A BALLYMENA firm has been named Northern Ireland’s most innovative technology company.
Cemetery software firm PlotBox topped UK media outlet BusinessCloud’s inaugural ranking which was decided by a combination of expert judging panel and a public vote which attracted more than 3,000 votes.
The top 50 list also features two other companies from the north in Kainos and First Derivatives, ranked at number five and 19 respectively.
Set up by husband and wife team Sean and Leona McAllister, PlotBox is a cloud-based death care management solution that facilitates cemeteries in operating to world-class standards.
It is the world's first solution to fully integrate two previously separate functions - software and mapping.
They have since grown the firm from just three employees to over 40 worldwide.
Leona McAllister, the firm’s chief commercial officer, said: “There is a fantastic culture of innovation right across Northern Ireland, so to be named the most innovative really speaks volumes, especially as we’re still a relatively young company.
“With a shortage of burial land within the UK, the entire death-care industry is having to innovate within the digital space. We’re seeing this through digital transformation projects, the G-cloud framework and an increased need for cyber security services.
“We have grown fast and have high ambitions for continued growth.”
Graham Whitehurst, who chair of Mid and East Antrim Council’s manufacturing task force, said: “This is another example of an indigenous company continuing to play an important role in the local economy.
"The focus on digitisation and the culture of innovation displayed by Plotbox is reflected across all sectors in Mid and East Antrim and it is fantastic to see them recognised on a national level.”
The judging panel was comprised of Gary Davidson, Northern Ireland entrepreneur engagement manager at Tech Nation; Anne Dornan, enterprise network manager at Qubis; Simon Bailie, chief executive of Digital DNA; Kim Johnston, vice president UK and Ireland at Q Agency, and Jonathan Symcox, editor of BusinessCloud.
