Dave Allen OBE – the ‘D’ in DHL – has signed up to co-host Infoconomy’s forthcoming Effective IT Leadership Day at the Wentworth Club, Surrey, in October.

Allen, who co-founded DHL, the world’s leading express and logistics company, is the latest leading figure to be confirmed for the one-day event.

Other hosts for the event include Martin Johnson, the former captain of the England rugby union team, who lifted the World Cup in Australia earlier this year, and Sir Steve Redgrave CBE, the five-times Olympic rowing champion.

The event is designed not just to reward excellence in IT, leadership and teamwork, but also to raise money for the Wooden Spoon charity, of which Allen is chairman. It will be open to Effective IT Award winners and key sponsors of Infoconomy’s ongoing Effective IT initiative.

The winners of the Effective IT awards were announced at an open-air Gala Charity Awards Ball on 6 July in London.

The Awards, organised by Infoconomy, recognise excellence in IT management and recipients included teams from Deutsche Bank (which won the Most Effective IT Project), BrainJuicer (winner of the Most Innovative IT Project award) and British Airways (which picked up the award for the Most Effective Use of Information).

Attended by some 750 guests of Information Age magazine and lead sponsors OKI, the ceremony was compered by former England rugby player Martin Bayfield. A cheque for £30,000 was presented to Wooden Spoon, a charity dedicated to supporting disadvantaged children and young people.

“We are immensely proud of the Effective IT Awards,” said Tim Langford, joint managing director of Infoconomy. “We set out to recognise genuine excellence in UK IT and at the same time raise serious money for a good cause. Both those goals were met.”

The September issue of Information Age will include full profiles of the winning projects and runners-up in each of the 12 award categories. For a list of the winners and nominees visit www.infoconomy.com.