East Lancashire Learning Group (ELLG) has been named in the 2025 CIO 100 UK Awards, standing alongside some of the nation’s most digitally advanced organisations including Haas Formula One Team, Chelsea Football Club, Lloyds Banking Group, Starbucks, Pure Gym, and Bentley Motors.
As the only further education college to achieve CIO 100 status this year, ELLG’s inclusion signals a powerful shift in how digital transformation is redefining the education sector. The Group’s success reflects a mature, enterprise-level approach to innovation, governance, and technology-enabled collaboration across all areas of its operation.
The CIO 100 recognises and celebrates the UK’s 100 organisations and their technology teams that are using IT innovatively to create business value through digital transformation and strategic use of technology.
The Group’s submission emphasised that “it’s not about the tech, it’s about the team” a philosophy that has guided its strategy for integrating digital capability across functions traditionally outside IT, including estates management, management information systems, and curriculum design.
Andrew Dewhurst, Chief Information Officer at East Lancashire Learning Group, said: “This award shows that the public and education sectors can deliver transformation on par with global commercial enterprises. Our model is based on collaboration and shared accountability across teams. Digital maturity for us is not just about software or systems, it’s about culture, data confidence, and human capability. That’s what sets ELLG apart.”
The CIO 100 judging process involved a rigorous evaluation, including a video interview with an international panel featuring senior technology leaders such as the CIO of Rolls Royce. The awards ceremony, held recently at The Savoy in London, placed ELLG firmly among the UK’s most forward-thinking digital organisations.
Lisa O’Loughlin, CEO and Principal of East Lancashire Learning Group, added: “To be recognised alongside household names from global industry demonstrates the calibre of our digital strategy and the strength of our people. It also reinforces our value as a partner for employers, sector bodies, and technology providers who want to collaborate with an education group that operates at commercial standards of digital capability.”
ELLG’s recognition is part of its wider ambition to align education and technology innovation, supporting regional and national economic growth through digital excellence, skills, and partnership.
