Leaders Awards Winners 2022
On Friday last 4th November in the Rochestown Park Hotel we had a very exciting night as it@cork officially launched our amalgamation with KerrySciTech and revealed our new brand name: Tech Industry Alliance
This was followed by a prestigious awards ceremony during which we were delighted to announce this year’s Leaders Awards Winners. These comprised:
- Tech Person of the Year Award – Andrew O’Shaughnessy, Founder of Poppulo
- Tech Start Up of the Year Award – valid8Me
- Scale Up of the Year Award – Keelvar
- Multinational of the Year Award – Dairymaster
- it@cork Skillnet Best Learning Workplace Winner – ENERCON
- Smart Technology Innovation Award – ICBF
- Diversity, Inclusion and Social Impact Award – VMware
- Chairperson’s Award – Cork City Council, Cork County Council and Kerry County Council
- Excellence in Education Award – St. Vincent’s Secondary School
This year the calibre of nominations was exceptional and the shortlisted finalists were selected from nearly 100 applicants from across the South-West. A huge congratulations to all the winners on this fantastic achievement and for their success in 2022. Year-on-year, the volume and calibre of applicants has significantly grown, and we would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who was involved in the process.
2022 Leaders Awards Finalists:
Tech Start Up of the Year Award Finalists
Graphite Note | valid8Me | Cotter Agritech
Graphite Note wants to make machine learning and analytics more accessible to businesses without the need for coding. Graphite Note have built a no-code platform to build, visualise, and explain machine learning models that can be applied to various industries and business use cases. It is primarily used by clients to predict customer activity by increasing sales lead conversion and customer retention and forecasting future trends.
valid8Me is a digital identity & client onboarding due diligence platform. valid8Me simplifies and enhances how regulated businesses comply with AML obligations whilst offering their clients a more secure and convenient experience.
Cotter Agritech is dramatically reducing chemical use in livestock farming via advanced algorithms that enable farmers to transition from blanket treatment with antiparasitic drugs to targeted selective treatment (TST), targeting only the animals that actually need treatment. This drug targeting hinges on SmartWorm, an algorithm developed to predict whether an animal will benefit from receiving antiparasitic treatment or not. This novel approach reduces antiparasitic drug use by up to 50% – reducing costs, preventing drug resistance, and reducing negative biodiversity impacts.
Tech Scale Up Award Finalists
ViClarity | Getvisibility | Keelvar
ViClarity is a global provider of Governance, Risk & Compliance solutions to the Financial, Healthcare, Education and Public Sector, headquartered in Tralee, Co Kerry. ViClarity has more than 1,000 global clients in a wide variety of regulated industries. Our clients have utilised our technology platform to save countless hours of manual work, streamline processes and navigate a changing regulatory environment.
Getvisibility is an AI powered data protection platform which enables organisations to discover, classify and secure their data faster and more accurately than traditional solutions. Our business is to know data and we empower you to Own Your Data.
Keelvar is moving procurement forward with best-in-class software for sourcing optimization and autonomous sourcing. With a modern user-friendly design Keelvar offers easy adoption and enhanced productivity, while supporting large scale deployments for the world’s largest enterprises. Keelvar is powered by unique artificial intelligence, designed by our category experts to deliver significant savings and operational improvements for leading global enterprises such as Siemens, Logitech, Samsung, Coca-Cola, Novartis and Microsoft.
Smart Technology Innovation Finalists
ICBF | Janssen Sciences | Johnson Controls
ICBF is an Agri-tech cooperative based in Ballincollig, Co. Cork. It is committed to the application of cutting-edge science and technology to ensure that our farmers and industry make the most sustainable (economic, environment, social) decisions, using the Decision Support Service by ICBF. Taking world leading approaches to genetic evaluations, coupled with one of the world’s largest Animal Databases, ICBF converts billions of data points gathered across the industry into actionable information on every dairy and beef animal in the country. The result is a dairy and beef industry that is equipped with the tools to deal with the climate change challenges it faces, while also maintaining the economic and social sustainability of dairy and beef farmers nationally.
Janssen Sciences Ireland UC, established in Ringaskiddy in 2005, develops and produces innovative cancer treatments and biomedicines that treat immune related diseases. Janssen is a global leader in the field of biomedicines, in particular pioneering monoclonal antibody technology, a cutting-edge approach to producing medicines that have launched a new generation of products to treat immune related diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and plaque psoriasis. Janssen Sciences Ireland is a Global Centre of Excellence for Clinical Drug Substance and Drug Product Release and Stability Management. Its manufacturing and operational excellence has been recognised through the receipt of ‘Industry 4.0 Light-house’ designation by the World Economic Forum.
Johnson Controls transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play. From optimizing building performance to improving safety and enhancing comfort, Johnson Controls drive the outcomes that matter most. Dedicated to protecting the environment, Johnson Controls deliver our promise in industries such as healthcare, education, data centers, and manufacturing.
it@cork Skillnet Best Learning Workplace Award Finalists
ENERCON | Cork County Council | Aspen Grove
ENERCON is one of the world’s leaders in wind energy technology, and is active in the manufacture, transportation, installation and maintenance of onshore wind turbines. Present in 44 countries, ENERCON has more than 31,000 wind turbines installed worldwide with a capacity of over 57 GW. ENERCON has held a presence in Ireland since 1998 and currently has more than 670 wind turbines installed on the island of Ireland, representing a total of more than 1.4 GW, and is one of the largest employers in the wind energy sector.
