TEES TECH AWARDS 2021
COMPANY OF THE YEAR
SPONSORED BY DIGITAL CITY AND MIDDLESBROUGH DIGITAL
FINALIST
ANIMMERSION
Winner – Salesfire CEO Rich Himsworth with the company ' s two Tees Tech trophies .
WINNER
SALESFIRE
It was success “ at the double ” for Middlesbrough ’ s Salesfire as it again bagged two awards , including the coveted Company of the Year honour .
But the firm , which specialises in helping online retailers convert more visitors into customers , won ’ t be resting on its laurels .
CEO Rich Himsworth explained : “ As a company , we grew 50 per cent during lockdown , but we were primed to grow by 300 per cent , so it ’ s been frustrating . But the good thing about lockdown was the attitude of our staff . Whereas other companies were looking at working-from-home policies , every member of staff at Salesfire wanted to be back in the office and couldn ’ t wait to see each other again .
“ Since the easing of lockdown restrictions we have had a bit of a summer party , but this event is the first time the whole team has been out in force . It ’ s a nice shot in the arm to go back to work knowing we are doing something right and have been recognised .”
Salesfire provides a personalised on-site experience to more than four million customers a day , replicating the experience of an in-store sales assistant , online , as well as helping ecommerce retailers utilise their website traffic , amplify their conversions and maximise their revenue .
During the year , Salesfire launched two products , introduced a managed service offering , grew by 332 clients and continued to build partnerships with leading companies in the industry such as ecommerce giant Klarna . It is now on track to expand into the USA , Asia and Europe .
SPONSOR ’ S MESSAGE
David Dixon of Digital City said : “ Wow - what an event ! And most importantly , what an amazing group of nominees and finalists . Our region is relatively small , but my word do we pack a punch ! The depth and breadth of the sector is astounding . The awards are only a small part of giving this increasingly important ecosystem the recognition that it deserves , but they have certainly lifted the fog and we will all benefit as a result in the medium term . A big shout out to Salesfire . In truth , any one of the finalists would have been a worthy winner , but there is something very special building within this company .”
Animmersion delivers cutting edge , digital visualisation services from its Middlesbrough studio .
Creating hundreds of innovative digital experiences for a diverse range of global clients , the company boasts a team of experienced designers , artists and software engineers who drive innovation while giving clients access to a range of technical and creative skills .
Animmersion ’ s recently developed Virtual Interactive Events ( VIE ) platform addresses many of today ’ s communications challenges , offering a hybrid approach to a physical event and providing businesses with the opportunity to showcase in ways not possible in the real world .
Committed to supporting the development and growth of the region ’ s digital sector , Animmersion provides internships through Teesside University .
FINALIST
CIRCLE CLOUD
Stockton-based Circle Cloud is an ISO27001 certified , government cloud-approved Microsoft Gold Cloud Platform Partner that specialises in the design , implementation and ongoing management of Office 365 , Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Teams Calling .
Though 2020 was a tough year , Circle Cloud grew by being agile and innovative , with additional revenue coming from remote working solutions provided to its existing customer base .
Circle Cloud ’ s specialism in one of the biggest and fastest-growing areas of IT in the world benefits our region thanks to its two-tiered approach to upskilling existing infrastructure consultants and technical operations staff .
Last year , it employed and upskilled six members of staff , all of whom joined with only basic Microsoft Cloud experience .
The voice of business in the Tees region | 39