Celebrating Critical Digital Transformation Skills in the Era of AI
The 2025 Awards Are Coming Soon - Stay Tuned!
2024 Awards Winners
DATA CITIZEN APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR
Joel Milner
ADHD Screener at Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
DATA ANALYST APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR
Louise Parkinson
Data Business Analyst at Pets at Home
AI & DATA SCIENCE APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR
Aman Birring
Data Scientist at Superdrug Stores
FUTURE DIGITAL LEADER OF THE YEAR
Rishi Ramessur
Digital and Clinical AI Fellow / Ophthalmology Resident at Moorfields Eye Hospitals
REVOLUTIONISING BUSINESS THROUGH DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
David Kimani
Life Cycle Engineer at Rolls-Royce Plc
DATA FOR SOCIAL GOOD
Teniola Salisu
Senior Data Analyst at MedShr
DATA SAVES LIVES
Rishi Ramessur
Digital and Clinical AI Fellow / Ophthalmology Resident at Moorfields Eye Hospitals
DATA-DRIVEN RETAIL SOLUTIONS
Robert Franklin
Senior Data Scientist at Walgreens Boots Alliance
KNOWLEDGE BASE CONTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR
Martyn Staddon
Patient & Staff Experience Data Insight Manager at United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust
We are incredibly excited to be able to announce the results of the 2024 Cambridge Spark Digital & AI Excellence Awards. The data talent that is emerging is truly outstanding and the data projects that are underway are nothing short of inspiring.
Our nominees have showcased impressive data skills and are driving major impact throughout not only their organisations but their wider communities too.
The Digital & AI Excellence Awards recognise outstanding learners, alumni, clients and industry professionals, who have made a difference in their field, demonstrated excellence in their approach to learning and made a positive impact with digital & AI in their careers and organisations in the past year.
In a rapidly evolving technological landscape, these awards recognise the pioneers and trailblazers who have harnessed the power of digital and AI as catalysts for change. They represent individuals and organisations that have not merely kept pace but emerged as influential leaders, shaping the trajectory of their professions and industries. Through their commitment to excellence, their ability to drive meaningful change, and their innovative contributions, they stand as exemplars of what can be achieved through dedication to learning and the strategic application of digital and AI prowess.
Awards Judges
Evie Dineva
Group Head of Data Engineering & Data Science at Gymshark
Fiona James
Chief Data Officer and Director, Data Growth and Operations at the Office For National Statistics
Jonathan Wagstaff
Director of Market Intelligence at DCC Technology
Leigh Shlomovich
Senior Data Scientist at Securonix
Leon Gordon
Founder & Chief Executive Officer at Onyx Data
McKinley Muir Hyden
Director of Data Value and Strategy at Financial Times
Each award has its specific requirements for nomination, but in general, the below individuals are eligible to enter:
Live learners on Cambridge Spark programmes
Achievers/Alumni of Cambridge Spark
Digital & AI Industry professionals
Who can nominate an individual?
Unless otherwise stated for a particular category, entries can be submitted by:
Individuals nominating themselves
Industry professionals nominating others
What is required?
A nomination needs to be submitted through the official submission form and explain in up to 500 words (maximum):
How the nominated individuals meet the criteria, including quantifiable metrics where possible
Why they should win the award
An individual can be nominated for multiple awards. Previous nominees are welcome to enter.
To keep the awards selection fair and objective, names will be omitted from the applications and members of the judging panel are not allowed to vote in categories if there is a potential conflict of interest.
Each award states its individual requirements, but, overall, our awards are open for anyone to nominate.
Nominations can be submitted via our online submission form by the deadline. Only fully complete nominations will be reviewed; incomplete nominations will be removed. Please refer to the relevant awards category, which outlines the key information you will need to supply for the nomination and also a link to the submission form. Alongside general information about the individual, you’ll need to address several key questions relating to the category.
Each award states its individual requirements, but in general, our awards are open to Cambridge Spark learners, alumni, clients and partner communities.
You must ensure your application is submitted by 23:59 on 10th January 2024. We will email you a confirmation of receipt. Please check your junk/spam folders in case our email has missed your inbox.
You will only be entered into the awards once you have submitted your online application. After this, you will receive a confirmation email. We will not review applications until after the closing date, so it’s your responsibility to ensure that the application is complete. Any incomplete applications will be deleted.
You can enter as many award categories as you wish. Though only one application per category will be accepted.
Nominations open on 16th October 2023 and will close at 23:59 on 10th January 2024. Once the nomination process has been completed, all applications are reviewed to ensure they meet the correct criteria. The applications are sent to our judges for an initial review ahead of the judging panel. The judging panel will meet to decide on shortlisted candidates and winners in all categories. Shortlists for all award categories will be announced on 2nd week of February 2024, and winners for each category will be announced on 1st week of March 2024. All winners will be invited with their plus ones to our celebratory dinner happening on 22nd March 2024.
I can’t tell you how much this award helped me in terms of confidence and encouragement. I strongly recommend putting someone forward, even that first act of nominating them can have a propounding impact on their confidence."