Cork County Council is the largest local authority in the country in geographical area and the second largest in terms of population and operations, governing the most unique and diverse combination of areas in the country. The Council’s roles and responsibilities have expanded in recent years; while traditional services such as Roads, Planning, and Housing continue to be provided to the very highest of standards, the core pillars of modern society, such as Community Development, Business Support, and Tourism also feature strongly within the remit of Council deliverables. With an annual budget of €372m, serving a population of 332,255 and over 2,000 employees, Cork County Council ensures that opportunities for investment in the economy and lifestyle offering are continually maximised by being a creative, competitive and ambitious local authority.
Aspen Grove has been solving technology challenges for the mortgage industry since 1997. Aspen Grove’s enterprise platform automates, tracks, and manages performing and non-performing servicing processes while providing next generation customer engagement. This helps clients to minimize servicing risks, reduce costs, increase productivity and ensure better outcomes for all stakeholders.
Diversity, Inclusion & Social Impact Award Finalists
eSentire | VMware | Cloudera
VMware is a leading provider of multi-cloud services for all apps, enabling digital innovation with enterprise control. At the heart of everything we do lies the responsibility and the opportunity to build a sustainable, equitable and more secure future for all.
eSentire is The Authority in Managed Detection and Response Services, protecting the critical data and applications of 1500+ organizations in 80+ countries from known and unknown cyber threats. Founded in 2001, the company’s mission is to hunt, investigate and stop cyber threats before they become business disrupting events.
Cloudera “believe that data can make what is impossible today, possible tomorrow. We taught the world the value of big data, creating an industry and ecosystem powered by the relentless innovation of the open source community. And now we enable the world’s largest enterprises to transform not just their organizations but their entire industries with data. We help customers capitalize on the value of all their data with a hybrid data platform that provides faster and easier management of enterprise analytics for data anywhere – without compromising performance, scalability, or security”.
Multinational of the Year Award Finalists
VMware | Fexco | Dairymaster
VMware is a leading provider of multi-cloud services for all apps, enabling digital innovation with enterprise control. At the heart of everything we do lies the responsibility and the opportunity to build a sustainable, equitable and more secure future for all.
Dairymaster is a world leader in dairy automation equipment, and has been recognised nationally and internationally for the new developments they have introduced to the dairy industry. Dairymaster’s innovative product range encompasses five key areas. Key to the success Dairymaster has enjoyed to date is the diverse range of engineering skills and manufacturing capabilities employed across a broad range of disciplines. Dairymaster has important collaborations with local and national research organisations and also actively supports the development of industry and learning networks in the South West.
Dairymaster provides technology that is transforming one of Ireland’s most important economic sectors, and are benefiting farmers and communities in every corner of Ireland and across the world. Farmers can invest in technology and facilities which allows them not only to grow and expand but to greatly improve their quality of life while feeding future generations of mankind.
Fexco is recognized as one of the world’s original and most established fintech players, Fexco employs over 2,300 people across its suite of companies headquartered in Killorglin, Co. Kerry located in the South West of Ireland. Founded in 1981, Fexco now has operations in 29 countries.
Since inception, Fexco has been driven by an entrepreneurial and innovative spirit. This ethos has brought the company to new regions and industries of growth, connecting customers with exciting new opportunities. Through its commitment to partnership and innovation, the company has built an international network of customers.
Excellence in Education Award Finalists
McEgan College | St Vincent’s Secondary School | North Monastery Secondary School
McEgan College is a co-educational school providing a broad curriculum to both girls and boys up to Leaving Certificate level. The school prides itself on catering for the needs of all students and indeed for the wider community. At McEgan College emphasis is on caring equally for all students while enabling them to reach their full potential.
St Vincent’s Secondary School is focused on developing students of the 21st Century. St Vincent’s concentrate on developing core digital literacy throughout the entire school community. As a DEIS school St Vincent’s recognise the importance of providing equal opportunity for all. St Vincent’s Secondary School is an all girls DEIS post primary school, situated in the heart of Cork City. The school is widely recognised as a centre of academic excellence encouraging all interests and talents. St. Vincent’s is extremely active in the promotion of inclusion and diversity and has been recognised as a forerunner in this area.
North Monastery Secondary School is located on the north side of Cork City. We have been proudly educating future leaders of Cork, Ireland and the World for past 200 years. We are deeply rooted in the heritage and culture of Cork City, being known locally as “the Mon”.
Excellence in Education Award:
Excellence in Education award winner will get €5,000 to promote STEM activities within their school for teachers and students, kindly sponsored by Trend Micro. Previous winners include: Nagle Community College and Mayfield Community School.
This event is now over. Follow our website, social channels or sign up to our newsletter to keep up to date on all of our events.
it@cork & KerrySciTech are delighted to announce that our annual Leaders Awards will take place on Friday 4th November in the Rochestown Park Hotel, Cork.
Tickets: To order tickets please contact us directly at: admin@itcork.ie , ticket pricing is listed below.
Ticket sales will be on a first come first served basis with priority given to all members.
Event details: Start Time: 7.00pm (begins with a drinks reception), Dress Code: Black Tie.
Event MC: Bobby Kerr Bobby is formally co-owner and Chairman/CEO of Insomnia Coffee Company (which he exited from in 2018), Ireland largest independent coffee chain, which at that time had over 140 shops, employed over 500 people and sold over 14 million cups of coffee a year. Bobby is a presenter on “Down to Business” the popular Newstalk radio business show on Saturday. He also co-hosts an SME slot called #bobbymeansbiz on The Hard Shoulder on Newstalk.
