Q&A: Merit Data & Technology, UK IT Awards finalist

'The industry is learning that getting AI to work is only half the challenge'

"Our role is to understand the business problem, identify where technology can deliver the greatest value and build solutions that are practical, scalable and commercially worthwhile."

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 an unparalleled level of professionalism and industry knowledge.

This year's winners will be announced at a live awards ceremony on Wednesday, 11^th November in London, where Merit Data & Technology will be a finalist in three categories: Project Team of the Year, Services Company of the Year and AI Innovation of the Year.

Merit is a UK-based data and AI specialist with more than 20 years of experience turning complex, fragmented data into a competitive advantage.

We asked the company about their work that propelled the organisation to the finals of the UK IT Awards, and the entire team answered.

"We fix the foundation first, because enterprise AI only delivers when the data beneath it is clean, governed, and built for purpose. From AI product builds to data modernisation and B2B datasets, we deliver at scale and in production," Merit says.

"Our proprietary KIAA (Know It All Agent) framework pairs AI with human expertise to deliver accurate, explainable solutions. A Great Place to Work-certified Microsoft Partner, Merit holds ISO 9001, ISO 27001, ISO 27701, and Cyber Essentials accreditations, and won Best AI Innovation at the Global Business Tech Awards 2026."

What prompted you to enter the UK IT Awards this year, without giving anything away, of course!

Two things. First, the judging. These awards bring independent IT leaders into direct conversation with entrants, putting the focus on the work itself and the impact it delivers. We liked the fact that the work has to stand up to scrutiny from people who understand technology and delivery.

Second, much of what we do happens behind the scenes, helping our clients solve complex data challenges and automate processes that are critical to their businesses. We felt it was time to bring some of that work into the spotlight and give our teams the recognition they deserve. After all, innovation is only meaningful when it delivers results.

What would winning this award mean to both your people and your customers and partners?

For our people, it would be a proud moment. Our engineers, data specialists and delivery teams work hard to solve complex problems and deliver outcomes that often carry our clients' brands rather than our own. Winning would put their expertise, commitment and contribution centre stage. It would be recognition of the people behind the technology.

For our clients and partners, it would reinforce the confidence they place in us. Data and AI projects require more than technical promises; they need a partner who can turn those promises into working solutions. Independent recognition would provide further assurance that our approach and delivery stand up to external scrutiny.

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

Being shortlisted in three categories at this year's awards is certainly a milestone. But what makes us proudest is seeing our work translate into tangible business outcomes for our clients.

We do not see data engineering, AI and automation as separate activities. Strong data foundations are essential, but the real value comes when we use them to deliver end to end AI automation that transforms how businesses operate. Whether it is reducing manual effort, improving data coverage or accelerating processes, our focus is on moving beyond technology for its own sake to solutions that make a measurable difference. Seeing those solutions working in real business environments is our greatest achievement.

What lessons do you think the industry has learned over the past year and what changes do you think it still needs to make?

The industry is learning that getting AI to work is only half the challenge. Getting it to work reliably, economically and at scale is where the real work begins.

Too much attention has gone into what models can do and not enough into what businesses actually need them to do. AI cannot compensate for poor data, unsuitable processes or unclear ownership. Nor does every problem need an AI solution.

The industry needs to become more disciplined about defining success before projects begin, building governance into automated processes and being honest about the investment required to get solutions into production. Above all, we need to move away from selling AI as the answer to everything and focus instead on identifying the right problems, choosing the right approach and delivering outcomes that justify the investment.

What do you see as the main opportunities for the industry in the coming 12 months? How do you plan to capitalise on those opportunities?

We see three significant opportunities. First, taking AI beyond experimentation and embedding end to end automation into everyday business operations. Second, modernising legacy systems and data infrastructure to make meaningful AI adoption possible. Third, applying deeper industry knowledge to solve problems that generic AI tools cannot address on their own.

Our focus is on bringing these opportunities together rather than treating them as separate initiatives. We will continue investing in our data engineering and AI automation capabilities, building on our proprietary accelerators and the industry expertise our teams have developed over two decades.

We also believe the opportunity lies in being pragmatic. Not every process needs AI and not every client needs a large transformation programme. Our role is to understand the business problem, identify where technology can deliver the greatest value and build solutions that are practical, scalable and commercially worthwhile.

The UK IT Industry Awards will take place on 11^th November in London. Click here to view the shortlist and here to book your table.