First Response Finance takes home the win at the UK IT Industry Awards 2025

We couldn't be more excited to announce that First Response Finance has won the 'Financial Services Project of the Year' award at the UK IT Industry Awards 2025 for our work on the Athena Decision Engine project.

Recognising innovation in financial services

The UK IT Industry Awards are one of the UK's most respected technology awards, organised by Computing in association with BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. The 2025 ceremony, held in London, brought together some of the best in the industry to celebrate innovation, technical excellence, and transformative impact within the IT industry.

In a line up of strong entrants, being named a winner in such a competitive environment is an amazing achievement for the team who work on Athena.

About the Athena Decision Engine

By utilising data-driven intelligence, the Athena system helps us:

• Make more accurate and consistent credit decisions for our customers ✅
• Adapt quickly to changing regulatory and market conditions, and explore new areas of opportunity 🔍 
• Take advantage of cloud technology to scale the solution up and down as demand dictates ☁️

In a recent interview with Computing, Mike, our Business Intelligence Team Leader here at First Response Finance, described Athena as a "unique platform within our market" and the foundation for "all future decision-making". He emphasised how the team's agility - particularly in reacting to changes in credit scoring data - demonstrated Athena's capability.

Celebrating success

This award is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of everyone involved, from our Data team to the Operations department. Together, we delivered a project that's not just technically ambitious, but deeply aligned with how we serve our customers.

We also want to thank the UK IT Industry Awards judges for recognising Athena's value and impact!

"These awards are incredibly tough to win, with some fantastic organisations in the running, which makes this achievement even more special. 

"This project pulled in our Data, Infrastructure, Engineering, Product, and New Business teams, demanded ambition, teamwork, and a huge amount of commitment. The teams rose to every challenge, pushed boundaries and delivered something truly outstanding. Seeing their work recognised by other IT professionals and leaders on this stage is a fantastic moment for all of us."

- Darren, Chief Technology Officer at First Response Finance

What's next for Athena?

Winning gives us a boost, but we're not finished yet. Going forward, we're focusing on:

• Expanding Athena's capabilities and ML-driven insights
• Improving the speed and efficiency of decision-making
• Exploring new use cases to further enhance customer outcomes and drive business value

But for now, we want to say a big 'thank you' to the entire First Response Finance team, plus all our supporters who've been part of this journey. Your passion and dedication to this project have made this win possible.

We're excited for what's next and look forward to continuing to lead the way in financial-services innovation.