His business show has a listenership of 115000 listeners having grown it from just 27000 when he started 9 years ago. From 2017 to 2019 he presented “Bobby’s Late Breakfast” a life style magazine type show on Sunday mornings which had 93000 listeners. He was one of the original Dragons on Dragon’s Den for the first 4 years of the series. Although he has left the series to look at other broadcasting opportunities, he continues to be actively involved with the 9 investments he made during the series. Bobby is also a popular business, entrepreneurial and motivational speaker.
Leaders Awards
For over 15 year’s the annual Leaders Awards acknowledges the best of South West Ireland’s thriving ICT community which encompasses renowned multinationals, disruptive start-ups and emerging companies. The Leaders Awards recognise all those who have gone further than most in the use of technology in their respective organisations and businesses in the South West region. This year the it@cork & KerrySciTech Leaders Awards 2022 will be “Recognising Excellence in Innovation, Business & Technology” in the South West region of Ireland.
The it@cork & KerrySciTech Leaders Awards are split into nine categories:
- Tech Start Up of the Year
- Tech Scale Up of the Year
- Smart Technology Innovation
- it@cork Skillnet Best Learning Workplace
- Diversity, Inclusion & Social Impact
- MNC of the Year
- Excellence in Education
- Tech Person of the Year
- Chairperson Award
The first seven awards were open to the public for nominations, which are now closed.
The Tech person of the Year award will be selected by the it@cork & KerrySciTech Executive Boards and goes to an individual who has demonstrated many years commitment to the tech industry in the South West region.
The Chairperson Community Award is nominated by the Chairpersons of it@cork & KerrySciTech. This award focuses on giving recognition to a particular group or project that has positively influenced the Tech community in the South West region of Ireland.
All winners will be announced over a prestigious gala dinner awards ceremony on the 4th November with lots of networking, celebrating, entertainment plus much more. Be sure to book your ticket early to avoid disappointment.
* On the 8th of July 2022 it@cork and KerrySciTech signed a historic MOU to take the South-West technology and business ecosystem to a new level and significantly benefit the region.
it@cork & KerrySciTech 2022 Event Sponsors:
Event Sponsors: it@cork Skillnet, Deloitte, Trend Micro, Fexco, KPMG, RDJ, Cork Smart Gateway, Cork City Council, Cork County Council, Enterprise Ireland, Springboard Communications, Kinsale Spirit Company
2022 Leaders Awards Finalists:
Tech Start Up of the Year Award Finalists
Graphite Note | valid8Me | Cotter Agritech
Graphite Note wants to make machine learning and analytics more accessible to businesses without the need for coding. Graphite Note have built a no-code platform to build, visualise, and explain machine learning models that can be applied to various industries and business use cases. It is primarily used by clients to predict customer activity by increasing sales lead conversion and customer retention and forecasting future trends.
valid8Me is a digital identity & client onboarding due diligence platform. valid8Me simplifies and enhances how regulated businesses comply with AML obligations whilst offering their clients a more secure and convenient experience.
Cotter Agritech is dramatically reducing chemical use in livestock farming via advanced algorithms that enable farmers to transition from blanket treatment with antiparasitic drugs to targeted selective treatment (TST), targeting only the animals that actually need treatment. This drug targeting hinges on SmartWorm, an algorithm developed to predict whether an animal will benefit from receiving antiparasitic treatment or not. This novel approach reduces antiparasitic drug use by up to 50% – reducing costs, preventing drug resistance, and reducing negative biodiversity impacts.
Tech Scale Up Award Finalists
ViClarity | Getvisibility | Keelvar
ViClarity is a global provider of Governance, Risk & Compliance solutions to the Financial, Healthcare, Education and Public Sector, headquartered in Tralee, Co Kerry. ViClarity has more than 1,000 global clients in a wide variety of regulated industries. Our clients have utilised our technology platform to save countless hours of manual work, streamline processes and navigate a changing regulatory environment.
Getvisibility is an AI powered data protection platform which enables organisations to discover, classify and secure their data faster and more accurately than traditional solutions. Our business is to know data and we empower you to Own Your Data.
Keelvar is moving procurement forward with best-in-class software for sourcing optimization and autonomous sourcing. With a modern user-friendly design Keelvar offers easy adoption and enhanced productivity, while supporting large scale deployments for the world’s largest enterprises. Keelvar is powered by unique artificial intelligence, designed by our category experts to deliver significant savings and operational improvements for leading global enterprises such as Siemens, Logitech, Samsung, Coca-Cola, Novartis and Microsoft.
Smart Technology Innovation Finalists
ICBF | Janssen Sciences | Johnson Controls
ICBF is an Agri-tech cooperative based in Ballincollig, Co. Cork. It is committed to the application of cutting-edge science and technology to ensure that our farmers and industry make the most sustainable (economic, environment, social) decisions, using the Decision Support Service by ICBF. Taking world leading approaches to genetic evaluations, coupled with one of the world’s largest Animal Databases, ICBF converts billions of data points gathered across the industry into actionable information on every dairy and beef animal in the country. The result is a dairy and beef industry that is equipped with the tools to deal with the climate change challenges it faces, while also maintaining the economic and social sustainability of dairy and beef farmers nationally.
Janssen Sciences Ireland UC, established in Ringaskiddy in 2005, develops and produces innovative cancer treatments and biomedicines that treat immune related diseases. Janssen is a global leader in the field of biomedicines, in particular pioneering monoclonal antibody technology, a cutting-edge approach to producing medicines that have launched a new generation of products to treat immune related diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and plaque psoriasis. Janssen Sciences Ireland is a Global Centre of Excellence for Clinical Drug Substance and Drug Product Release and Stability Management. Its manufacturing and operational excellence has been recognised through the receipt of ‘Industry 4.0 Light-house’ designation by the World Economic Forum.
