of sustainable digital managed services and empowering customers to reduce their carbon emissions,” added Nick Holden, Vice President of Global and Strategic Partners & Co-Sell at Cisco. “Partners like Logicalis are critical to building a more sustainable future and we look forward to continuing to grow our strong partnership.”

 

The Cisco Partner Awards recognise business success, innovation, and best-in-class sales and service. Selected by executives within the Cisco Global Partner Sales and Routes to Market organisation, recipients of Cisco Partner Summit Awards are top-performing partners that have introduced innovative processes, seized new opportunities, and adopted sales approaches that achieve substantial business outcomes for customers.

 

Smart CT CEO named as One To Watch in prestigious list of top 50 business leaders

IT MAINTENANCE company Smart CT’s CEO Andy Morgan has been recognised as One To Watch in a prestigious list of the Top 50 most ambitious business leaders for 2023.

Mr Morgan, who led a management buyout of the 21-year-old firm Reading company two years ago, was named in the list created by investment partner LDC – part of Lloyds Banking Group.

Smart CT provides parts and engineers to maintain, install, replace and repair business-critical IT infrastructure on behalf of IT suppliers who support an extensive range of organisations – from household brands to industrial businesses – in need of connected devices including networking, servers and other workplace technologies.

Its more than 90-strong staff team, now including 50 engineers, and more than 25,000 parts stored at more than 40 locations across the UK, Europe and the US, enables it to guarantee delivery of replacement parts, and in many cases an engineer, for 500,000 devices in as little as two hours.

The LDC Top 50 champions the business leaders who are pushing for growth and building successful medium-sized businesses. John Garner, managing partner at LDC, said the leaders featured in the Top 50 are growing their businesses at home and overseas, making a positive contribution to society and driving progress against their sustainability goals.

They hail from every corner of the UK, span every sector of the economy and together employ more than 6,700 people and turn over more than £1.2bn.

“The Ones to Watch are leaders making great strides and growing their businesses. They are excelling in their industries and making a positive impact on customers and employees, yet still show so much potential for future growth,” he said.

“The stories behind this year’s Ones to Watch really captured our attention and I’d like to congratulate them on their achievements so far. We’ve no doubt that this is only the beginning for each and every one of them.”

Mr Morgan said: “I’m honoured to be included alongside some great business people but the fact I’m on the list is really a credit to the business itself for being successful enough to give me that platform – and a huge credit to all the people at Smart CT who work really hard to make sure the business is in the position and performing at the level that it is. All the acclaim should go to them really.”

He attended a ceremony in Piccadilly, London, and met some of his fellow nominees for the award, which is also  supported by The Times. “The main thing about recognition like this is that it is a big help in increase the profile of the company,” he said.

“I feel like that we’ve been quietly successful in the background and never really shouted about ourselves in the past. So, hopefully this increases the profile and makes Smart CT better known and more people will think of using us.”

Find out more about Smart CT and its services at smartct.com.

Pictured: Smart CT CEO Andy Morgan has been recognised as One To Watch in the LDC 50 most ambitious business leaders for 2023

Check Point Software Celebrates Success of its   Irish Channel Partners at Awards Gala with Guest Speaker Tommy Bowe 

Channel partners recognised for their outstanding achievements over the last 12 months

Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP), a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions globally, has once again celebrated the achievements of its partners at the annual Irish Partner Awards Gala, held in Dublin on the 18th October.

Speaking at the event, Seamus McCorry, Ireland Country Manager at Check Point said: “The volume of cyber incidents in Ireland is increasing year-on-year, with an organisation being attacked on average 912 times per week in the last six months. We recognise how important our partners are to businesses that have limited resource and manpower to combat cybercrime and ensure presentative cyber resilience. They have worked diligently over the last twelve months, and I want to personally thank them for their contribution.”

The Partner Awards 

The awards, which took place at The Morrison in Dublin, honour the input of Check Point’s affiliate companies, and celebrate the growing partner community in Ireland.

