InterTech named Business Network of the Year at the PinkNews Awards

Oct 25 2013
Written by PinkNews Staff Writer

InterTech won the title of Business Network of the Year at this week’s PinkNews Awards.

Equalities Minister Helen Grant presented the award and paid tribute to PinkNews publisher Benjamin Cohen and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who had also unveiled a separate award. Ms Grant said: “Just before I announce the winners, can I just say: well done to you, Ben Cohen, and PinkNews for absolutely everything that you have done. And I don’t think we could have been here without you. So, I am echoing Nick [Clegg’s] words.”

She added: “The winners of this award are fast, dynamic—they’re exciting. They only launched this year and they have made an immediate impact.”

The Business Network of the Year award was collected by Asher Ismail, the co-chair of the InterTech Diveristy Forum.

“Well thank you very much. It really is an honour to win this award,” Mr Ismail said. “I also want to say thank you very much for the other organisations that came before us. Organisations like InterLaw and InterBank who we saw what they had created in the fields of law and banking and we were really inspired to do the same thing in technology. So, we’re really happy to now say we’re really more available to that community within technology. So, here’s to another really exciting year. So, thank you very much guys.”

InterTech is the LGBT network for the technology sector. Its members include Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Nokia, Dell, Made by Many and Clarity. Launched this year, each event has ‘sold out’ within minutes of being advertised. Next month a 2 day ‘hack-a-thon’ at Facebook’s headquarters will bring together web and mobile developers from across the UK to quickly build 10 applications or web services to improve the lives of LGBT people everywhere.

The inaugural PinkNews Awards were hosted by the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, on Wednesday evening, in the State Rooms, Speaker’s House, the Palace of Westminster.

Judges in the Business Network of the Year category included:

Iain Dale, Presenter LBC

Mike Freer, MP for Finchley and Golders Green

Tom Copely, London Assembly Member (Labour London wide)

Baroness Olly Grender

Anna Doble, Head of Online, Channel 4

Paris Lees, Columnist GT (Gay Times), Diva and the Independent

Simon Topham, Managing Director GT and Diva

Donna Halkyard, Head of Diversity, BAE Systems (Business network award)

Tom French, the Scottish Equality Network