Johnson Controls transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play. From optimizing building performance to improving safety and enhancing comfort, Johnson Controls drive the outcomes that matter most. Dedicated to protecting the environment, Johnson Controls deliver our promise in industries such as healthcare, education, data centers, and manufacturing.
it@cork Skillnet Best Learning Workplace Award Finalists
ENERCON | Cork County Council | Aspen Grove
ENERCON is one of the world’s leaders in wind energy technology, and is active in the manufacture, transportation, installation and maintenance of onshore wind turbines. Present in 44 countries, ENERCON has more than 31,000 wind turbines installed worldwide with a capacity of over 57 GW. ENERCON has held a presence in Ireland since 1998 and currently has more than 670 wind turbines installed on the island of Ireland, representing a total of more than 1.4 GW, and is one of the largest employers in the wind energy sector.
Cork County Council is the largest local authority in the country in geographical area and the second largest in terms of population and operations, governing the most unique and diverse combination of areas in the country. The Council’s roles and responsibilities have expanded in recent years; while traditional services such as Roads, Planning, and Housing continue to be provided to the very highest of standards, the core pillars of modern society, such as Community Development, Business Support, and Tourism also feature strongly within the remit of Council deliverables. With an annual budget of €372m, serving a population of 332,255 and over 2,000 employees, Cork County Council ensures that opportunities for investment in the economy and lifestyle offering are continually maximised by being a creative, competitive and ambitious local authority.
Aspen Grove has been solving technology challenges for the mortgage industry since 1997. Aspen Grove’s enterprise platform automates, tracks, and manages performing and non-performing servicing processes while providing next generation customer engagement. This helps clients to minimize servicing risks, reduce costs, increase productivity and ensure better outcomes for all stakeholders.
Diversity, Inclusion & Social Impact Award Finalists
eSentire | VMware | Cloudera
VMware is a leading provider of multi-cloud services for all apps, enabling digital innovation with enterprise control. At the heart of everything we do lies the responsibility and the opportunity to build a sustainable, equitable and more secure future for all.
eSentire is The Authority in Managed Detection and Response Services, protecting the critical data and applications of 1500+ organizations in 80+ countries from known and unknown cyber threats. Founded in 2001, the company’s mission is to hunt, investigate and stop cyber threats before they become business disrupting events.
Cloudera “believe that data can make what is impossible today, possible tomorrow. We taught the world the value of big data, creating an industry and ecosystem powered by the relentless innovation of the open source community. And now we enable the world’s largest enterprises to transform not just their organizations but their entire industries with data. We help customers capitalize on the value of all their data with a hybrid data platform that provides faster and easier management of enterprise analytics for data anywhere – without compromising performance, scalability, or security”.
Multinational of the Year Award Finalists
VMware | Fexco | Dairymaster
VMware is a leading provider of multi-cloud services for all apps, enabling digital innovation with enterprise control. At the heart of everything we do lies the responsibility and the opportunity to build a sustainable, equitable and more secure future for all.
Dairymaster is a world leader in dairy automation equipment, and has been recognised nationally and internationally for the new developments they have introduced to the dairy industry. Dairymaster’s innovative product range encompasses five key areas. Key to the success Dairymaster has enjoyed to date is the diverse range of engineering skills and manufacturing capabilities employed across a broad range of disciplines. Dairymaster has important collaborations with local and national research organisations and also actively supports the development of industry and learning networks in the South West.
Dairymaster provides technology that is transforming one of Ireland’s most important economic sectors, and are benefiting farmers and communities in every corner of Ireland and across the world. Farmers can invest in technology and facilities which allows them not only to grow and expand but to greatly improve their quality of life while feeding future generations of mankind.
Fexco is recognized as one of the world’s original and most established fintech players, Fexco employs over 2,300 people across its suite of companies headquartered in Killorglin, Co. Kerry located in the South West of Ireland. Founded in 1981, Fexco now has operations in 29 countries.
Since inception, Fexco has been driven by an entrepreneurial and innovative spirit. This ethos has brought the company to new regions and industries of growth, connecting customers with exciting new opportunities. Through its commitment to partnership and innovation, the company has built an international network of customers.
Excellence in Education Award Finalists
McEgan College | St Vincent’s Secondary School | North Monastery Secondary School
McEgan College is a co-educational school providing a broad curriculum to both girls and boys up to Leaving Certificate level. The school prides itself on catering for the needs of all students and indeed for the wider community. At McEgan College emphasis is on caring equally for all students while enabling them to reach their full potential.
St Vincent’s Secondary School is focused on developing students of the 21st Century. St Vincent’s concentrate on developing core digital literacy throughout the entire school community. As a DEIS school St Vincent’s recognise the importance of providing equal opportunity for all. St Vincent’s Secondary School is an all girls DEIS post primary school, situated in the heart of Cork City. The school is widely recognised as a centre of academic excellence encouraging all interests and talents. St. Vincent’s is extremely active in the promotion of inclusion and diversity and has been recognised as a forerunner in this area.
North Monastery Secondary School is located on the north side of Cork City. We have been proudly educating future leaders of Cork, Ireland and the World for past 200 years. We are deeply rooted in the heritage and culture of Cork City, being known locally as “the Mon”.
Excellence in Education Award:
Excellence in Education award winner will get €5,000 to promote STEM activities within their school for teachers and students, kindly sponsored by Trend Micro. Previous winners include: Nagle Community College and Mayfield Community School.
