Martin Neale named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2026 Regional Finalist

We’re pleased to share that our CEO and founder, Martin Neale, has been named an EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2026 UK Regional Finalist for the South.

The EY programme recognises founders who are building enduring, high-impact businesses, combining innovation with real-world results. This recognition reflects not just Martin’s leadership, but the work being delivered across ICS.AI with our public sector partners. We asked Martin to share what this recognition means to him:

From pilots to public value

I’m delighted to have been named an EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2026 UK Regional Finalist. It’s a programme I’ve followed for many years because it recognises something quite specific: not just innovation, but the ability to build organisations that deliver real, lasting value over time. To be included in that group is something I’m genuinely proud of.

At the same time, recognition like this is never really about one person. It reflects a much broader journey - one shaped by the team at ICS.AI, the partners we’ve worked with, and the public sector organisations that have been willing to take a different approach at a time when the easier option would have been to stay with the status quo.

A different starting point

When I started ICS.AI, the intention wasn’t to participate in the growing excitement around artificial intelligence. It was driven by a more practical question: why does so much promising technology struggle to translate into meaningful outcomes once it reaches real organisations, particularly in complex environments like the public sector?

Over time, it became clear that the limitation wasn’t the capability of the technology itself, but the absence of the structures needed to make it work - governance, accountability, and the ability to embed it into day-to-day operations.

That realisation shaped the path we took. While much of the market continued to focus on pilots and point solutions, we concentrated on how AI could be implemented at an organisational level in a way that was measurable and repeatable.

Taking the risk

Starting ICS.AI later in my career meant making a conscious decision to step away from security and invest personally in an idea that, at the time, was far from proven. What made that decision worthwhile was not the technology itself, but the belief that there was a better way to apply it - one that could deliver meaningful, measurable value in sectors under significant strain.

In hindsight, that decision imposed a useful discipline. It forced a focus on outcomes rather than ideas, and on building something that could stand up in real-world conditions rather than controlled environments.

Moving beyond the pilot mindset

The work over the past few years has reinforced one central lesson: AI only becomes valuable when organisations change how they operate around it. Without that shift, even the most capable systems remain isolated and underutilised.

This is why we developed the AI Target Operating Model - not as a conceptual framework, but as something that could be implemented in practice, embedding AI into governance, workflows and service design with value tracked explicitly and outcomes tied to measurable improvements.

The partnership with Derby City Council is probably the clearest example of what that looks like when it comes together properly. It demonstrated that AI can deliver meaningful financial savings while also improving access to services and reducing pressure on frontline teams. More importantly, it showed that this approach is repeatable.

Building with discipline

How we have built ICS.AI as a business reflects the same philosophy. Growth has been driven through delivery rather than external investment, which has required a consistent focus on demonstrating value.

That approach creates something more durable. It keeps the organisation anchored to the problem it is solving and ensures that progress is measured in outcomes rather than expectations.

It has also reinforced the importance of building depth: in the platform, in the team, and in our understanding of the sectors we serve. Public services operate under unique constraints - financial, regulatory and ethical - and any technology deployed within them has to meet a higher standard of accountability.

A principle that guides the work

Throughout this journey, one principle has remained constant: AI should amplify human capability, not replace it.

In the public sector especially, this is not just a design choice but a requirement. Systems need to support better decisions, improve access to services, and maintain trust, all while operating within clear boundaries of accountability.

What this recognition represents

Being named an EY finalist is something I’m genuinely grateful for, but I think it also reflects a broader shift in how success in AI is being judged.

The conversation is moving away from what might be possible in theory and towards what can be delivered consistently in practice. There is a growing recognition that real impact comes from embedding technology into the way organisations operate, rather than treating it as an add-on.

Looking ahead

The next phase of this journey will see organisations move further towards AI-native operations, where systems not only provide insight but increasingly support and execute work in a controlled and accountable way.

The challenge will not be the capability of the technology, but the discipline required to implement it properly while maintaining governance and human oversight.

I’m grateful to EY for the recognition, and to everyone who has contributed to the journey so far. Most of all, I’m grateful to the organisations that have been willing to move beyond pilots and commit to real transformation. That is where the

most meaningful progress has been made, and where the focus will remain.

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