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BBA 2020 Nominees: Digi-Tech Innovation

Written by BCCJ
October 29, 2020
British Business Awards

By the conclusion of the British Business Awards 2020 (#BBA2020) nomination period, we had received 37 eligible nominations across 6 categories.

The following 11 companies are now in the running to lift the BBA Digi-Tech Innovation trophy.

“Open to any eligible company that has driven exceptionally effective Digital/Technological Innovation, services or solutions in Japan over the past 18 months. Nominees should not be NPOs.”

BBA 2020 Digi-Tech Innovation Nominees

(In alphabetical order)

BESPOKE

Bespoke is a pioneering developer of innovative, tailored AI solutions forging partnerships in Asia, North America & Europe. Bespoke’s AI chatbot, Bebot, is transforming the travel industry, providing real-time customer engagement & measurement solutions to support organisations during unprecedented disasters such as COVID-19 and previously Typhoon Hagibis.

Bisu, Inc.

Bisu is a Japan-based globally-focused startup that has developed a novel health tracking device – an at-home nutrient (urine) test that provides personalized diet & lifestyle advice. Bisu helps people understand and protect their health with precise, actionable feedback. At CES 2020 Bisu won the IHS Markit Innovation Award and was named by CNET as a top health-tracking device.

CUSTOM MEDIA

As Covid-19 struck, digital platform innovator Custom Media created Connect to provide free promotion, visibility and business opportunities to dozens of independent and small organisations and help them tackle the many unprecedented challenges by boosting sales and introducing key personnel and partnerships.

Ernst & Young Japan (EY)

Launched in 2018, wavespace Tokyo (EY’s emerging technology & innovation center), helps clients to generate new ideas, create technologies and achieve meaningful business transformation. Over the past year, we supported companies to navigate transformation during the global COVID-19 pandemic, launched a new range of services, and pivoted to virtual delivery.

The Economist Corporate Network

In 2020, The Economist Corporate Network (ECN) in Japan provided a model for the networking and events platforms forced to go digital by creating a programme of virtual and omnichannel events and meetings that helped executives in Japan and across the world to stay connected and share their insights during the unprecedented covid-19 crisis.

Jaguar Land Rover Japan Limited

Jaguar I-PACE was the first European Full-Electric SUV launched into the Japanese market. An innovative vehicle with forward-looking design, recognised by experts winning the ‘treble’ in the prestigious World Car of Year: Best Car, Best Design, Best Environmental car. A great rep of modern JLR & UK industrial capability. On- and offline launch blended using our Brand Ambassadors, HMS UK Ambassador to JP, and pioneering ‘Innovator Talk’ Blog, plus a new take of Digi-exp by ‘hi-jacking’ Japan Taxi app users with a Jaguar EV Taxi ride.

Matador Japan KK

Our SciBite deployment enabled a leading Japanese pharmaceutical company to “do three months work in a day” and to change their traditional approach, to successfully collaborate with small, specialist partners. At another we are deploying Cara document management, digitising their manufacturing quality processes enabling improved resilience during Covid-19.

Nihon Cyber Defence Co., Ltd

Our world-class Security Information and Event Monitoring (SIEM) platform was built between our Japan and UK entities. Research published by Japan-CERT (Japan Computer Emergency Response) team integrated with UK led research and Japanese language capabilities resulted in development of cutting-edge technology for the Japanese market, implemented in 2020 at leading Japanese institutions.

OSF Digital

OSF Digital developed Fast Commerce Japan, an out-of-the-box commerce solution with features specific for the Japanese market, in 2020 as a response to companies affected by the pandemic, who need to act fast and transition to online. Our solution cuts down the implementation time and costs of an ecommerce store.

Revolut Technologies Japan K.K.

Revolut is here to transform the way money works. Since launching in 2015 in the UK, Revolut has expanded significantly with over 13 million customers globally. In September 2020, we launched in Japan to help people to get more from their money by eliminating hidden fees with innovative solutions in one single app.

Vega

A leader in emerging technology, Vega is at the forefront of introducing the best AV and digital solutions to Japan. This year, its two newest offerings – workplace sensors and low-touch office solutions – met the needs of organizations coping with the impact of the pandemic. Vega stepped up to meet the demands of the new post-COVID-19 working environment.

Judging

The decision on a winning BBA 2020 entry is the result of the combined score of 6 separate judges, who independently score assigned submissions using the same scoring matrix.

To ensure transparency, each judge independently returns his or her score sheet to the BCCJ office by 3 November 2020 and the results are tabulated confidentially. The scores from each judge are then totaled for each nominee, and the nomination with the highest accumulative score is declared the category winner.

In the event of two nominees receiving the same final score, all judges will be asked to review their scores for these companies / individuals, and the submission with the highest score from this second round of judging will be declared the winner.

The final results remain confidential until the BBA ceremony – held on the evening of November 5, 2020 online. To book your space at the Awards, please register via the bookings page HERE

Good luck to all BBA 2020 nominees, and stay tuned for updates on other award categories!

Judges

We are delighted to reveal the names of our BBA 2020 judges – a truly great line up of accomplished leaders who are actively engaged in bolstering UK-Japan relations! This esteemed panel of judges will put into practice their expertise and specialist experience to decide which companies and individuals should receive a prestigious BBA trophy.

Koji Tsuruoka | Former Japanese Ambassador to the UK
Anna Dingley | Founder Japan Connect Ltd. Non-Executive Director, Nihon M&A Centre Inc. Japan
Robin Takashi Lewis | Co-founder, mymizu / Representative Director, Social Innovation Japan
Sue Kinoshita | Minister Counsellor for Economic Diplomacy, The British Embassy Tokyo
Susumu Kaminaga | Former President of Sumitomo Precision Products Co. Ltd.
Carolyn Burnett & Kaori Hida | Japan House London

More information on all the BBA 2020 judges HERE