Leaders Awards Winners 2022
On Friday last 4th November in the Rochestown Park Hotel we had a very exciting night as it@cork officially launched our amalgamation with KerrySciTech and revealed our new brand name: Tech Industry Alliance
This was followed by a prestigious awards ceremony during which we were delighted to announce this year’s Leaders Awards Winners. These comprised:
- Tech Person of the Year Award – Andrew O’Shaughnessy, Founder of Poppulo
- Tech Start Up of the Year Award – valid8Me
- Scale Up of the Year Award – Keelvar
- Multinational of the Year Award – Dairymaster
- it@cork Skillnet Best Learning Workplace Winner – ENERCON
- Smart Technology Innovation Award – ICBF
- Diversity, Inclusion and Social Impact Award – VMware
- Chairperson’s Award – Cork City Council, Cork County Council and Kerry County Council
- Excellence in Education Award – St. Vincent’s Secondary School
This year the calibre of nominations was exceptional and the shortlisted finalists were selected from nearly 100 applicants from across the South-West. A huge congratulations to all the winners on this fantastic achievement and for their success in 2022. Year-on-year, the volume and calibre of applicants has significantly grown, and we would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who was involved in the process.
2022 Leaders Awards Finalists:
Tech Start Up of the Year Award Finalists
Graphite Note | valid8Me | Cotter Agritech
Graphite Note wants to make machine learning and analytics more accessible to businesses without the need for coding. Graphite Note have built a no-code platform to build, visualise, and explain machine learning models that can be applied to various industries and business use cases. It is primarily used by clients to predict customer activity by increasing sales lead conversion and customer retention and forecasting future trends.
valid8Me is a digital identity & client onboarding due diligence platform. valid8Me simplifies and enhances how regulated businesses comply with AML obligations whilst offering their clients a more secure and convenient experience.
Cotter Agritech is dramatically reducing chemical use in livestock farming via advanced algorithms that enable farmers to transition from blanket treatment with antiparasitic drugs to targeted selective treatment (TST), targeting only the animals that actually need treatment. This drug targeting hinges on SmartWorm, an algorithm developed to predict whether an animal will benefit from receiving antiparasitic treatment or not. This novel approach reduces antiparasitic drug use by up to 50% – reducing costs, preventing drug resistance, and reducing negative biodiversity impacts.
Tech Scale Up Award Finalists
ViClarity | Getvisibility | Keelvar
ViClarity is a global provider of Governance, Risk & Compliance solutions to the Financial, Healthcare, Education and Public Sector, headquartered in Tralee, Co Kerry. ViClarity has more than 1,000 global clients in a wide variety of regulated industries. Our clients have utilised our technology platform to save countless hours of manual work, streamline processes and navigate a changing regulatory environment.
Getvisibility is an AI powered data protection platform which enables organisations to discover, classify and secure their data faster and more accurately than traditional solutions. Our business is to know data and we empower you to Own Your Data.
Keelvar is moving procurement forward with best-in-class software for sourcing optimization and autonomous sourcing. With a modern user-friendly design Keelvar offers easy adoption and enhanced productivity, while supporting large scale deployments for the world’s largest enterprises. Keelvar is powered by unique artificial intelligence, designed by our category experts to deliver significant savings and operational improvements for leading global enterprises such as Siemens, Logitech, Samsung, Coca-Cola, Novartis and Microsoft.
Smart Technology Innovation Finalists
ICBF | Janssen Sciences | Johnson Controls
ICBF is an Agri-tech cooperative based in Ballincollig, Co. Cork. It is committed to the application of cutting-edge science and technology to ensure that our farmers and industry make the most sustainable (economic, environment, social) decisions, using the Decision Support Service by ICBF. Taking world leading approaches to genetic evaluations, coupled with one of the world’s largest Animal Databases, ICBF converts billions of data points gathered across the industry into actionable information on every dairy and beef animal in the country. The result is a dairy and beef industry that is equipped with the tools to deal with the climate change challenges it faces, while also maintaining the economic and social sustainability of dairy and beef farmers nationally.
Janssen Sciences Ireland UC, established in Ringaskiddy in 2005, develops and produces innovative cancer treatments and biomedicines that treat immune related diseases. Janssen is a global leader in the field of biomedicines, in particular pioneering monoclonal antibody technology, a cutting-edge approach to producing medicines that have launched a new generation of products to treat immune related diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and plaque psoriasis. Janssen Sciences Ireland is a Global Centre of Excellence for Clinical Drug Substance and Drug Product Release and Stability Management. Its manufacturing and operational excellence has been recognised through the receipt of ‘Industry 4.0 Light-house’ designation by the World Economic Forum.
Johnson Controls transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play. From optimizing building performance to improving safety and enhancing comfort, Johnson Controls drive the outcomes that matter most. Dedicated to protecting the environment, Johnson Controls deliver our promise in industries such as healthcare, education, data centers, and manufacturing.
it@cork Skillnet Best Learning Workplace Award Finalists
ENERCON | Cork County Council | Aspen Grove
ENERCON is one of the world’s leaders in wind energy technology, and is active in the manufacture, transportation, installation and maintenance of onshore wind turbines. Present in 44 countries, ENERCON has more than 31,000 wind turbines installed worldwide with a capacity of over 57 GW. ENERCON has held a presence in Ireland since 1998 and currently has more than 670 wind turbines installed on the island of Ireland, representing a total of more than 1.4 GW, and is one of the largest employers in the wind energy sector.
