This week, at Cisco Connect UK, it was my pleasure to co-host the Cisco Customer Awards alongside Adele Every, Managing Director of UK Public Sector. It was a fantastic celebration of technological innovation and customer achievement. The ceremony recognised distinguished winners across 6 award categories for 2024. Drum roll please…
Here are the winners of the Cisco UK Customer Awards 2024:
1) Hybrid Work Hero: We all know that the way we work has changed. This award was presented to the customer who had implemented the best hybrid work strategy to empower their teams and/or reimagine their workspaces – making hybrid work, work for everyone!
And the winner is: Claire Quick, Director of IT Operations at the National Trust
2) Reimagine Applications Visionary: This award recognizes the forward-thinking customer that leverages Cisco Full-Stack Observability solutions to transcend traditional monitoring, achieving a comprehensive view of their applications performance, security, and relevance to business outcomes.
And the winner is: Luke Erickson, Head of IT Service Operations at Admiral Insurance
3) Transformation Trailblazer Winner:This award was designed to recognize a customer who excels in using Cisco solutions to simplify network and technology challenges and ensure global connectivity.
And the winner is: Team of Buckinghamshire Council. Tony Ellis, IT Service Director; Stewart Hall, Head of Infrastructure and Platforms; Marc Tomlin, Network Technical Architect; Clive Swindlehurst, ONE IT Programme Manager, and Prod Sarigianis, Head of Business and Partnerships.
4) Sustainability Changemaker: This award celebrates a customer who leverages Cisco’s innovative solutions to help reduce environmental impact and drive sustainability. It recognizes transformative efforts in using technology for energy management, data centre modernization, circular business transformation, smart buildings and other sustainability efforts.
And the winner is: Simon Billington, IT Director of Wrexham County Borough Council
5) Cybersecurity Defender of the Year: This award recognizes the customer who prioritises security in every aspect of their business by leveraging Cisco security solutions to enhance resilience, maximise user uptime, and maintain business continuity, all without compromising on innovation!
And the winner is: Kevin Ward, Lead Network Engineer for the All England Lawn Tennis Club
6) Industry Excellence Award: This award celebrates the organization whose usage of their Cisco solution solves common challenges faced across their respective industry. It highlights those in the public or private sector who use Cisco technologies to drive industry-wide innovative change.
And the winner is: After much deliberation by our judges, this category for Industry Excellence was awarded to joint winners – Edward Green, Head of IT at McLaren Racing & Simon Challis, Platform Lead – Observability at EasyJet.
Congratulations to all of the winners and nominees for their remarkable achievements.
Each of these winners have demonstrated exceptional leadership and innovation, leveraging Cisco technologies to drive transformative change in their respective fields. As we continue to celebrate their success, we are reminded of the limitless possibilities that come with technological advancement and collaboration.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Cisco Connect UK Awards Ceremony. Let’s continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible and celebrate the power of innovation!
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