Interview: RSPCA, UK IT Industry Awards finalist

'Our biggest challenge has been navigating change'

We talked to Lee Read, Information and Education Adviser at RSPCA, to find out more about the charity's biggest challenges and achievements over the past year.

Information Technology has grown in prominence over the last decade. No longer seen as a cost centre, it's now widely accepted that people can use IT to improve their creativity, productivity and knowledge.

The UK IT Industry Awards are the largest and most well-known event in the technology industry calendar. Owned and operated by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, and Computing, the awards enjoy a level of professionalism and industry knowledge not seen at other shows.

This year's winners were announced at a live awards ceremony on Wednesday 12^th November in London.

RSPCA was a finalist in Charity (Third Sector) Project of the Year category.

Before the awards, we talked to Lee Read, Information and Education Adviser at RSPCA, to find out more about the charity's biggest challenges and achievements over the past year.

Lee is the Prevention & Education project lead for the RSPCA's new Education site. He is responsible for developing the charity's work in this area, which aims to engage young people to learn about animal welfare and promote positive behavioural change. Lee is an integral part of the team that works to inspire science-based learning, particularly through digital experiences. He has also been involved in initiatives encouraging youth participation, such as volunteering through The Duke of Edinburgh's Award to help animals.

Why do you think awards like the UK IT Industry Awards matter?

Awards like the UK IT Industry Awards matter because they bring recognition and integrity to the technology sector's role as a powerful enabler of positive change. They prove that digital excellence isn't just about commercial success; it's about solving real-world problems. For a charity like ours, it validates our commitment to pioneering innovation and demonstrates to the entire non-profit sector that investment in digital transformation is key to achieving ambitious, compassionate goals. We believe that by highlighting projects that genuinely impact people and animal lives, these awards inspire a collective commitment across the industry to build a better future for everyone, together.

What would winning this award mean to your company?

Winning this award would be a powerful validation of the dedication and expertise of our teams, from IT and Digital Experience to our Education team, who've worked hard to build a world-class platform. Crucially, it would amplify our message and mission, helping us inspire even more young people to become committed animal welfare advocates. This recognition would signal that technology is at the very heart of the RSPCA's strategy to create a kinder world for every animal.

What would you say is your company's proudest achievement over the past year?

Our proudest achievement has to be seeing the benefits and impact of our Digital Education project, which fundamentally changes how young people connect with animal welfare. We moved beyond stagnant resources to create a dynamic, interactive digital experience for young people, including a pathway for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. The impact is real: engagement has rocketed, and we're now on track to empower over 250,000 young advocates by 2030, which is 68% above our original goal. One user put it perfectly, saying, "I love that kids can explore and learn even if they don't have pets," which demonstrates how we're making animal welfare inclusive for all. This success was only possible thanks to a fruitful partnership with Webtown and Liferay, where we were able to draw on their sector expertise and technology excellence.

What have been the biggest challenges of 2025 so far and how have you overcome them? How have your people helped with that?

Our biggest challenge has been navigating change. However, this challenge has been the catalyst for embedding a culture of experimentation and innovation. We overcame this by prioritising cross-team collaboration and adopting modern practices like Agile and Service Design. Our people have been central to this transformation, working with expert partners and adopting a user-centred mindset. We uniquely consider both human and animal personas to ensure technology delivers tangible benefits for our beneficiaries. By using private sector best practice, such as rapid-prototyping, we were able to deliver a proof of concept for a new platform in just 12 days using Liferay, proving that our collaborative approach is successfully transforming the RSPCA.

How do you think the industry has changed over the past year and what changes do you think it still needs to make?

Technologies like Liferay DXP are increasingly being recognised as a vital enabler, especially for social impact organisations, like ours. We're seeing a shift from viewing digital platforms like the one we've built on Liferay, as mere administrative tools to looking at them as core drivers for organisational excellence and reach. Our Digital Education platform is a perfect example of this. Looking ahead, the industry still needs to prioritise two major changes: enhancing digital upskilling to ensure all users have the confidence and skillset to use new tools, and continuing to focus on building genuinely accessible and inclusive solutions for everyone. Charities like ours can't do this alone, and we rely on external expertise from innovation partners like Liferay.

What do you see as the main opportunities for the industry in the coming year? How do you plan to capitalise on those opportunities?

The obvious opportunities are in responsibly embracing AI. At the RSPCA, we see AI not just as a tool for efficiency, but as a new way to further our mission for animals. We're still figuring out how to do that in ways that have the biggest impact. We aim to expand our exploration of AI, ensuring we use and implement it safely and responsibly, in line with our core principles and values.