Cork County Council is the largest local authority in the country in geographical area and the second largest in terms of population and operations, governing the most unique and diverse combination of areas in the country. The Council’s roles and responsibilities have expanded in recent years; while traditional services such as Roads, Planning, and Housing continue to be provided to the very highest of standards, the core pillars of modern society, such as Community Development, Business Support, and Tourism also feature strongly within the remit of Council deliverables. With an annual budget of €372m, serving a population of 332,255 and over 2,000 employees, Cork County Council ensures that opportunities for investment in the economy and lifestyle offering are continually maximised by being a creative, competitive and ambitious local authority.
Aspen Grove has been solving technology challenges for the mortgage industry since 1997. Aspen Grove’s enterprise platform automates, tracks, and manages performing and non-performing servicing processes while providing next generation customer engagement. This helps clients to minimize servicing risks, reduce costs, increase productivity and ensure better outcomes for all stakeholders.
Diversity, Inclusion & Social Impact Award Finalists
eSentire | VMware | Cloudera
VMware is a leading provider of multi-cloud services for all apps, enabling digital innovation with enterprise control. At the heart of everything we do lies the responsibility and the opportunity to build a sustainable, equitable and more secure future for all.
eSentire is The Authority in Managed Detection and Response Services, protecting the critical data and applications of 1500+ organizations in 80+ countries from known and unknown cyber threats. Founded in 2001, the company’s mission is to hunt, investigate and stop cyber threats before they become business disrupting events.
Cloudera “believe that data can make what is impossible today, possible tomorrow. We taught the world the value of big data, creating an industry and ecosystem powered by the relentless innovation of the open source community. And now we enable the world’s largest enterprises to transform not just their organizations but their entire industries with data. We help customers capitalize on the value of all their data with a hybrid data platform that provides faster and easier management of enterprise analytics for data anywhere – without compromising performance, scalability, or security”.
Multinational of the Year Award Finalists
VMware | Fexco | Dairymaster
VMware is a leading provider of multi-cloud services for all apps, enabling digital innovation with enterprise control. At the heart of everything we do lies the responsibility and the opportunity to build a sustainable, equitable and more secure future for all.
Dairymaster is a world leader in dairy automation equipment, and has been recognised nationally and internationally for the new developments they have introduced to the dairy industry. Dairymaster’s innovative product range encompasses five key areas. Key to the success Dairymaster has enjoyed to date is the diverse range of engineering skills and manufacturing capabilities employed across a broad range of disciplines. Dairymaster has important collaborations with local and national research organisations and also actively supports the development of industry and learning networks in the South West.
Dairymaster provides technology that is transforming one of Ireland’s most important economic sectors, and are benefiting farmers and communities in every corner of Ireland and across the world. Farmers can invest in technology and facilities which allows them not only to grow and expand but to greatly improve their quality of life while feeding future generations of mankind.
Fexco is recognized as one of the world’s original and most established fintech players, Fexco employs over 2,300 people across its suite of companies headquartered in Killorglin, Co. Kerry located in the South West of Ireland. Founded in 1981, Fexco now has operations in 29 countries.
Since inception, Fexco has been driven by an entrepreneurial and innovative spirit. This ethos has brought the company to new regions and industries of growth, connecting customers with exciting new opportunities. Through its commitment to partnership and innovation, the company has built an international network of customers.
Excellence in Education Award Finalists
McEgan College | St Vincent’s Secondary School | North Monastery Secondary School
McEgan College is a co-educational school providing a broad curriculum to both girls and boys up to Leaving Certificate level. The school prides itself on catering for the needs of all students and indeed for the wider community. At McEgan College emphasis is on caring equally for all students while enabling them to reach their full potential.
St Vincent’s Secondary School is focused on developing students of the 21st Century. St Vincent’s concentrate on developing core digital literacy throughout the entire school community. As a DEIS school St Vincent’s recognise the importance of providing equal opportunity for all. St Vincent’s Secondary School is an all girls DEIS post primary school, situated in the heart of Cork City. The school is widely recognised as a centre of academic excellence encouraging all interests and talents. St. Vincent’s is extremely active in the promotion of inclusion and diversity and has been recognised as a forerunner in this area.
North Monastery Secondary School is located on the north side of Cork City. We have been proudly educating future leaders of Cork, Ireland and the World for past 200 years. We are deeply rooted in the heritage and culture of Cork City, being known locally as “the Mon”.
Excellence in Education Award:
Excellence in Education award winner will get €5,000 to promote STEM activities within their school for teachers and students, kindly sponsored by Trend Micro. Previous winners include: Nagle Community College and Mayfield Community School.
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it@cork & KerrySciTech are delighted to announce that our annual Leaders Awards will take place on Friday 4th November in the Rochestown Park Hotel, Cork.
Tickets: To order tickets please contact us directly at: admin@itcork.ie , ticket pricing is listed below.
Ticket sales will be on a first come first served basis with priority given to all members.
Event details: Start Time: 7.00pm (begins with a drinks reception), Dress Code: Black Tie.
Event MC: Bobby Kerr Bobby is formally co-owner and Chairman/CEO of Insomnia Coffee Company (which he exited from in 2018), Ireland largest independent coffee chain, which at that time had over 140 shops, employed over 500 people and sold over 14 million cups of coffee a year. Bobby is a presenter on “Down to Business” the popular Newstalk radio business show on Saturday. He also co-hosts an SME slot called #bobbymeansbiz on The Hard Shoulder on Newstalk.
