Northamptonshire digital agency Zinc Digital picked up two awards at the 2026 Northamptonshire Business Awards – taking Innovation Business of the Year for the second year running, and winning Apprentice of the Year for the first time.
The awards, organised by Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce, were held at Sywell Aerodrome earlier this month.
Rob Bradley, Head of Business Development at Zinc Digital, said: “Winning the Innovation Business of the Year award two years running means everything to this team. It’s proof that solving real problems for our clients – not simply adopting the latest technology – is what makes the difference.
“It is also the first time we have entered the apprentice category, so we are particularly delighted for our talented apprentice Abigail Mellish, who is a brilliant example of the kind of talent, curiosity and ambition we’re working hard to develop and nurture here.”
The Innovation Business of the Year win recognises Zinc’s investment in bespoke AI technology, built entirely in-house.
Hannah Austin, an AI specialist at Zinc Digital, explained: “We have built something most agencies haven’t: a custom ‘agentic’ workforce. Not a single off-the-shelf product bolted on, but a team of specialists – each tailor-made to Zinc’s exact processes and modelled on the knowledge of our own experts.
“These agents cover SEO, quality assurance, infrastructure, creative, development, content and video. What began as one experiment turned into a full team of specialist tools, built around how we actually work, that keep getting better with every job. It’s changed how we deliver for our clients, and we’re only at the beginning of what it can do.
“They work around the clock, hand tasks to one another like colleagues, and learn from every job they complete. Crucially, every change that touches a live client system is reviewed and signed off by a human before it goes live.”
Zinc Digital’s second award of the night went to Abigail Mellish, a Creative Digital Designer at Zinc who combines her work with studies and is predicted to graduate from her Creative Digital Design Integrated Degree Apprenticeship with First-Class Honours next year.
Her win recognises the determination she has shown this year. After being made redundant by a previous employer, putting her apprenticeship at risk, Zinc took her on and she is now working across creative design, digital marketing, AI-assisted content, photography and film.
Oliver McKeown, Head of Digital at Zinc Digital, said: “We snapped Abigail up when we heard she was seeking a new employer. Her portfolio is already better than most of the mid-to-senior candidates we were interviewing, and she’s already given the whole creative team a boost. She never waits to be told what needs doing. She spots opportunities, takes responsibility and then turns ideas into something useful for the business and our clients.”
Abigail said: “Winning this in my first year at Zinc Digital means a huge amount. I’m ambitious and I like being given responsibility, and I also want to be part of a team. That’s what I have at Zinc.”
These two wins follow success at the 2025 awards, when Zinc Digital also celebrated a double win, taking home Small Business of the Year and the West Northants Innovation Award.
For more information, visit https://www.zinc.digital/