During the evening, there was a fundraiser in support of CyberSafeKids, an Irish registered charity that works to empower children, parents and teachers to navigate the online world in a safe and responsible manner. A total of £1300 was raised through donations on the night. Guests were also treated to a talk by Tommy Bowe, Irish television presenter and former Rugby player. His list of achievements for Ireland includes two Six Nations titles and the 2010 Six Nations Player of the Championship. Tommy was on hand to present the partner awards in various categories, including:

Award Winner
Partner of the Year Presidio
Growth Partner of the Year Dataway
Project of the Year Presidio
Innovation Partner of the Year Triangle
Distribution Partner of the Year Arrow
Marketing Champion of the Year Integrity360
Sales Champion of the Year Ross O’Donovan – Presidio
Technical Champion of the Year Gerard O’Connor – Triangle
Channel Champion of the Year Ronan Kelly – Integrity360
Rising Star of the Year Jonny Adam – Integrity 260
Rising Star of the Year Oliver Yeaman – SEP2
Rising Star of the Year Padraic Kelly – Arrow
5* Partner Achievement Integrity360
5* Partner Achievement Presidio
4* Partner Achievement Ergo

The Irish Channel Partner Awards followed on from the first Check Point Ireland Cyber Leader Summit which also took place at The Morrison earlier in the day. The conference included rich insights curated for Senior IT leaders as part of the European Cybersecurity Month (ECSM). The event discussed the cyber security landscape in Ireland with speakers from Microsoft Ireland, Accenture, and Women in Cyber Security. It further highlighted Check Point’s commitment to cementing their position in the Irish market, with the help of their channel partners.

Follow Check Point via:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/check-point-software-technologies

X: https://www.twitter.com/checkpointsw

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/checkpointsoftware

Blog: https://blog.checkpoint.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CPGlobal

About Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.  

Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (www.checkpoint.com) is a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions to corporate enterprises and governments globally.  Check Point Infinity’s portfolio of solutions protects enterprises and public organizations from 5th generation cyberattacks with an industry leading catch rate of malware, ransomware and other threats. Infinity comprises four core pillars delivering uncompromised security and threat prevention across enterprise environments: Check Point Harmony, for remote users; Check Point CloudGuard, to automatically secure clouds; and Check Point Quantum, to protect network perimeters and datacentres, all controlled by the industry’s most comprehensive, intuitive unified security management; Check Point Horizon, a prevention-first security operations suite. Check Point protects over 100,000 organizations of all sizes.

Welshpool manufacturer recognised for technology and innovation

A company that makes lightweight aluminium components for the automotive industry was recognised at the Powys Business Awards for its innovation and use of technology.

CastAlum Limited, which has been based in Welshpool since 1999 and has 150 employees, won the Technology and Innovation Award, sponsored by CellPath, at the annual awards ceremony held at The Hafren, Newtown on Friday, October 20.

Organised by Mid Wales Manufacturing Group (MWMG) with support from sponsors, the coveted annual awards, which began in 2009, are open to companies, organisations, social enterprises and charities.

Castalum is a high pressure aluminium die casting and machining centre that produces complex components for almost all makes of cars.

The company became the first in the UK to start making dies from printed forms instead of steel which improved productivity, quality and enhanced the ability to produce increasingly difficult components.

CastAlum has introduced a second printer in its new additive manufacturing suite now that printed inserts are included in every die it uses.

The progressive company also uses Microsoft SharePoint technology to train and develop employees. Using a database of work instructions as its base, CastAlum has developed a purpose-built app to track what training has been completed and what is still required for each employee.

“This is only the beginning of a journey to modernising training and every day we are thinking of new uses for the technology,” said Greg Howe, CastAlum’s training manager.

“We also invest heavily in our apprenticeship programme – many of our employees started as an apprentice. We find as people grow with the business, they gain experience that we just will not find elsewhere.”

Receiving the award, CastAlum’s managing director Karl Meredith: “This is a sign that the pioneering work we are doing at Cast Alum is worthy of recognition.

Also, I can’t emphasise enough how important apprenticeships are to teach skills which Rhys Jones, our additive manufacturing engineer and apprentice mentor, has proven.”

Powys Business Awards judges said: “CastAlum have succeeded in truly embedding innovation into their business. Innovative use of new and existing technologies has clearly been championed within the business and encouraged with resource allocation.”

“At CastAlum, technology adoption is endorsed by the leadership team and embraced as a tool to train the next generation of staff.”

The award runners up were P.M Training and Assessing Ltd, Crickhowell and Arcticfox Adaptive Ltd, Montgomery.

Picture caption:

CastAlum’s managing director Karl Meredith and additive manufacturing engineer and apprentice mentor Rhys Jones receive the Technology and Innovation Award from Tim Davies from CellPath, sponsor.