Emma Peterson, Director FinTech Awards Wales & Finance Awards Wales Meets:
Luke Hodge,
Director,
B2B IT Services
Continuing this new 11 part series of ‘Emma Meets', Emma Peterson, Director of Recruit 121 Finance & Accounting Solutions, finds out more about the sponsors of the up and coming Finance Awards Wales 2022.Finance Awards Wales is designed to recognise, attract and invest in the talented finance professionals working in Wales, showcasing the best of the best in the finance industry. In this edition, Emma meets Luke Hodge, Director at B2B IT Services.
Can you give me an overview of your company and what you do?
b2b IT is a technology solutions provider based in Cardiff and servicing South Wales and the West. Our clients range from micro businesses to large corporates operating globally.
We work closely and strategically with our clients as a trusted Partner to understand their business plan and infrastructure before we recommend bespoke, cost effective, innovative and efficient IT solutions.
We specialise in:
· Cloud migration
· Proactive IT support
· Business continuity
· Cyber Security – Including Cyber Awareness Training
I'm a director of the business and co-own it with my co-director John Hurst. We're focused on the strategic growth of the business, and work with our Senior Management to ensure that IT supports clients' strategic goals whilst ensuring their systems are fit for purpose to meet evolving business needs.
What has been the biggest challenge the company has faced and how have you responded?
We support thousands of users across our client base, and the biggest challenge we’ve faced came at the start of the lockdowns in March 2020, when we mobilised to facilitate secure home working for the vast majority of those users. It was a significant undertaking and one that our teams dealt with so well. They too were adapting to working from home and had their own concerns around the pandemic. Despite this our team rose to the challenge and came together, in some cases working around the clock, to deliver for our clients.
How do you feel the Welsh economy will fare over the next 12 months?
I think the economy will grow as confidence continues to improve post-pandemic, and some sectors which were impacted hard begin to bounce back. Those sectors which were resilient have been investing in digital solutions – I think that will continue, and will support business growth.
What plans do you have for your business in 2022?
We’re really positive for 2022, having further invested in our workforce, welcoming new clients on board and growing through further acquisitions. All this continues to be driven by our core aim to deliver excellent customer service, and this focus on our clients will remain.
Why did you choose to sponsor the Finance Awards Wales 2022?
As a trusted technology solutions provider to our clients, we work closely with the Finance Departments of those organisations. We recognise the crucial and tough work they do. We were delighted to see an awards ceremony that recognises this professions contribution to the success of the welsh economy.
If you have sponsored the awards previously what were your highlights from last years ceremony?
For us, and many others there that night, it was our first event post-covid. It was wonderful to spend time face-to-face catching up with friends and clients, and there was real joy and a celebratory feel to the night. There were outstanding, highly deserved award winners, the entertainment was superb – so many highlights!
