When COVID hit, the world celebrated frontline workers. But another group of heroes stayed in the shadows: IT professionals. The people who kept our world connected when connection meant everything.

But these IT professionals didn’t see themselves as heroes. They thought they’d just done their jobs. Small fixes. Quick solutions. Nothing special.

To highlight their achievements, first, we needed to gather their stories.

Our recruitment campaign convinced the IT industry they’d taken a great leap – pushing humanity forward. From across the globe, incredible stories poured in.

Stories like the Life Lines team in the UK, connecting critically ill patients with loved ones. Achievement First in the US, keeping education alive when schools went dark. And in Nigeria, the Special Needs Initiative for Growth, opening STEM education to children with disabilities.

We didn’t just tell their stories. We surprised them with messages from the people whose lives they’d transformed. Watching them realise their impact – that moment when “just doing my job” became “I changed someone’s life” – that was powerful.

On IT Appreciation Day, we launched the Leaptaker Hub, where anyone could send their IT heroes a thank you on LinkedIn. But this wasn’t just about gratitude. It was about transformation. Changing how IT professionals see themselves. Making them proud to work in IT.

By celebrating these invisible heroes, we didn’t just tell stories. We inspired a new generation of Leaptakers, ready to push humanity forward, one small step at a time.