2019 was a year for the team to shine!
2019 was a milestone year for Red Ant, marking 20 years since the business started up just as the internet was beginning to weave its way into everyone’s lives.
2020 vision – looking at the past, focusing on the future
2019 was a milestone year for Red Ant, marking 20 years since the business started up just as the internet was beginning to weave its way into everyone’s lives.
The last two decades have seen us working with an impressive range of retail and lifestyle brands, including launching two major beauty brands on RetailOS® this year, partnering with them to transform their business through leading-edge technology. As a pioneer of the digital store and connected retail, we’ve been at the forefront of retail tech development, from the early days of consumer apps to AI and machine learning.
And it wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing team of specialists who have enabled Red Ant to become the award-winning retail technology partner it is today. When it comes to our people, there has been a lot to celebrate – we had a remarkable twelve months, with a number of highlights:
Award-winning performance at the NTAs
The National Technology Awards reward the best tech across every industry from retail to finance, and in Spring we picked up the Retailing Technology of the Year award for RetailOS®. It was a tremendous endorsement of the team’s work and our commitment to providing retailers with the right tech to deliver an exceptional in-store experience.
Shooting, fishing, racing and team building at Kentfield Country Estate
We know that making time to get together outside the office can make a tremendous difference to mental health and wellbeing. In May we had an away day packed with team activities from clay pigeon shooting and fly fishing to quad biking and apache car racing, which brought everyone together and enabled people who wouldn’t normally work in the same area to find out more about each other. Challenging people to try new skills and sometimes asking them to step outside their comfort zone also allowed them to discover things about themselves, revealing hidden strengths and unknown talents that they were able to put to use when they were back in the office.
Summer conference Hvar 2019 – past, present and future
Twenty years in business deserves special recognition, and we used this year’s company conference to acknowledge just how far we’ve come, both as a business and as a team. Held in the beautiful Croatian Amfora, Hvar Grand Beach Resort, the conference covered our successes so far and the projects we have ahead, gave a preview of an exciting product launch, presented plans to invest even further in employee wellbeing and development and held an open discussion on how we can continue to contribute to our community.
We returned to the UK refreshed, energised and with a vision to take us forward in our aim to be the essential technology partner for leading retail brands.
Philanthropy – giving back and doing good
At Red Ant, we’ve always encouraged people to get involved in giving back, from running bake sales to supporting charities through sponsored events. 2019 saw us formalise our charitable activities with the formation of our volunteering committee ‘Philanthropy’. Made up of people from all areas of the business, the committee is responsible for setting up, organising and monitoring community support and charitable activity.
Everyone in the business had two days allocated to them for taking part, and over the year we clocked up more than 400 hours of volunteering for a range of activities from running high teas at Blackfriars Settlement for the elderly to spending a day collecting donations for Oasis Waterloo Foodbank to holding a STEM panel on International Women’s Day and hosting local schools for work experience events.
And in July, 13 ants took part in the 50km Peak District challenge, a tough but rewarding trek to raise funds for our chosen national charity, PAPYRUS prevention of young suicide. With additional donations from a sponsored pub quiz, a yoga event, sales from our eBay shop Red Ant Collection and, finally, matched giving from the business, we raised almost £8,000 which will go towards their vital work in giving a lifeline to vulnerable young people.
Philanthropy’s inaugural year has taught us a lot, and we’ll use these lessons to enable us to do even more in 2020 – we’re proud to announce that we’re part of next year’s Heart of the City cohort, which will help consolidate our responsible business journey.
With a clear strategy and a growing, diverse and talented team which goes from strength to strength, we’re looking forward to seeing where next year will take us.
This article first appeared on LinkedIn.