Press Release

Ciphr shortlisted for three industry awards

Ciphr has been announced as a triple finalist in the 2025 Thames Valley Tech & Innovation Awards

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TVTA-finalist-25

Ciphr has been shortlisted in three categories at this year’s Thames Valley Tech and Innovation Awards.

The Reading-based, ECI-backed HR, payroll and benefits software provider is in the running for High Growth Tech Company of the Year, Tech Employer of the Year, and Tech Leadership of the Year.

Organised by The Business Magazine and Insider Media, the awards are a prestigious annual celebration of achievements in technology and innovation across the region.

Sion Lewis, CEO of Ciphr, says: “We are delighted to be recognised as one of the region’s top tech companies. 2024 was a year of transformation and growth for Ciphr. We rolled out an improved user experience across our product suite, and developed new products and enhancements to our existing solutions. We rebranded and launched a new website to be more reflective of our customer base and highlight our people-first approach and expertise. We relocated our headquarters to Reading, restructured our customer operations function and implementation processes, formalised hybrid working to support flexibility and talent retention, improved internal communications and collaboration, and introduced a new V2MoM performance framework. 

“We increased our customer numbers, and saw a record number of people engaging with our platform. We also acquired two businesses – Shape and Avantus – expanding our proposition to cover the entire employee lifecycle: from recruitment and onboarding to HR, LMS, eLearning, cloud payroll, and benefits and rewards for the first time. 

“Being shortlisted in the Thames Valley Tech and Innovation Awards is a fantastic accolade for Ciphr and a credit to our customers and employees alike.”

Claire Williams, chief people and operations officer at Ciphr, adds: “Being a finalist in not one but three categories at the Thames Valley Tech and Innovation Awards is a really proud moment for all of us at Ciphr. It’s a huge testament to the passion, innovation, and dedication of our incredible team. We’re especially honoured to be recognised not only for our growth and leadership, but also as a top tech employer – reflecting our ongoing commitment to creating a workplace where people thrive.”

The winners of the Thames Valley Tech and Innovation Awards will be announced on 10 July at Select Car Leasing Stadium in Reading.

Ciphr has also been included in the 2025 edition of the Thames Valley 250 – an annual ranking that celebrates the top privately-owned businesses in the region, listed by annual sales turnover. 

Ciphr is the go-to HR and payroll software and solutions partner for medium and large organisations in the UK. Its integrated HR, payroll, benefits, learning and recruitment software, services and content provide invaluable insights to HR teams, helping to inform their people strategy and grow and develop their organisations. Based in Reading, Ciphr is on a mission to amplify the voice and value of HR through intelligent people data solutions that help HR be heard – in the boardroom and across the business.

Over 1,400 organisations globally use people management solutions from Ciphr Group, including Bensons for Beds, Lifetime Training, Bunzl, Haygrove, Crisis UK, Social Care Wales, Prudential, Barnardo's, Police Scotland, Greater London Authority, the Church of England, Newcastle University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, the Irish Universities Association, Evri, Michelin, INEOS, Shutterstock, and Perfetti Van Melle.

For more information, please visit www.ciphr.com.

 

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Media enquiries:
Emma-Louise Jones, digital PR manager at Ciphr
e: ejones@ciphr.com

Chris Boddice, chief marketing officer at Ciphr
e: cboddice@ciphr.com
Website: www.ciphr.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ciphr

 

Notes:

Ciphr is the go-to HR and payroll software and solutions partner for medium and large organisations in the UK. Its integrated HR, payroll, benefits, learning and recruitment software, services and content provide invaluable insights to HR teams to help inform their people strategy and grow and develop their organisations. Ciphr is on a mission to amplify the voice and value of HR through intelligent people data solutions that help HR be heard – in the boardroom and across the business.

The Ciphr Group is a privately held company backed by ECI Partners and headquartered in Reading. Over 230 employees work across the group, which includes Ciphr and Avantus. 

Ciphr spokespeople are available to provide expert media comment on a broad range of topics, including HR strategy, people management, employee experience and wellbeing, payroll, benefits and rewards, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), learning and development, the future of work, tech trends, business and leadership, marketing, and more.