Preparing to Celebrate Shades of Great

It’s an exciting time here at Digital Echidna. There’s a sense of anticipation for tonight’s big event -- the London Chamber of Commerce’s 35th annual Business Achievement Awards. Digital Echidna is up for the Large Business of the Year Award and there’s a bit of a buzz around the office.

(The “what are you wearing?” talk alone is pretty spectacular.)

Whether you’re nominated or not, the event is always an incredible celebration of some of the amazing companies that are working to make London better. And I can honestly say -- as cheesy as it sounds -- that there are no losers.

I’m a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to sports and I’ve always appreciated the idea of, “Act like you’ve been there before.” The thing is, we have been there before -- three times. In 2010 and 2011, as finalist for Small Business of the Year -- though we never did win that designation. And in 2015, we scored a win with the Corporate Social Responsibility award.

Seven years later,  we’re bigger and back as finalist for Large Business of the Year. And I hesitate to say “against,” because -- to break out that cliché again -- there really are no losers. Both Digital Echidna and Northern Commerce have been nominated for this award and, based on what I know, both are worthy of the recognition.

But what do I really know? Well, as a past winner of the Corporate Social Responsibility award, this year I had the honour of being part of the judging panel for this year’s CSR award. And having agonized over the nominees, compared submissions, and engaged in a hearty -- and challenging -- discussion over finalists, I can assure you that there are many worthy candidates.

Serving as a judge, you end up splitting hairs when it comes to evaluating. After all, you’ve got multiple companies representing various industries, vying for an award. You have different sizes, scopes, and philosophies -- at some points, it can feel like you’re trying to square-peg-round-hole businesses.

But in the end, it’s not necessarily about better -- it can be different. By selecting one business, you’re not saying that the other isn’t worthy. After all, we’re looking at shades of great.

So, while there are no losers, I think it’s safe to say that the city as a whole is a winner, thanks to the presence of so many amazing companies, across multiple categories. We have a foundation upon which a bright future can be built. At Digital Echidna, we’re proud to play a small part in that.

And let me close with a special thanks to the London Chamber of Commerce for 35 years of this event. We hope to see you many of you tonight. Good luck to all the finalists.