His business show has a listenership of 115000 listeners having grown it from just 27000 when he started 9 years ago. From 2017 to 2019 he presented “Bobby’s Late Breakfast” a life style magazine type show on Sunday mornings which had 93000 listeners. He was one of the original Dragons on Dragon’s Den for the first 4 years of the series. Although he has left the series to look at other broadcasting opportunities, he continues to be actively involved with the 9 investments he made during the series. Bobby is also a popular business, entrepreneurial and motivational speaker.
Leaders Awards
For over 15 year’s the annual Leaders Awards acknowledges the best of South West Ireland’s thriving ICT community which encompasses renowned multinationals, disruptive start-ups and emerging companies. The Leaders Awards recognise all those who have gone further than most in the use of technology in their respective organisations and businesses in the South West region. This year the it@cork & KerrySciTech Leaders Awards 2022 will be “Recognising Excellence in Innovation, Business & Technology” in the South West region of Ireland.
The it@cork & KerrySciTech Leaders Awards are split into nine categories:
- Tech Start Up of the Year
- Tech Scale Up of the Year
- Smart Technology Innovation
- it@cork Skillnet Best Learning Workplace
- Diversity, Inclusion & Social Impact
- MNC of the Year
- Excellence in Education
- Tech Person of the Year
- Chairperson Award
The first seven awards were open to the public for nominations, which are now closed.
The Tech person of the Year award will be selected by the it@cork & KerrySciTech Executive Boards and goes to an individual who has demonstrated many years commitment to the tech industry in the South West region.
The Chairperson Community Award is nominated by the Chairpersons of it@cork & KerrySciTech. This award focuses on giving recognition to a particular group or project that has positively influenced the Tech community in the South West region of Ireland.
All winners will be announced over a prestigious gala dinner awards ceremony on the 4th November with lots of networking, celebrating, entertainment plus much more. Be sure to book your ticket early to avoid disappointment.
* On the 8th of July 2022 it@cork and KerrySciTech signed a historic MOU to take the South-West technology and business ecosystem to a new level and significantly benefit the region.
it@cork & KerrySciTech 2022 Event Sponsors:
Event Sponsors: it@cork Skillnet, Deloitte, Trend Micro, Fexco, KPMG, RDJ, Cork Smart Gateway, Cork City Council, Cork County Council, Enterprise Ireland, Springboard Communications, Kinsale Spirit Company
2022 Leaders Awards Finalists:
Tech Start Up of the Year Award Finalists
Graphite Note | valid8Me | Cotter Agritech
Graphite Note wants to make machine learning and analytics more accessible to businesses without the need for coding. Graphite Note have built a no-code platform to build, visualise, and explain machine learning models that can be applied to various industries and business use cases. It is primarily used by clients to predict customer activity by increasing sales lead conversion and customer retention and forecasting future trends.
valid8Me is a digital identity & client onboarding due diligence platform. valid8Me simplifies and enhances how regulated businesses comply with AML obligations whilst offering their clients a more secure and convenient experience.
Cotter Agritech is dramatically reducing chemical use in livestock farming via advanced algorithms that enable farmers to transition from blanket treatment with antiparasitic drugs to targeted selective treatment (TST), targeting only the animals that actually need treatment. This drug targeting hinges on SmartWorm, an algorithm developed to predict whether an animal will benefit from receiving antiparasitic treatment or not. This novel approach reduces antiparasitic drug use by up to 50% – reducing costs, preventing drug resistance, and reducing negative biodiversity impacts.
Tech Scale Up Award Finalists
ViClarity | Getvisibility | Keelvar
ViClarity is a global provider of Governance, Risk & Compliance solutions to the Financial, Healthcare, Education and Public Sector, headquartered in Tralee, Co Kerry. ViClarity has more than 1,000 global clients in a wide variety of regulated industries. Our clients have utilised our technology platform to save countless hours of manual work, streamline processes and navigate a changing regulatory environment.
Getvisibility is an AI powered data protection platform which enables organisations to discover, classify and secure their data faster and more accurately than traditional solutions. Our business is to know data and we empower you to Own Your Data.
Keelvar is moving procurement forward with best-in-class software for sourcing optimization and autonomous sourcing. With a modern user-friendly design Keelvar offers easy adoption and enhanced productivity, while supporting large scale deployments for the world’s largest enterprises. Keelvar is powered by unique artificial intelligence, designed by our category experts to deliver significant savings and operational improvements for leading global enterprises such as Siemens, Logitech, Samsung, Coca-Cola, Novartis and Microsoft.
Smart Technology Innovation Finalists
ICBF | Janssen Sciences | Johnson Controls
ICBF is an Agri-tech cooperative based in Ballincollig, Co. Cork. It is committed to the application of cutting-edge science and technology to ensure that our farmers and industry make the most sustainable (economic, environment, social) decisions, using the Decision Support Service by ICBF. Taking world leading approaches to genetic evaluations, coupled with one of the world’s largest Animal Databases, ICBF converts billions of data points gathered across the industry into actionable information on every dairy and beef animal in the country. The result is a dairy and beef industry that is equipped with the tools to deal with the climate change challenges it faces, while also maintaining the economic and social sustainability of dairy and beef farmers nationally.
Janssen Sciences Ireland UC, established in Ringaskiddy in 2005, develops and produces innovative cancer treatments and biomedicines that treat immune related diseases. Janssen is a global leader in the field of biomedicines, in particular pioneering monoclonal antibody technology, a cutting-edge approach to producing medicines that have launched a new generation of products to treat immune related diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and plaque psoriasis. Janssen Sciences Ireland is a Global Centre of Excellence for Clinical Drug Substance and Drug Product Release and Stability Management. Its manufacturing and operational excellence has been recognised through the receipt of ‘Industry 4.0 Light-house’ designation by the World Economic Forum.
