As a globally distributed company, our work typically happens across time zones, async, on video calls, and in pull requests. We love working this way; it means we can build the best teams possible. But it does come at the expense of face-to-face time with other Humans.
That’s why our annual company-wide retreat is always such a highlight. Just before the sun sets on this year’s retreat, we’d like to take a minute to celebrate the winners of our inaugural Human Made Awards.
We asked everyone at Human Made to nominate the people they felt deserved recognition across eight categories. The response was incredible. The nominations told stories of generosity, technical ability, passion, craft, quiet brilliance, and the kind of everyday excellence that doesn’t always show up in a project retrospective.
The gongs were dished out at a glittering ceremony out at sea off the coast in Brela, Croatia, a couple of weeks ago.
Tom Willmot, Human Made CEO, said:
“The awards were such a great addition to our retreat. The ceremony itself was filled with emotion, gratitude, love, and tears! It’s powerful to be recognised by peers you respect, and rewarding to endorse someone publicly.
“Congratulations to each of the deserving winners (listed below) and thank you to everyone who took part. I think these will be a regular feature from now on”.
Culture Champion
Recognising someone who lives our values, brings people together, and helps make Human Made the kind of place people want to work.
Winner: Zoe Hoyle
Technical Wizardry
For the person whose technical skill, problem-solving, or engineering craft has set a new bar this year.
Winner: Sam Miller
Biggest Cheerleader
For the colleague who consistently lifts others up, celebrates wins big and small, and brings warmth and encouragement to the team.
Winner: Vojislav Vlasic
Client Whisperer
For the person who builds exceptional relationships with the clients we partner with — turning trust into long-term success.
Winner: Sarah Jones
Behind the Scenes
For the unsung hero whose work keeps everything running — often without anyone realising just how much they do.
Winner: Fatima Rampurawala
Leadership Impact
For the person whose leadership — whether formal or informal — has had a real, positive impact on the people around them this year.
Winner: Adam Brown
Creative Spark
For the person bringing fresh ideas, original thinking, and a bit of magic to their work.
Winner: Pawel Mikolajek
Human Made Hero
Our headline award. For the person who, more than anyone this year, has embodied what it means to be part of Human Made.
Joint winners: Hannah Terrill and Jenny Wong
Awards like these aren’t really about trophies and acceptance speeches. They’re about creating space for us all to appreciate the amazing work our colleagues do throughout the year.
Human Made is built on the belief that people bring the heart to the technology we build, and these awards provide a small way of allowing us all to celebrate exactly this.
They serve as a reminder of the brilliant people we work with, the amazing work we do for our clients and the fun we have along the way.
Congratulations to all our winners and nominees and thank you to everyone at Human Made for being part of what makes this company so unique.