2025 Shortlists

This itag Excellence Award recognises excellence in early career development and is conferred on an individual with up to 3 years professional experience in the IT/Software sector.

• Tabitha Day – Channel Mechanics
• Ivo Garais – TitanHQ
• Rebecca Lindley – Centripetal
• Ross Molloy – Genesys
• Diana Olivastri – StateStreet
• Iarlaith O’Sullivan – Rent The Runway
• Charlie Pym – Cisco
• Amna Shifa – University of Galway
• Qiyang Zuo – Fidelity Investments

This itag Excellence Award is conferred on a company/technology start-up within 3 years of its foundation. This award recognises excellence in early entrepreneurship, product and strategy development and early market/market position development.

• Amara Therapeutics
• Brightbeam
• Lua 
• Slick+

As either the full-time IT security team at an organisation or a special project team or task force set up for a specific project, the team will be blazing a trail of success as an example to others in the industry. A well-oiled unit with provable results, that shows everybody else how it’s done.

• Centripetal – Security Operations Team
• State Street – Fusion & Security Operations Team
• TitanHQ – Cyber Team

itag’s Diversity Excellence Award celebrates efforts by companies to create an equitable environment free from bias that allows staff from any background to perform at their best to the benefit of all. This category recognises work on representation and outreach across the lines of gender, orientation, age, religion, race, ethnicity and social background.

• AIM Centre 
• Carelon Global Solutions Ireland
• Ericsson 
• Fidelity Investments
• SmartBear 

This itag Excellence Award is conferred on ANY individual with 3 years+ relevant professional experience and who demonstrates excellence in leadership (including thought leadership).  Nominees need hold a formal management/leadership position in the organisation.

• John Clancy – Galvia AI
• Eimear Coffey – Fidelity Investments
• Kenneth Fox – Channel Mechanics
• Florence Higgins – SmartBear
• Ciaran O’Toole 
• John Patrick Shaw – Carelon Global Solutions Ireland
• David Silke – Centripetal
• Luke Warren – Evernorth Ireland

This itag Excellence Award is conferred on ANY individual with 3 years+ relevant professional experience and who demonstrates excellence in leadership (including thought leadership).  Nominees need not hold a formal management/leadership position in the organisation (although they sometimes do).

• Mamoona Asghar – University of Galway
• Audrey Bleach – Cisco
• Julie Dowling – AIM Centre
• Mark Dunphy – State Street
• Shane Hanlon – Signify Health
• John Lynch – Signify Health
• Darren Muldoon – Liberty IT
• Priyanka Verma – University of Galway

This itag Excellence Award recognises excellence in women in technology and is conferred on an individual with over 3 years professional experience in the IT/Software sector.

• Mamoona Asghar – University of Galway
• Natasha Bornhorst – Rent The Runway
• Kerrie Clancy – Channel Mechanics
• Jennifer Conlon – Signify Health
• Caroline Darcy – HPE
• Linda Devenney – Fidelity Investments
• Caitlin Hardiman – Evernorth Ireland
• Saoirse Kennedy – Genesys
• Lucia Macari – Beyond
• Fionnuala Mannion – Medtronic
• Priya Mishra – Carelon Global Solutions 
• Christina Morrissey – TitanHQ

This itag Excellence Award is conferred on an individual/group/organisation that has added exceptional contribution to our community through a CSR initiative or individuals/groups/ organisation that use their technology passions to support and educate the tech community while building our tech ecosystem.

• CompSoc at University of Galway
• Ericsson 
• Fidelity Investments 
• Hewlett Packard Enterprise
• Liberty IT
• Platform94
• Rent The Runway

This itag Excellence award for Best Industry Application of AI recognises a company that has demonstrated exceptional innovation and impact in harnessing artificial intelligence technology to drive advancements in their industry. This award celebrates organisations that have successfully leveraged AI to improve operations, drive business growth, and deliver unparalleled value to customers. The recipient of this award exemplifies excellence in utilising AI to achieve tangible and measurable results, setting a new standard for industry innovation and success.

The itag Excellence Award for Best AI Project recognises outstanding achievement in the field of artificial intelligence, whether in a commercial or academic setting. This prestigious award honours projects that demonstrate exceptional innovation and novelty, pushing the boundaries of what is possible with AI technology.  The ‘Best AI Project Award’ winners will showcase excellence in their ability to leverage artificial intelligence to solve complex problems and drive meaningful impact in their respective fields.

• Brightbeam 
• Galvia AI
• HCI
• AI Diagnosis & Segmentation in TBAD – Ihsan Ullah, University of Galway
• Intelligent Pavement Rating System- Ihsan Ullah, University of Galway
• Large Language Models in Intensive Care – Computer Science & Medicine, University of Galway

This itag Excellence Award is conferred on an organisation group that demonstrates excellence in the planning, execution, and delivery of a project appropriate to their business.  The nominated project may be internally focused (an ‘in-house’ project for instance), or externally focused (i.e., undertaken for a client of the organisation).

• Cisco 
• Ericsson 
• Fidelity Investments
• Galvia AI
• HCI 
• MetLife
• Rent The Runway

This itag Excellence Award is conferred on an individual, group or organisation that demonstrates excellence in innovation – product or process innovation, for instance.  Such innovations will usually have a lasting effect, often distinguishing them from ‘projects’ per se; transforming how business is done, how products perform in the future, or creating new possibilities in the marketplace.

• App Design  
• CBE Mobile Order & Pay
• Ericsson
• Fidelity Investments 
• Rent The Runway

The itag Excellence Award will recognise the Sustainable Tech Company of the Year, following an evaluation of an initiative your company has undertaken that demonstrates your commitment to sustainability, clearly demonstrating how they embrace sustainability. Focusing on the long-term benefits delivered by sustainability initiatives, evidenced by its impact on your customers, your own business and the wider society.

• Cisco 
• Fidelity Investments 
• Intel Corporation
• Liberty IT 
• White Spire 

This award recognises organisations that demonstrate a clear and effective strategy for staff development, fostering a culture of continuous learning. Nominees must showcase a specific initiative that highlights its objectives, approach, and measurable impact on employee growth and organisational success.

• Channel Mechanics 
• Fidelity Investments
• Genesys
• Hewlett Packard Enterprise 
• Liberty IT

This itag Excellence Award is conferred on MNC organisations for outstanding contribution in one or more of the following areas; as product and process innovators: as centres of technical excellence; as employers, as drivers of regional economic growth; and for their myriad of other contributions to the Galway region and beyond.

• Channel Mechanics
• Ericsson
• Fidelity Investments
• Genesys
• Rent The Runway
• SmartBear