Telford-based skills champion Hollie Whittles says she is genuinely humbled to have been awarded an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours List - describing it as something she shares with ‘every person I’ve had the privilege of supporting’.
Hollie, director of Purple Frog Systems and co-founder of Power BI Sentinel, has been honoured for her outstanding contribution to business leadership, female entrepreneurship, and skills development across the UK.
The award reflects two decades of work building an award‑winning technology consultancy, championing skills and entrepreneurship at national policy level, and supporting female business leaders and young people into technology careers.
“I am genuinely humbled by this honour,” said Hollie, who has also served as National Skills Policy Champion for the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) for the past four years.
“It feels like a recognition not just of my own work, but of every person I’ve had the privilege of supporting along the way – every woman encouraged to back herself, every young person pointed towards a career in tech, every door I’ve tried to hold open for someone else. I share this with all of them.”
Founded in 2006 by Hollie and her husband Alex Whittles, Purple Frog Systems is a Microsoft Data & AI consultancy celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
The Hadley Park-based business has grown into a global award‑winning consultancy, recognised by both GTIA and the FSB for excellence in technology solutions and client service.
“We set out to build something we were proud of – not just a successful business, but a place where people genuinely wanted to be,” said Hollie. “To be here 20 years later, with a loyal team, means everything.”
Alongside Purple Frog Systems, Hollie and Alex co‑founded Power BI Sentinel, a pioneering governance and auditing platform for Microsoft Power BI and Microsoft Fabric. Operating through UK and US entities, it supports organisations worldwide and holds a unique position in its market with no direct competitors.
Hollie’s advocacy work with the FSB has seen her represent the voice of small and medium‑sized businesses at the highest levels of government. She has contributed to discussions at 10 Downing Street, HM Treasury, the Department for Business and Trade, and Westminster round tables, working directly with Skills England, the Department for Education, and government ministers.
Her policy work has spanned the national curriculum, apprenticeship standards, and the rollout of AI skills frameworks.
Most recently, Hollie contributed to the Maple Review, a ministerial‑led review focusing on dismantling barriers to entrepreneurship and ensuring that the pathway to building a business is open to all, with particular attention to inclusivity.
She also serves as vice chair of the GTIA UK & Ireland Executive Council, representing IT solution providers, managed service providers and vendors. Last year Hollie received the GTIA Community Leadership Award for her contribution to the technology channel community.
Purple Frog Systems has also been recognised with a GTIA Solution Provider Award, and the FSB has previously named the business its Information Technology Solution Provider of the Year.
Beyond her work with Purple Frog, Hollie founded Fraggleworks, a digital marketing and web design agency supporting sole traders and micro businesses.
She has run women’s networking groups, served on regional business boards, contributed to West Midlands Combined Authority initiatives, and is also a trustee of the Ludlow Philharmonic Prize Fund, a TEDx speaker, and governor of Telford College.
Outside her professional roles, Hollie is a semi‑professional musician, performing orchestral clarinet, flute, saxophone and piano in orchestras, shows and stadium productions.