Johnson Controls transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play. From optimizing building performance to improving safety and enhancing comfort, Johnson Controls drive the outcomes that matter most. Dedicated to protecting the environment, Johnson Controls deliver our promise in industries such as healthcare, education, data centers, and manufacturing.
it@cork Skillnet Best Learning Workplace Award Finalists
ENERCON | Cork County Council | Aspen Grove
ENERCON is one of the world’s leaders in wind energy technology, and is active in the manufacture, transportation, installation and maintenance of onshore wind turbines. Present in 44 countries, ENERCON has more than 31,000 wind turbines installed worldwide with a capacity of over 57 GW. ENERCON has held a presence in Ireland since 1998 and currently has more than 670 wind turbines installed on the island of Ireland, representing a total of more than 1.4 GW, and is one of the largest employers in the wind energy sector.
Cork County Council is the largest local authority in the country in geographical area and the second largest in terms of population and operations, governing the most unique and diverse combination of areas in the country. The Council’s roles and responsibilities have expanded in recent years; while traditional services such as Roads, Planning, and Housing continue to be provided to the very highest of standards, the core pillars of modern society, such as Community Development, Business Support, and Tourism also feature strongly within the remit of Council deliverables. With an annual budget of €372m, serving a population of 332,255 and over 2,000 employees, Cork County Council ensures that opportunities for investment in the economy and lifestyle offering are continually maximised by being a creative, competitive and ambitious local authority.
Aspen Grove has been solving technology challenges for the mortgage industry since 1997. Aspen Grove’s enterprise platform automates, tracks, and manages performing and non-performing servicing processes while providing next generation customer engagement. This helps clients to minimize servicing risks, reduce costs, increase productivity and ensure better outcomes for all stakeholders.
Diversity, Inclusion & Social Impact Award Finalists
eSentire | VMware | Cloudera
VMware is a leading provider of multi-cloud services for all apps, enabling digital innovation with enterprise control. At the heart of everything we do lies the responsibility and the opportunity to build a sustainable, equitable and more secure future for all.
eSentire is The Authority in Managed Detection and Response Services, protecting the critical data and applications of 1500+ organizations in 80+ countries from known and unknown cyber threats. Founded in 2001, the company’s mission is to hunt, investigate and stop cyber threats before they become business disrupting events.
Cloudera “believe that data can make what is impossible today, possible tomorrow. We taught the world the value of big data, creating an industry and ecosystem powered by the relentless innovation of the open source community. And now we enable the world’s largest enterprises to transform not just their organizations but their entire industries with data. We help customers capitalize on the value of all their data with a hybrid data platform that provides faster and easier management of enterprise analytics for data anywhere – without compromising performance, scalability, or security”.
Multinational of the Year Award Finalists
VMware | Fexco | Dairymaster
VMware is a leading provider of multi-cloud services for all apps, enabling digital innovation with enterprise control. At the heart of everything we do lies the responsibility and the opportunity to build a sustainable, equitable and more secure future for all.
Dairymaster is a world leader in dairy automation equipment, and has been recognised nationally and internationally for the new developments they have introduced to the dairy industry. Dairymaster’s innovative product range encompasses five key areas. Key to the success Dairymaster has enjoyed to date is the diverse range of engineering skills and manufacturing capabilities employed across a broad range of disciplines. Dairymaster has important collaborations with local and national research organisations and also actively supports the development of industry and learning networks in the South West.
Dairymaster provides technology that is transforming one of Ireland’s most important economic sectors, and are benefiting farmers and communities in every corner of Ireland and across the world. Farmers can invest in technology and facilities which allows them not only to grow and expand but to greatly improve their quality of life while feeding future generations of mankind.
Fexco is recognized as one of the world’s original and most established fintech players, Fexco employs over 2,300 people across its suite of companies headquartered in Killorglin, Co. Kerry located in the South West of Ireland. Founded in 1981, Fexco now has operations in 29 countries.
Since inception, Fexco has been driven by an entrepreneurial and innovative spirit. This ethos has brought the company to new regions and industries of growth, connecting customers with exciting new opportunities. Through its commitment to partnership and innovation, the company has built an international network of customers.
Excellence in Education Award Finalists
McEgan College | St Vincent’s Secondary School | North Monastery Secondary School
McEgan College is a co-educational school providing a broad curriculum to both girls and boys up to Leaving Certificate level. The school prides itself on catering for the needs of all students and indeed for the wider community. At McEgan College emphasis is on caring equally for all students while enabling them to reach their full potential.
St Vincent’s Secondary School is focused on developing students of the 21st Century. St Vincent’s concentrate on developing core digital literacy throughout the entire school community. As a DEIS school St Vincent’s recognise the importance of providing equal opportunity for all. St Vincent’s Secondary School is an all girls DEIS post primary school, situated in the heart of Cork City. The school is widely recognised as a centre of academic excellence encouraging all interests and talents. St. Vincent’s is extremely active in the promotion of inclusion and diversity and has been recognised as a forerunner in this area.
North Monastery Secondary School is located on the north side of Cork City. We have been proudly educating future leaders of Cork, Ireland and the World for past 200 years. We are deeply rooted in the heritage and culture of Cork City, being known locally as “the Mon”.
Excellence in Education Award:
Excellence in Education award winner will get €5,000 to promote STEM activities within their school for teachers and students, kindly sponsored by Trend Micro. Previous winners include: Nagle Community College and Mayfield Community School.