Embridge Consulting CEO hailed as top Tech Innovator at Tide Everywoman Entrepreneur Awards
Emma O’Brien, Founder and CEO of people first digital transformation consultancy, Embridge Consulting, has been recognised for her pioneering approach to business having won the Tech Innovator category at the prestigious Tide Everywoman Entrepreneur Awards.
The Tide Everywoman Entrepreneur Awards is the UK’s longest-running recognition programme for female founders. In association with BGF it celebrates, amplifies and facilitates the success of entrepreneurial women and their businesses throughout the UK.
Now in its 23rd year, the 2025 awards took place in early December 2025, at The Londoner Hotel, Leicester Square. The gathering saw more than 300 business leaders, investors and supporters of female entrepreneurs unite to celebrate the achievements of extraordinary women and their businesses across nine different categories.
Nicole Goodwin and Sophie Catto, joint managing directors of AllBright everywoman, commented, “Female entrepreneurs across the UK are demonstrating extraordinary perseverance, optimism and ambition in one of the toughest business climates in recent years. Female founders are working longer hours and navigating multiple pressure points, yet their determination has never been stronger… We are immensely proud to celebrate their achievements and champion the unstoppable women who are reshaping the UK’s entrepreneurial landscape.”
Among those was Emma O’Brien, who founded Embridge Consulting from her kitchen table in 1999, with no external funding. She has since developed Embridge Consulting into a leading specialist in ERP and organisational change across the public and private sectors, dealing with clients in over 130 countries. The firm is underpinned by its own proprietary technologies and solutions - including its unique Business Transformation as a Service (BTaaS) model and managed integrations platform, LEO.
The Embridge Consulting CEO said, “I am deeply honoured to receive the Tech Innovator award. This recognition reflects not just our commitment to driving meaningful change through technology, but also the passion and resilience of the entire Embridge team. From starting the business at my kitchen table to developing industry-leading solutions like BTaaS and LEO, our journey has always been rooted in a people-first approach to transformation.”
O’Brien has faced personal tragedy along the way; losing her son Leo, suddenly and unexpectedly, to SUDEP [Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy]. This experience deepened her level of empathy, sharpened her focus and ignited a new mission to use the platform she has built to not only grow Embridge but also to deliver lasting social impact through the launch of Leo’s Angels: a memorial fund dedicated to harnessing technology to transform epilepsy care.
She added, “This award strengthens my determination to continue building a business that delivers exceptional results for our clients, while helping to transform epilepsy care through Leo’s Angels. I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved and am looking forward to what comes next.”
