Winners of Leeds Digital Festival Awards Revealed

Hosted by talent specialists byProduct and Ward Hadaway, the awards brought the digital and tech community together to celebrate the individuals and companies driving digital progress across Yorkshire and beyond.

Entrepreneur of the Year went to Sarah Pawson, founder of Fruition Group as well as tech consultancy Enablis. Sarah launched Fruition IT in 2008 and Enablis in 2020 and has spent more than 25 working in the tech industry, based out of Leeds.

The Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Award was won by The Lifted Project, a programme focused on opening up access to tech entrepreneurship for under-represented groups in Leeds. The initiative supports high-growth female founders through mentoring, networks and routes to investment, helping more diverse talent scale within the region’s tech economy.

Start-Up of the Year was awarded to Doza Consulting, an independent Leeds-based technology consultancy formed in 2023. Doza’s early growth has come from hands-on delivery in cloud, data and full-stack engineering, with live work across sectors in and beyond Yorkshire.

Andrew Maeer, founder of byProduct, said: “This year’s awards have been the strongest yet. The sheer quality and variety of entries underline just how far the awards have come in eight years. We’ve seen everything from large corporates like Lloyds Banking Group showcasing cutting-edge data innovation to early-stage companies such as Doza Consulting proving they can grow fast and deliver for clients. At the same time, individuals like Sarah Pawson are showing how leadership, vision and sustained effort can create lasting impact across the community.

“What makes me proudest is the sense of collaboration that runs through every winner and finalist. Leeds is at its best when it brings people together and that’s what these awards are all about – recognising those who are building, mentoring, investing and creating opportunities that will carry this region forward.”

Lhasa was named Best Tech Place to Work, reflecting its reputation as a Leeds-headquartered, not-for-profit scientific software and data-sharing organisation serving the pharma, cosmetics and chemicals community and known for a strong culture and mission-led work.

Lloyds Banking Group took Tech Innovation of the Year for its data-driven work through its Centre of Excellence, underlining the bank’s continued investment in modern analytics and engineering to improve digital services.

White Label Loyalty was named Growth Company of the Year, recognising the Leeds-founded, API-first loyalty platform’s expansion with enterprise customers in retail and consumer brands and its growing international footprint.

Bill Goodwin, partner and head of IT/IP at Ward Hadaway, said: “It’s always inspiring to see the drive and creativity of the people and companies behind our region’s digital economy. This year we also want to recognise Stuart’s huge contribution. His energy and commitment have been central to the festival and the awards from the very start.”

The ceremony was held at Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen and it was a particularly significant night for Stuart Clarke, who co-founded Leeds Digital Festival and is stepping down from his role after 10 years of championing the city’s digital community.

Stuart Clarke said: “The awards have been a real highlight of my year since they began, and it’s bittersweet to be stepping back from my role as Festival Director after 10 years. But it’s also exciting to see both the festival and the awards continue to go from strength to strength. I’m hugely proud of what we’ve built together and look forward to seeing the next chapter.”