Digital Leaders announces the Digital Leaders 100 Winners for 2020

Written by Lucy Wakeford, , Head of Online at Digital Leaders

Tonight at the The Founders Award for 2020The Overall Winner and #1 on the list was Elemental Software, who won the award in addition to the HealthTech Innovation Category. Smart City of the YearBoth the top individual awards went to women this year. Lucy Watts MBE, won Digital Leader of the YearAcademic Reem Talhouk was named Young Digital Leader of the Year for her work in refugee settlements in Lebanon looking at the use of digital technologies, such as blockchain, to improve food security and public health. for her work in digital spaces for people with disabilities and life-shortening illnesses. saw very strong competition, but ultimately went to Sunderland City Council. Elemental Software are a social subscribing business that has launched a remote support solution designed to ensure vulnerable community members are mobilised, contacted, connected and supported during the Covid-19 pandemic. was carried off by entrepreneur and angel investor in amazing startups like the jetsuit company “Gravity”, Professor Adam Beaumont. 8th Digital Leaders 100 Virtual Awards ceremony we met this year’s winners with an audience of all 100 finalists as well as sponsors and special guests. The attendees mingled virtually in the #Digilounge after the ceremony to celebrate and congratulate this year’s winners.

The 8th Annual Digital Leaders 100 list highlights the latest champions of digital transformation across the UK. All 12 UK regions are represented in this year’s list, reflecting the national reach of the Digital Leaders Community. Outside of London and the South East, the strongest regions were Scotland, the South West, Yorkshire and the North West.

The independent list recognises 100 people, organisations and programmes across the UK who are leading the way in digital transformation in all sectors. Previously, the list has featured industry names such as: Martha Lane-Fox, Mike Bracken, Liam Maxwell, Seyi Akiwowo, Kevin Cunnington and Eileen Burbidge.

The 100 finalists that make up the list competed for the public vote in one of 10 categories. The top three in each category were then met by the judges to pick a winner in each category. This year’s DL100 list is made up of individuals and organisations with 42 private sector, 36 from the public sector, 18 from the non-profit sector and 4 from academia.

The full list of Winners for the DL100 Awards 2020 are:

Leading by example, the DL100 list has a 50/50 gender split, recognising the diversity in digital transformation roles and the leading women across the industry. This is a figure not seen commonly on many industry lists.

10 UK regions are represented in this year’s list, reflecting the national reach of the Digital Leaders Community. Outside of London and the South East, the strongest regions were Scotland, the North West and Yorkshire and Humberside.

Robin Knowles, CEO of Digital Leaders, commented:

“We are once again proud to see the incredible recognition of leading female role models in the DL100 where there are no awards based on gender. As a list that is nominated from our extensive Digital Leaders network, we’re always eager to see new names and faces featured on the list. There are few tech based awards that can claim they have successfully gathered a list with 50/50 representation!”

This year’s list for Digital Leaders and Young Digital Leader included: Leeds Festival’s Stuart Clarke; Chief Executive of Wigan Council, Alison McKenzie Folan; Apps for Good CEO Heather Picov; Quantum Black’s Yetunde Dada; as well as the two winners.

Russell Haworth, Chair of Digital Leaders, said:

“The Digital Leaders 100 list 2020 once again highlights the progress in digitally transforming the UK. Our community of Digital Leaders have shone a light on the many hidden heroes, quietly getting on with the nation’s digital transformation. It is fabulous to see such a strong list from outside London this year reflecting our own inclusive national programme and the growing importance of digital transformation on companies irrespective of size or sector.”

Notes to Editors

About the Digital Leaders 100

Each year’s list is created from over 600 nominations submitted by members of the 138,000 strong Digital Leaders Community before being shortlisted by the DL100 judges, who are often members of the Digital Leaders Advisory Board.

This year’s list is the 8th cohort to join the alumni of previous winners that now numbers over 500 leaders from Government, Enterprise, startups and charities. These former members stay in touch, network and learn from each other through participation in the DL100 Club.

The DL100 is decided by public vote and 19 Cross-sector Judges:

Russell Haworth, CEO, Nominet (Chair of Judges)

Emily Ackroyd, Director for Strategy & Engagement, Government Digital Service

Vimla Appadoo, Lead Service Designer, DigitalBridge HQ

Robin Christopherson MBE, Head of Digital Inclusion, AbilityNet

Jacqueline de Rojas, President of techUK

Gillian Docherty, CEO of DataLab

Simon Hansford, CEO of UKCloud

May-N Leow Head of Local Digital Collaboration Unit, MHCLG

Sean Massey Managing Director, Digital, Civica

Yatin Mahandru, AVP, New Markets, Head UK and Ireland Public Sector at Cognizant

Rachel Neaman, Digital Leaders Advisory Board

Jenny Nelson Programme Manager, Digital Newcastle

Jack Parsons, CEO, Big Youth Group

Maggie Philbin, CEO TeenTech

Lindsay Phillips Executive Vice President, Sage Product Delivery

Lesley Seary, Digital Leaders Advisory Board

Elizabeth Vega, Global CEO of Informed Solutions

Nigel Watson, CIO, Northumbrian Water Group

Rob Wilmot Serial Entrepreneur and Government NED

About Digital Leaders

Digital Leaders is a global initiative that has created a shared professional space for senior leadership from different sectors promoting effective, long-term digital transformation. Our community of 120,000 senior leaders are involved in leveraging technology to promote economic growth, increase social well-being and narrow social gaps.

To find out more visit https://digileaders.com/ or follow Digital Leaders on Twitter: @DigiLeaders

For further information please contact:

Robin Knowles on + 44 (0) 7710132900 [email protected] or

Louise Stokes [email protected]

Images from the Digital Leaders 100 Awards:

Full Digital Leaders 100 List 2020 (grouped by category)

AI Innovation of the Year

Cross-Sector Digital Collaboration

• ecoloco, HiveLOGIC
• Essex + Herts Digital Innovation Zone (DIZ), Essex + Herts Digital Innovation Zone
• History Makers: inspiring people to how collective action can change the course of history [Annie Besant & the Match Girls Strike and Jayaben Desai & the Grunwick Strike] People’s History Museum
• Humanitarian Immersive Experience, Open Lab, Newcastle University
• Integrated cloud solution that is improving road safety and saving lives across the UK, Civica
• National Underground Asset Register Pilots, Geospatial Commission — Cabinet Office
• NPEx by The Health Informatics Service and X-Lab, X-Lab
• PiGIS™ (Pig Grading Information System), Agri-Food & Biosciences Institute, College Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise
• Power Up: Good Things Foundation and JP Morgan, Good Things Foundation
• Street Manager — Department for Transport

Digital Leader of the Year

Digital Public Service Innovation

Digital Skills or Inclusion Initiative

Digital SME

Healthtech Innovation

• Bleepa Feedback Medical
• A Digital Sexual Health Tool for Young People in Wales, ProMo-Cymru
• Elemental Software
• Empowering Health Professionals — Putting Patient data into the hands of clinicians in Milton Keynes Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Improving Access, Outcomes and Reach with Digital Mental Health , SilverCloud Health Ltd
• NHS login, NHS Digital
• NHS Widening Digital Participation : Good Things Foundation and NHS Digital Good Things Foundation
• Rune Bech, Liva Healthcare
• Smart device application for self-monitoring of heath data for adults with Cystic Fibrosis , Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust
• Space Finder, Edge Health

Smart City

Tech for Good Initiative

Young Digital Leader

Originally published at https://digileaders.com on October 16, 2020.