Comedian and writer Lucy Porter to host RTIH AI in Retail Awards Ceremony on 29th January

We’re pleased to announce that Lucy Porter will host our RTIH AI in Retail Awards Ceremony, to be held at The Barbican in Central London on Thursday, 29th January.

Lucy has been a huge hit with comedy audiences up and down the country for over ten years with her distinctive, bouncy, feel-good comedy. She has continued to travel internationally with her stand-up – taking in the Far East and including shows in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Macau, Manila, Switzerland and Paris.

She was also invited to Miami to take part in NBC’s Last Comic Standing and has performed in the States for NBC and HBO at their Las Vegas Comedy Festival. She’s also regularly invited to festivals closer to home including Manchester, Glasgow and the prestigious Kilkenny festival, as well as other mud soaked scrums such as Latitude.

During 2014, Lucy returned to the Edinburgh Fringe with her 10th solo show, Me Time which toured in the Spring. She also turned her hand this year to playwrighting with a thought-provoking, witty play, The Fair Intellectual Club.

Put on at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh during the Fringe, her creation explores the trials of being an intelligent woman in 1717 Edinburgh. Following the success of the Edinburgh run, BBC Radio 4 commissioned a six part drama series from Lucy based on the play. She is currently writing it for transmission in 2016.

Lucy is a regular face and voice on TV and radio panel shows and is a glutton for a good quiz show. You may have seen her alongside Ed Byrne providing pointless answer after pointless answer on a Celeb special of BBC 1’s Pointless, or seen her emerge victorious from a well fought battle for the title of Celebrity Mastermind Champion in a Children In Need special. Lucy fended off stiff competition from Mark Watson and Dave Spikey and broke records by achieving the highest ever celebrity score.

She has also appeared on two series of IQ, two series of Mock the Week, two series of Argumental, Have I Got News for You, Clive Anderson’s Chat Room, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and What the Dickens?. On Radio 4, she has been heard on Life – An Idiot’s Guide, Heresy, The Personality Test, The News Quiz, Dilemmaand The Unbelievable Truth, and is a regular guest on BBC 6Music on The Radcliffe & Maconie Show.

She remains amongst the most sought-after comedy writers in Britain and was one of the lead writers on ITV1’s prime-time Sunday night satirical animation series Headcases.

Lucy has also moved into the world of film and she (along with Green Wing writers Fay Rusling and Oriane Messina) has a feature script (working title Queen of Comedy) on the development slate at leading Brit film company Warp X. She is also a popular voiceover artist.

Recently Lucy has contributed to various publications as a columnist, including City AM, Cook Vegetarian Magazine and Mother & Baby.

Don’t delay, enter today!

RTIH, organiser of the industry leading RTIH Innovation Awards, proudly brings you the first edition of the RTIH AI in Retail Awards, sponsored by 3D Cloud and EdTech Innovation Hub, which is now open for entries. 

Deadline for submissions is Friday, 5th December. It’s free to enter and you can do so across multiple categories.

Check out categories and entry forms here.

As we witness a digital transformation revolution across all channels, AI tools are reshaping the omnichannel game, from personalising customer experiences to optimising inventory, uncovering insights into consumer behaviour, and enhancing the human element of retailers' businesses.

With 2025 set to be the year when AI and especially gen AI shake off the ‘heavily hyped’ tag and become embedded in retail business processes, our newly launched awards celebrate global technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world and the resulting benefits for retailers, shoppers and employees.

Our 2025 winners will be those companies who not only recognise the potential of AI, but also make it usable in everyday work - resulting in more efficiency and innovation in all areas.

Winners will be announced at an evening event at The Barbican in Central London on Thursday, 29th January. This will kick off with a drinks reception in the stunning Conservatory, followed by a three course meal, and awards ceremony in the Garden Room.

Key dates

Friday, 5th December: Award entry deadline 

Tuesday, 9th December : Finalists revealed

Wednesday, 10th December - Friday, 2nd January: Judging days

Thursday, 29th January : Winners announced at the RTIH AI in Retail Awards Ceremony, taking place at The Barbican in Central London

Please email our Editor, Scott Thompson, if you have any questions or need further information: scott.thompson@retailtechinnovationhub.com

FAQs

Is there a fee to enter the awards?: No, it is free of charge.

Can I enter across multiple categories: Yes.

Do I need to complete all the sections in the entry form? No, but the more information you provide, the better chance you have of producing a successful submission.

Is there a certain timeframe for nominated projects, initiatives etc? Yes, nominated projects, initiatives etc should have been completed (or substantially completed) during the last 12 months.

Who has visibility of our completed entry form and what information will be public should we win or be shortlisted? Only our Editor, Scott Thompson, and judging panel will view submissions. The information provided in the summary section of the entry form will be made public.

Do you only accept entries from UK-based companies? No, we accept entries from all parts of the world.

What is the shortlists process? Shortlists will be announced in December 2025, then shortlisted entries will be sent to our independent judging panel who will decide upon the winners and highly commended submissions. Shortlisted companies will be invited to attend an awards ceremony at The Barbican in Central London on Thursday, 29th January 2025.

Do winners and highly commended companies receive post-event coverage? Yes, post-event coverage includes articles on our website and also an in-depth awards review in our printed magazine. There is also the opportunity for a company profile type piece to be published on our site and within our magazine.

When is the deadline for 2025 submissions? Friday, 5th December.

When will the 2025 winners be revealed? Winners will be announced at an event at The Barbican in Central London on Thursday,29th January. This will kick off with a drinks reception, followed by a three course meal, awards ceremony, and after party featuring DJ until midnight.

Who will be judging the RTIH AI in Retail Awards?

Glen Richardson, Non-Executive Director, PoundFun and former COO, The Range

Suhas Grama, Senior Software Development Engineer, Amazon Just Walk Out

Vineta Bajaj, Group CFO, Holland & Barrett

Nadine Neatrour, Chief Marketing Officer, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants

Mike Cadden, Chief Technology Officer, Marie Curie

Carole Kingsbury, Chief Technology Officer, C&C Group

Matt Taylor, CTO of Global Managed Services and VP of SecDevOps, NCC Group

Christine Russo, Industry Analyst and Retail Influencer

Paula Bobbett, Chief Digital Officer, Boots

Scott Thompson, Editor and Founder, Retail Technology Innovation Hub

Emma Thompson, Editor and Founder, EdTech Innovation Hub

Toby Pickard, Retail Futures Senior Partner, IGD

Gary Newbury, Supply Chain Advisor and Delivery Executive