ICS.AI named finalist for AI Excellence Award at Central South Business Awards 2026

We’re proud to share that ICS.AI has been shortlisted for the AI Excellence Award at the Central South Business Awards 2026.

The awards bring together leading organisations, entrepreneurs and decision-makers from across the region to celebrate innovation, growth and impact. This year’s ceremony will take place on 13 May at the Leonardo Grand Harbour Hotel in Southampton, hosted by comedian Hal Cruttenden.

Being recognised in the AI Excellence category is particularly meaningful. This award celebrates organisations pushing the boundaries of AI through creativity, technical excellence and leadership to solve complex problems - something that sits at the heart of what we do.

Our submission focused on our work to build the UK’s first unified AI platform and operating model, enabling organisations to move beyond isolated pilots and deploy AI safely, at scale, across entire operations.

For us, this recognition is less about a single project and more about a shift in how AI is delivered:

• From fragmented tools to integrated, organisation-wide capability

• From experimentation to measurable, guaranteed outcomes

• From technology-first thinking to human-led, governed AI at scale

Fiona Watson, Chief Marketing Officer at ICS.AI, said:

This recognition reflects the shift we’re seeing across the market - from AI as a collection of tools to AI as a true operating model. We’re proud to be helping organisations move beyond pilots to deliver real, measurable outcomes at scale, and it’s fantastic to see that approach recognised alongside so many innovative businesses in the region.

It also marks a great moment of progress. We were shortlisted in 2025 for the Technology Advancement Award - so to return this year as a finalist in AI Excellence reflects how far both our platform and our impact have evolved.

Congratulations and best of luck to all the other finalists - we’re looking forward to celebrating alongside so many innovative organisations across the Central South.

We’re excited for the evening - and to continuing to push what responsible, scalable AI can deliver.

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