Astro is delighted to announce that not one, but two of their team have been celebrated by the ITP, the UK’s leading independent body for people who work in the telecommunications industry.
Astro apprentice, Ollie Newman made it three in a row as he scooped the incredible Crissi Williams, SME Apprentice of the Year Award 2022 Award, an award that has been re-named to honour the memory of Crissi, former CEO of the ITP who tragically passed away earlier this year.
Steve Hodges, Astro Chief Executive said of Ollie’s win, “Being shortlisted in this category was very poignant and an enormous honour for Ollie and the whole Astro team. We all thought so highly of Crissi, she was a wonderful leader of the ITP and stacks of fun to be around; her championing of apprentices within our industry was second to none. We all miss her tremendously but seeing Ollie win in this category is very special for us.”
This is the third year in a row that Astro has won the apprentice category which is largely down to their Head of Service Management, Sarah Smith, who was a much-deserved finalist in the hotly contended, Women in Technology category.
Sarah has been a leading light at Astro since joining the team in 2014. She has progressed from day one and is now a much-valued part of the Senior Management Team and leads their first-class service desk. Alongside her role as head of department, Sarah goes above and beyond to help all the young apprentices on their own roads to success.
Sarah said, “I am very proud to not only have been shortlisted myself but to have had 3 apprentices in the last 3 years be shortlisted in their group, and seeing Ollie win tonight is wonderful. I have a very supportive team and Ollie and I could not have been shortlisted without support from all of them. To be a finalist myself for the Women in Technology award is a great achievement in itself. We champion Women in Technology at Astro and will continue to encourage women in to a ‘male dominant’ environment in the future”
Astro and the team have been recipients of many awards over the years. Steve Hodges was crowned Director of the Year at the highly prestigious Institute of Directors Awards, this followed Astro being finalists in 2019 World Communication Awards first ever Culture Change Awards – an award that recognises organisations that are best progressing in transforming cultural attitudes throughout their business. 2020 also saw Astro shortlisted in the Comms National Awards, Positive Impact Category for CSR. Steve Hodges and Astro Co-Founder and CTO, Steve Smith have both been recognised for their achievements by receiving Honorary Fellowships of the ITP in recent years.
About Astro Technology Group
Astro Technology Group has been delivering technical solutions to solve business challenges for over 30 years. Founded by two former apprentices of BT and Cable and Wireless, Astro has gone on to deliver some of the most technically challenging and complex solutions in the market.
Providing services ranging from full IT managed services, connectivity solutions and infrastructure deployments for key clients including Wynden Stark, London and Partners, TGI Fridays, Grundon Waste Management, Cisco Meraki and Oakman Inns.
Astro Communications has its headquarters at Hawley Manor, Dartford, and has offices in Calgary, Canada and staff across the UK and the rest of the world to service their global client base.
