Ikea Senior Programme Director Meriel Neighbour added to RTIH Innovation Awards judging panel for 2026

RTIH Awards

17 Sept

We're hugely pleased to announce the addition of Meriel Neighbour to the judging panel for the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards. Meriel is currently Programme Director driving Ingka Group/Ikea's global technology transformation.

With over two decades of experience delivering large scale global and concurrent digital and omnichannel programmes across retail, wholesale, and B2B, she has led award winning transformations for brands including Clarks, Boots, River Island, and Ted Baker, managing budgets exceeding £200 million and teams of up to 500. A MACH Alliance Ambassador, Meriel is passionate about unifying customer experience through composable commerce, cloud migration, and AI enabled technology.

Welcome onboard, Meriel!

Further information on our judging panel can be found here. In addition to Meriel, it includes representatives from JD Sports Fashion, Holland & Barrett, Walmart, CVS Health, Amazon, Boots, C&C Group, Warner Bros. Discovery, East of England Co-op, PoundFun, Austen & Blake, and Gordon Ramsay Restaurants.

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YOU'VE GOT TO BE IN IT TO WIN IT

The entry deadline for the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards is fast approaching.

The big day is Friday, 2nd October. That’s just over two weeks away, so don’t delay, start working on your submissions today!

The awards, sponsored by 3D Cloud, Business France, and Retail Technology Show 2027, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world. Our latest winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC (Prince Consort Rooms) in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.

Key dates for 2026

Friday, 20th February: Awards open for entries

Friday, 2nd October: Awards entry deadline

Tuesday, 6th October: 2026 finalists revealed

Wednesday, 7th October - 20th October: Judging days

Wednesday, 4th November: Winners announced at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London

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FAQs

Is there a fee to enter the awards?: It is free to enter and you can do so across multiple categories.

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 October, 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 event at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November (consisting of a drinks reception, three course meal and awards ceremony).

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.

Who won what in 2025? Check out our 2025 winners here.

When is the deadline for 2026 submissions? 2nd October 2026.

When will the 2026 winners be revealed? Our 2026 winners will be announced at an event at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November (consisting of a drinks reception, three course meal and awards ceremony).

Who will be judging the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards?

Christiana Hawes, Senior Director Retail Experiences Technology, Worldwide Studio Tours & Retail, Warner Bros. Discovery

Dan McGrath, JD Group Customer Operations, JD Sports

Prabhat Johl, Director of Data Science, Walmart

Meriel Neighbour, Programme Director, Ingka Group/Ikea

Yatin Garg, Senior Manager, Product & Engineering, Amazon

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

Melissa Moore, Host of The Retail Tea Break podcast

Vivek Misra, Lead Director of Engineering, CVS Health

Graham Broomfield, Managing Director, Austen & Blake

Vivek Misra, Lead Director - Engineering, CVS Health

Rob Smith, Technology Officer, East of England Co-op

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

George Hayworth, Retail Director, Bringg and former Head of Q-Commerce Development, Co-op

Becky Lombardo, Founder, Londra Consulting

Ben Miller, Founder, Bryher Bay Ventures

Christine Russo, Industry Analyst and Retail Influencer

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

Paula Bobbett, Chief Data and Digital Officer, Boots

Scott Thompson, Editor and Founder, Retail Technology Innovation Hub

Toby Pickard, Retail Futures Senior Partner, IGD

For any other entry related queries, email: scott.thompson@retailtechinnovationhub.com

If you are interested in being a 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards sponsor, please fill in the form at the bottom of this page and we will get back to you asap.

Why become a sponsor?

✓ Position your brand alongside leading retailer and retail technology brands

✓ Network with retail executives both during the run up to and during the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November

✓ Gain access to post-event data capture and analytics with detailed feedback on sponsorship activities

✓ Showcase your innovative solutions to help retailers thrive in an omnichannel world via the likes of promotional articles both on our website and in our printed magazine, emails to our database of daily e-newsletter subscribers, and social media posts.