Empowering Tech founders awarded an OBE!

Empowering Tech founders Jack Churchill and Toby Sutton, in front of a window looking out over trees. Jack is stood and Toby is sitting and holding a C-Pen Reader 2, and on the desk in front of them are more boxed reading pens.

WESTBURY, WILTSHIRE — Our Empowering Tech co-founders were both honoured with an OBE yesterday (Friday 30th December). Jack Churchill and Toby Sutton were awarded the accolade as a result of ‘services to international trade, and to the dyslexia, and special educational needs and disabilities community’.

Over the last 20 years, Jack Churchill (who himself is dyslexic) and Toby Sutton have built up a number of businesses in the neurodiversity and reading support sector, including Scanning Pens, an assistive technology powerhouse under the Empowering Tech umbrella and at the heart of the dyslexia and special educational needs community. They supply portable text-to-speech pen scanners which empower young and adult readers by giving them the ability to instantly access printed text anywhere. This assistive technology is now used daily by thousands of schools, in the workplace, and even in prisons.

For many years, Scanning Pens has been active both in the UK and in more than 100 countries. More than 50% of the company’s business is attributed to international trade; and this success has been reflected in two BETT Award wins: Exporter of the Year 2019, and Company of the Year 2020. In 2021, Scanning Pens received the most prestigious accolade in British business when they were commended with The Queen's Awards for Enterprise.

A double panel image of the Empowering Tech founders receiving their OBEs; Jack from Prince William and Toby from King Charles.

Jack and Toby made a shared statement on the OBE announcement:

“To say we are honoured by this announcement is an understatement. When we first started this venture over 20 years ago, we saw the opportunity to establish a business that could help millions of individuals with their literacy needs. Looking back, it is fantastic to know that through our technology we have supported so many to succeed.

“The success of Scanning Pens has allowed us to establish a global dyslexia positivity movement in Succeed With Dyslexia, which has made a reality of our wish to spread awareness around dyslexia through positive stories within this often-forgotten community.

“Without the support of our families and the inspirational Empowering Tech and Scanning Pens teams, neither of us would be receiving an OBE today. We look forward to many years ahead as we drive our business forward, whilst at the same time helping even more individuals in their daily lives.”