Reflecting on 2025: A year of growth, impact, and connection at Simprints

By Tara Clarkson, Chief People and Culture Officer, Simprints

As 2025 draws to a close, I find myself looking back with a real sense of pride and gratitude. This has been a year of thoughtful growth, honest reflection, and steady progress. It has been a year where we strengthened our foundations, deepened our relationships with partners and communities, and showed up on global stages with a voice that reflects who we are and what we believe in.

I want to share some of the moments that defined the last twelve months for me and for all of us at Simprints.

A year that started with real momentum

My trip to Ghana at the start of the year reminded me why our work matters. Standing with our in-country teams, meeting mothers and families, and seeing our technology woven into real community health programmes set the tone for the months that followed. It grounded everything else in the people we exist to serve.

Reaching new milestones

This year, Simprints reached more than four million people across the world. That number represents families accessing care, frontline workers supported with better tools, and health systems strengthened with accurate data. It reflects the combined effort of partners, funders, community health workers, and our own team who believe deeply in the power of ethical technology.

We are not just reaching people. We are helping to build a future where access, opportunity, and care are within reach for everyone.

Welcoming new talent and strengthening our teams

In 2025 we welcomed brilliant new colleagues across People Operations, Technical Solutions, Partnerships, Data, Finance, and Engineering. Each person brought fresh energy and expertise that strengthened our operational backbone.

Recruitment quality was amazing this year and our turnover steadily improved, a sign that our culture continues to create the environment people want to be part of.

Engagement and wellbeing

Our engagement survey results were some of the most encouraging I have seen. People reported strong satisfaction with their managers, with learning and development opportunities, and our four-day work week continuing to be cherished across the organisation.

The survey also surfaced clear themes around career pathways, clarity, and compensation. We have listened closely and have already made these areas central priorities for the year ahead.

Advocacy, representation, and our global voice

One of the most inspiring parts of the year was watching our colleagues represent Simprints on global platforms with honesty, courage, and expertise. Their work carried our values into conversations where policy, funding, and sector standards are shaped.

A heartfelt thank you to Agata Kaczmarek, Ejemhen Esangbedo, Giuseppe Stragapede, Jenny Thornton, Samuel Laate, Stephen Taylor, Tedy Wakjira, Valentin Courtay, William Hoggarth for representing us around the world.

Where we spoke and what we shared

Global Digital Health Forum in Nairobi
We shared our experience with ethical biometrics, verified delivery, and the realities of strengthening national health systems. 

NetHope Global Summit 2025
Our team explored biometric solutions for last mile healthcare in Ghana and spoke about building responsible AI for humanitarian applications.

Action Against Hunger USA in New York City
Jenny, our Strategic Partnerships Lead, was selected as one of four innovators to present breakthrough approaches to global hunger and health.

Neglected Tropical Disease NGO Network Conference in Kampala
We showed how digital tools are transforming access to eye care in partnership with Orbis Ethiopia.

IEEE International Joint Conference on Biometrics (IJCB)
We presented our Safe Biometrics for Humanitarian Aid project which is the first open-source mobile biometric tool designed for the strict privacy and security needs of humanitarian work.

ICPHC 2025 in Addis Ababa
Our team joined country leaders and global health practitioners to discuss what equitable and resilient primary healthcare systems can look like.

These moments were never about visibility for its own sake. They were about showing up with integrity and sharing what we are learning so that digital health continues to grow in a direction that protects and empowers people.

Celebrating our impact

Workplace awards

For the fourth year in a row, Simprints has been officially Great Place To Work UK Certified, with four certifications this year reflecting our commitment to culture, inclusion, and well-being:

• Non Profit and Charity
• Women
• Tech
• Wellbeing

These come directly from employee feedback, which makes them especially meaningful.

Individual recognition

Our CEO and Co-Founder Dr. Toby Norman was named a 2025 UK Goalkeeper by the Gates Foundation.  An extremely prestigious appointment. A Goalkeeper champions everyone working to advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, from innovators and scientists to advocates and changemakers.

Our Chief Strategy Officer and Co-Founder Dr Alexandra Grigore was awarded the 2025 Gates Cambridge Impact Prize for her pioneering work in digital identity.

And our Senior Solutions Manager Agata Kaczmarek was named a 2025 Catalyst by The Women’s Impact Alliance for her innovation and leadership in tech for good.

 Our work as an organisation was recognised across the humanitarian and social impact community as well:

• Winner — SDG Programme of the Year, Development2030 Awards 2025 at Aidex, for our Operation Sight programme, restoring vision and identity to marginalised communities.
  
• Finalist — Partnership of the Year, Reuters Events Global Sustainability Awards 2025, for our ARM x Simprints x Gavi partnership advancing digital inclusion in immunisation.
  
• Highly Commended — Sustainable Innovation, The Good Small Business Awards 2025, acknowledging our sustainable and scalable approach to impact.

These accolades are a testament to the hard work, creativity, and dedication of our team, and they motivate us to continue pushing boundaries in the year ahead.

Innovation and systems that set us up for the future

We made real progress on our AI Forward roadmap this year. Teams participated in hands-on training, we launched our AI Usage and Safety Policy, and we accelerated practical use cases that save time and improve quality.

Our Internal Ops work also grew significantly. The new travel information channel has made planning safer and easier for everyone. Cybersecurity and data protection reached new levels of readiness. Procurement, approval flows, and knowledge systems became clearer and more consistent.

This kind of behind-the-scenes work forms the bedrock for responsible scale.

Connection and collaboration

Some of my favourite moments this year were the ones that brought us together as people. Lego Day sparked creativity and laughter across the team. Mini gatherings and face-to-face meetings kept our culture warm, even in a remote first environment.

We also held a pivotal offsite in the United Arab Emirates. It brought our team into the same room for days of honest conversation, alignment, and planning. We talked openly about what is working, what is not, and what the next three years should look like for Simprints.

We agreed on the importance of increasing coverage, deepening country partnerships, strengthening delivery excellence, and building a sustainable organisation where people thrive. That time together grounded us and set a clear path forward. Preparations for our 2026 offsite in Turkey are already underway, building on the spirit of connection and shared purpose that drives Simprints forward.

Looking ahead

As we close the chapter on 2025, I feel proud of what we achieved and equally excited about what comes next. We have a stronger foundation, a clearer strategy, and a team that continues to show what it means to work with purpose.

To every partner, colleague, supporter, and community we serve, thank you for walking this journey with us. Your collaboration and trust are what make this work possible.

Here is to 2026, a year where we continue to grow, innovate, and deliver impact where it matters most.

Warm wishes,
Tara Clarkson

Chief People and Culture Officer, Simprints