Ciphr wins Thames Valley Tech Company of the Year Award
Ciphr has won two awards at the 2026 Thames Valley Tech & Innovation Awards, including tech company of the year
Ciphr is celebrating a double award win at this year’s Thames Valley Tech and Innovation Awards.
The Reading-based, HR tech firm was recognised as the Thames Valley Tech Company of the Year – taking home the biggest award of the night.
Ciphr’s strong, profitable performance and investment in product developments over the past year also saw it rewarded with the High Growth Tech Company of the Year Award.
The judges praised Ciphr for its successful and “significant customer-focused transformation” and continued “strong commitment to its people and culture”.
Ciphr was a finalist in three other award categories, including Large Tech Enterprise of the Year, Tech Employer of the Year (which it won in 2025), and Tech Leadership Team of the Year.
Sion Lewis, CEO of Ciphr, says: “These awards celebrate the region’s top tech companies, and we are honoured to be named the best Thames Valley Tech Company of the Year. This is a great accolade for Ciphr. We're incredibly proud of this recognition – and even prouder of the team that made it possible. Thank you.
“Over the past few years, we’ve invested in long-term growth rather than short-term wins – reflecting our commitment to delivering innovative, functionality-rich people management solutions that help UK organisations work smarter, stay compliant, and put their people first.
“We are serving more customers than ever, and a record number of people are engaging with our platform daily. I’m really excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for Ciphr, as we continue to build and grow our business.”
Some highlights of the past year include the launch of Ciphr Payroll, Ciphr’s award-winning cloud payroll solution, and the subsequent launch of Ciphr’s real-time HR and payroll integration (which is also in the running for best software product at the CIPP Excellence Awards this year).
The winners of the 2026 Thames Valley Tech and Innovation Awards, organised by Insider Media and The Business Magazine, were announced on 9 July at Hilton Reading Hotel.
Ciphr connects HR, payroll, benefits and learning data in one UK-built platform, giving people and payroll teams more control, clearer data, and less work stuck between systems. Trusted by 1,400+ organisations. Ideal for those with 200-2000 employees.
For more information, please visit www.ciphr.com.
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Main image (pictured left to right): Thames Valley Tech and Innovation Awards host Jason Bradbury, Phil King, commercial director at Ciphr, James Whatmore, director of sales at Ciphr, Josh Phillips, account development manager – team leader at Ciphr, and award sponsor Rosalind Payne from BDO (credit: Insider Media).