We’d like to extend our sincere thanks to all the teams who took part in this year’s itSMF UK Challenge Cup. It’s been a pleasure watching the heats unfold, and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed the energy, enthusiasm, and competitive spirit on display. The feedback we’ve received has again been overwhelmingly positive, and we’re delighted that the event continues to be such a valued experience.
A special thank you goes to Henry Strouts and Jason McClay from SXP for providing the simulation platform and expertly facilitating the heats. Here’s what they had to say about this year’s competition:
“Thank you again to itSMF UK for sponsoring the Challenge Cup for a fourth year – it just gets better and better! This year we set the hardest simulation experience yet: more strategy permutations, more emphasis on long term strategic thinking, and, with the introduction of advanced AI ITSM and Operations strategies, more uncertainty as to outcome. In spite of this, it couldn’t have been any closer, and we were stunned to find that the runners up were only £130k behind the winning profit of £88.86m!
All the teams were more engaged than ever and we were delighted with the intensity and level of professionalism that they brought to the heats. In the end, while there was a large spread between top and bottom, everybody went away with some key lessons and, most importantly, a different perspective on getting the fundamentals right before you can deploy AI, along with the importance of understanding risk in decision making. Ultimately, the winning team were deserved winners, getting the balance right from beginning to end – congratulations to them on a really fantastic effort”.
Alongside the learning experience, there was of course a competitive element and we’re delighted to announce the member organisation with the top score, and winner of the 2026 Challenge Cup, is:
Upon hearing the news, Team Captain Fay Stephens commented, “Competing in the itSMF UK Challenge Cup was a fantastic opportunity to be able to test our knowledge and experience in a simulated environment. We really enjoyed the demanding but rewarding challenges, and it was fulfilling to see improved business outcomes in 3 hours, rather than a multi month or year long programme of work!”.
The team nominated British Wheelchair Basketball to receive the £1,000 charity donation prize. AtkinsRéalis have partnered with them for the 2026 World Championships in Ottawa, the European Championships in Liverpool in 2027, and the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles – a very worthy cause!
We look forward to presenting Fay and the team with their trophy, and celebrating their achievement, at the PSMA26 awards dinner on the 09 November.
With such amazing feedback, watch this space for the 2027 announcement! If you can’t wait that long, and would like to have a dedicated delivery of the SXP simulation for your organisation, please contact us to discuss your requirements and pricing etc.
Tracking the performance of the top 3 teams – so close!
itSMF UK
itSMF UK is the country’s leading membership association for service management professionals – with members ranging from individual service management practitioners to large multi-national organisations.
We have spent the last three decades helping ITSM professionals both to be better and to do better. As the first of an international network of itSMF chapters, we continue to enrich the working lives of our members through our conference and events, professional guidance, focused content, annual awards, competency management, leadership council, member groups, and new communities of practice.
View our membership video or visit us at www.itsmf.co.uk