SPONSORED: Meet the companies supporting the future of the West Midlands

There’s no doubt that technology is the future. From AI and AR to self-driving cars and software as a service, there are pioneers right here in our region who are developing those inspiring innovations and using their incredible skills to create a better future.

They deserve to be recognised, which is where the West Midlands Tech Awards 2021 comes in.

The awards, in association with BusinessLive and headline sponsored by BT, celebrate the use of digital technologies and innovation across the West Midlands. Individuals and companies throughout Birmingham, Coventry, Warwickshire, the Black Country, Solihull and South Staffordshire will be admired and rewarded at the special awards event.

On November 15, the West Midlands Tech Awards 2021 will take over the ICC in Birmingham for a fascinating night of awards and success stories. Tickets cost £85 (+VAT) and involve a welcome drink, bowl food, brochure and ceremony. Click here to buy tickets.

Visit the website for more information, and follow the hashtag #WMTechAwards for updates on social media.

Read More Related Articles Check out the 2021 shortlist here

The companies sponsoring the West Midlands Tech Awards are providing admirable support for the local tech industry. Not only helping to reward local pioneers, they are helping to put the West Midlands on the map as a hub of ingenuity.

Find out more about them below…

Proptech Business of the Year

SuperTech is a cross-sector partnership designed to showcase the talent, innovation and investment potential of the West Midlands’ rapidly emerging professional services technology sector. The UK’s only tech supercluster, it aims to accelerate the ProfTech cluster by raising its profile and establishing the region as one of the major players on a global stage.

Shoosmiths is a major UK law firm with a commercial client list which speaks volumes of the quality of its lawyers, ranging from Mercedes Benz to some of the UK’s largest banks. It is currently ranked by the Legal 500 UK 2021 across 115 practice areas with 31 top tier rankings.

Tony Randle, commercial partner at Shoosmiths said: “Tech development helps us all to be more efficient, to better meet our clients’ needs, to offer better working environments, to level-up and disrupt established markets and to promote and export our services more broadly.

“There are amazing things happening in tech in the West Midlands and those achievements thoroughly deserve to be celebrated.”

Don’t miss out on tickets to the West Midlands Tech Awards on Monday, November 15 at the ICC in Birmingham.

Scale Up Business of the Year

Enreach is the go-to business telecoms provider for game-changing communications solutions. Its flagship desk phone, HD Touch, and industry-leading cloud solution, Enreach Contact, have transformed customer and colleague communication.

Duncan Ward, chief executive officer, said: “We’re thrilled to be sponsoring the Scale Up Business of the Year category at this year’s West Midlands Tech Awards. This category celebrates established tech and digital businesses who’ve experienced some fantastic rapid growth through their product and service offering which is something we’re in full support of at Enreach!

“It’s great to be a part of the awards to celebrate the hard work of local tech businesses who’ve worked wonders after a very challenging year.”

James Orton of Wise and Duncan Ward of Enreach Young Tech Talent

Wise, which is working with more than 250 UK logistics firms to revolutionise the way these businesses engage with their self-employed workforce, is playing a growing role within the region’s technology sector.

James Orton, chief technology officer at Wise, said: “Since founding the business back in 2019, Wise has been committed to supporting and nurturing the Midlands technology scene, whether that’s by providing a pathway for developers, designers and engineers to grow their skills or by getting involved in events and initiatives in the wider community.

“We’re delighted to sponsor this year’s Young Tech Talent Award and I’m excited to see all of the outstanding entrants on display.”

Read More Related Articles 10 UK black-owned start-ups that should be on your radar Global Challenger Business of the Year

Opportuni is a business dedicated to connecting all the dots between portals and SMEs writing bids. Businesses are matched to tenders and can further express interest, receive documents and request or learn to write bids all through the specialist tech company.

Tim Ward, CEO, said: “At OPPORTUNI we are all about championing great growing businesses and celebrating their achievements. Any company shortlisted has a lot to be proud of but ‘Global Challenger Business of the Year’ really is a significant achievement, to standout amongst so many great local businesses and we are proud to support this award.”

BT Group is the UK’s leading telecommunications and network provider and a leading provider of global communications services and solutions, serving customers in 180 countries. Its principal activities in the UK include the provision of fixed voice, mobile, broadband and TV (including Sport) and a range of products and services over converged fixed and mobile networks to consumer, business and public sector customers. n

Ash Roots, chief digital officer for BT’s consumer division, said: “Technology is in BT’s DNA, so we’re delighted to be the headline sponsor of the West Midlands Tech Awards.

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“The West Midlands has a reputation as a hotbed of innovation, which is a major reason why we have decided to base some of our world-leading technology research and product development at our new regional hub at Three Snowhill in Birmingham.

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“Technology can provide huge benefits for society, so it’s great we’re able to recognise the efforts of firms in the West Midlands operating in this field through these awards and we congratulate them for the fantastic work they have achieved.”

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Delta Financial Systems provides market leading pension administration technology for the self-invested pensions of the UK’s lifetime savings market. Its Platinum~Pro technology delivers operational efficiency and compliance, making it a trusted partner for pension providers.

Delta has a long history of supporting staff to learn, improve and develop throughout their entire working career– this being a central part of Delta’s DNA since it was founded.

Michael Power, CEO, said: “We were one of the foundation supporters of the joint UK Government and Microsoft ‘Get On’ initiative – to encourage thousands of young people to take up technology as a career. Delta has supported multiple apprenticeships over the past decade – and has been awarded Microsoft’s Apprentice Employer of the Year in both 2012 and 2014, the only UK firm to achieve this award twice.

“Education is therefore at the heart of everything we do, so we’re delighted to be sponsoring the Innovation in Education Award this evening, and extremely encouraged to see the quality and range of nominees in this category.”

Michael Power of Delta Financial Systems and Tim Ward of Opportuni West Midlands Woman in Tech Award

BT‘s TechWomen is an award-winning 12-month internal development programme encouraging and equipping more women to move into senior technology jobs across the business. Meanwhile, its strategic partnership with Code First Girls will address the need for an increased pipeline of female talent with the technical skills required for tech-focused roles.

Ash Roots, managing director for incubation in BT’s Digital Unit, said: “We’re delighted to be sponsoring the West Midlands Woman in Tech category in this year’s awards. BT is committed to encouraging more women to enter the technology sector and it’s fantastic that we can help recognise the efforts of women in the West Midlands region through this award.

“At BT, we know the value that women can bring to our business, and we are determined to break down any barriers preventing women from either entering the technology sector, or progressing once there.”

Read More Related Articles Meet the man on a mission to make a career in coding open for all – and who says West Midlands Tech Awards gave him ‘credibility’ for success

For tickets to the West Midlands Tech Awards, held at the ICC in Birmingham on November 15, click here.

Email [email protected] for sponsorship opportunities or more information.