The Automationist of the Year award honors an individual who relentlessly pursues new automation opportunities and pioneers innovative technologies and approaches – believing automation is vital to transformation.
The nominees are…
Christian Jørgensen, Yara
Christian exemplifies visionary leadership in automation. With a relentless drive to explore the art of the possible, he rapidly pilots new solutions—whether simple or complex—and brings them to life. His forward-thinking mindset and hands-on approach have made him a catalyst for transformation across Yara. By consistently challenging the status quo and championing scalable innovation, Christian ensures automation remains a strategic driver of progress across the organization.
Clive Barnard, TJX
Clive has been a driving force behind TJX’s digital transformation, with a natural bias toward innovation and action that defines him as a true Automationist. Under his leadership, the team has pushed boundaries—successfully integrating Microsoft Power Automate with existing RPA capabilities. But Clive’s vision goes further: he’s championing a holistic approach to orchestrate and govern automation-led solutions across the entire TJX digital estate, unlocking enterprise-wide impact.
Henry Lyles, McDonald’s
Henry has led McDonald’s automation program for over a decade, inspiring cross-functional teams to deliver enterprise-scale transformation. From Black Belts to external partners, they’ve championed intelligent automation across platforms—leveraging C TWO, Automation Anywhere, Power Platform, and emerging tech. Their leadership has embedded a culture of innovation, driving GenAI-powered solutions that elevate both employee and customer experiences.
Kim Meredith, Sysco
Kim has been the powerhouse behind Sysco’s automation evolution, driving the scale-up to over 100 Blue Prism robots and leading transformative initiatives like the AI-powered SAGE platform. Her strategic foresight and deep technical fluency have unlocked groundbreaking efficiencies—most notably, multi-resource VM utilization that dramatically reduced infrastructure costs without compromising performance. Beyond the numbers, Kim’s leadership has fostered a culture of innovation, positioning Sysco at the forefront of intelligent automation and setting the stage for continued enterprise-wide impact.
Peter Goodrich, Lloyds Banking Group
Peter leads one of the largest Intelligent Automation programs in the world, driving end-to-end process automation across the bank through a powerful blend of IA capabilities. A true Automationist, he pairs operational excellence with a future-focused mindset—ensuring Lloyds remains at the forefront of innovation. Under his leadership, automation continues to deliver measurable value for the bank and its customers, propelling Lloyds toward greater success in the digital era.
Good luck to all our nominees! Read about the other awards and nominees here.
