From Vision to Victory: David Norris on Winning the AIconics Award

We recently caught up with David Norris, the Chief Growth Officer at Holiday Extras and last year’s recipient of the prestigious AIconics Award at The AI Summit London.

David has been at the forefront of driving innovation and growth within his company, fostering an AI-friendly workplace culture that has garnered significant recognition.

This year, The AI Summit has partnered with the Africa Tech Festival. The Africa Tech Festival Awards will host the coveted AIconics Award, bringing a global spotlight on AI innovation.

In this interview, David shares his insights on winning the award, its impact on his career, and his advice for this year's participants.

Why do you believe you won?

In my role of Chief Growth Officer, I am always looking to create the best conditions possible for our team to innovate and be pioneering. Our focus in the past year has been to bring our whole team on the journey, our AI mantra is "no human left behind". We truly believe that AI technologies are changing how we work, how we communicate and how we can solve customer problems with products and services. With that in mind we've been taking company wide approach to encourage adoption and experimentation. We tried a whole range of initiatives from expo days, to hackathons, steering groups, access to tools, sandbox spaces, business partnering and leadership workshops. Our story is a human story and we've been told by some of our key tech partners that we have one of the most advanced AI-friendly workplace cultures they've seen. I am really only the spokesperson for a much wider movement inside Holiday Extras.

Is there anyone you like to express your gratitude towards for your success? If so, who, and why?

In particular, our Director of Innovation and Growth, David Lee, has been instrumental in driving this cultural change. He has been hands on driving change and innovation with enthusiasm and energy. It's infectious. However there are many people inside Holiday Extras that I could single out, I very much see the award as an award for the team and for our partners.

How has winning the award impacted your career? What opportunities, projects or milestones have you reached since your win?

It was a great boost for our team and gave us renewed enthusiasm to push on. The award and the chance to tell our story on stage opened up opportunities to speak at other events (including travel industry specific events hosted by our partners). The more we tell our story the more people connect with us and we're finding connections in our industry where we can learn from each other. I'm keen to develop my AI focus in my career and this award only fuelled that ambition and drive.

Can you share a memorable story or experience from last year’s award ceremony?

When the winner was announced our team made a huge cheer. There were ten of us there, all in our Holiday Extras branded clothing, and the team were delighted to get on stage afterward for a photo opportunity that we were able to share on our socials. It's a great story to share with our suppliers and partners when setting out our forward-looking agenda on innovation.

What advice would you give to those entering the awards this year?

Be sure to gather support from your partners, if you are nominated, don't be afraid to share your nomination and ask for support. It's a great way to build engagement around your AI mission. There are so many ways to innovate and implement AI. We were focused on our innovation culture and the initiatives we made in that space. It's important to have a clear angle and story to tell and it’s important that it's your story, one that you can tell well.

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David Norris’s journey with Holiday Extras and his recognition at the AIconics Awards exemplify the transformative power of AI when coupled with a strong, inclusive culture.

As The AI Summit collaborates with the Africa Tech Festival this year, the AIconics Award continues to highlight pioneering achievements in AI.

For those inspired by David's story and eager to learn more about the awards, visit the Africa Tech Festival official site to learn more about the awards show and how you can get involved.