Midlands Leadership Awards – winners revealed

Greg Reed, the chief executive of HomeServe Membership, was crowned Leader of the Year at TheBusinessDesk’s Midlands Leadership Awards this afternoon.

In front of an audience of 200 business leaders at Edgbaston Stadium, the cream of the region’s leaders were celebrated by their peers.

Reed joined Homeserve Membership in 2012 after a 20-year career in banking and now leads a team of over 3,000 and a company boasting 2.1 million customers and a turnover of £326m.

Alex Turner, joint-managing director of TheBusinessDesk.com said: “We created the Midlands Leadership Awards to celebrate the people and organisations across the region who are role models for their teams and raise the bar for their competitors.

Kari Lawler, speaking at the Midlands Leadership Awards

“Our winners and shortlisted have showcased the best qualities of modern leadership – of inspiration, collaboration and empowerment – and these awards have been a true celebration of the transformational impact great leaders are having in our region here and now.”

The audience also heard from 15-year-old Kari Lawler, who became the youngest-ever start-up and entrepreneur on the Innovation Birmingham campus when, at just 14, she was accepted onto the Entrepreneurs for the Future incubator.

The full list of winners crowned at the Midlands Leadership Awards is:

Public/Third Sector:
Dr Yeow Poon, Chinese Community Centre

Young Leader:
Samantha Earl, Pertemps

Leadership Programme:
Birmingham LGBT

Diversity and Inclusion Leader:
Professor Kiran Trehan, University of Birmingham

Empowering Potential:
Simon McAlpine, Infinity IT Solutions

Professional Services:
Steve Allen, Mills & Reeve

Company Leader (up to 100 employees):
Keir Edmonds, MCS

Company Leader (over 100 employees):
Greg Reed, HomeServe Membership

Transformational Leader:
Phil Mead, NEC Group Arenas

Overall Leader:
Greg Reed, HomeServe Membership

Check out the photo gallery from the 2018 Midlands Leadership Awards:

2018 Midlands Leadership Awards – Shortlist

Young Leader – sponsored by Aston University
This award recognises the best leader aged under 35 (on December 1, 2018) for their ability to make a real difference in their organisation by bringing about positive change and inspiring others around them.

Aaron Dicks, Impression
Ashley Cooper, Edward Cooper Young Chartered Surveyors (ECY)
Faye Pressly, Vanti
Samantha Earl, Pertemps
Scott Parsons, Forsyth Barnes

Best Leadership Programme
Successful companies know that leaders can be developed internally, not just hired externally. This award will go to the company or organisation that has delivered significant improvements through its successful leadership programme.

Birmingham LGBT
Meridian / Common Purpose
Plink Fizz
Streetwise MBA / Common Purpose

Empowering Potential – sponsored by Future Faces Chamber of Commerce
This award is for the leader who has inspired and developed people, unlocking potential they may never have known they had. The winning candidate will have helped their team or people in their team to beat their own expectations of themselves and/or the expectations of others.

Anthony Burns, Paycare
Anthony Ratchford, Intec Microsystems
Lee Southen, Grayling
Sallie-Ann Allen, Enploy
Simon McAlpine, Infinity IT Solutions

Diversity and Inclusion Leader
Increasingly organisations are embracing the benefits of having a diverse workforce at every level and in creating an environment where everyone has a voice. The Diversity and Inclusion leader of the year will be the individual who has championed diversity and inclusion, whether inside their organisation or as part of an outside group or initiative, and worked to improve the opportunities for any under-represented group.

Carmen Watson, Pertemps
Claire Bell, West Midlands Police
Hilary Smyth-Allen, BPS Birmingham
Prof Kiran Trehan, University of Birmingham
Yetunde Dania, Trowers & Hamlins

Public and Third Sector Leader
The public and third sectors have been under pressure in recent years, requiring its leaders to be innovative and achieve more with less. This has required leaders who can overcome challenges, often under close scrutiny, and drive cultural change in their organisation.

Mike Hopkins, South and City College Birmingham
Paul Kalinauckas, BCRS Business Loans Limited
Tom Clarke-Forrest, Sport 4 Life UK
Dr Yeow Poon, Chinese Community Centre

Professional Services Leader
The professional services leader of the year will be the individual who is showing strong leadership and having an impact in their firm or further afield.

David Richardson, Lloyds Banking Group
Nick Green, Squire Patton Boggs
Sarah Perry, Wright Hassall
Sarah Stevenson, Astute Recruitment
Steve Allen, Mills & Reeve

Transformational Leader
Delivering change requires a well-executed plan, but to deliver transformational change requires the added magic ingredient of exceptional leadership. This award will recognise the individual who has achieved that, delivering measurable success in their organisation.

Greg Reed, HomeServe Membership
Matt Jones, Oxbridge Home Learning
Mike Hopkins, South and City College Birmingham
Pauline Biddle, Deloitte
Phil Mead, NEC Group Arenas

Company Leader (up to 100 employees) – sponsored by Pertemps
Leading small companies presents its own challenges, often requiring flexibility and a personal touch. This award will go to the best leader in a Midlands company which employs up to 100 people.

Jonathan Evans, Discovery
Keir Edmonds, MCS
Kevin Rogers, Paycare
Mike Brooman, Vanti
Scott Parsons, Forsyth Barnes

Company Leader (100+ employees) – sponsored by MHA MacIntrye Hudson
Leadership in a larger company requires effort to ensure the company direction and vision is managed and communicated, often across shifts, sites and even countries. This award will go to the best leader in an organisation which employs more than 100 people.

Craig Dickson, DAC Beachcroft
Greg Reed, HomeServe Membership
James Rigby, SCC
Shahid Sheikh OBE, Clifton Packaging Group

Leader of the Year – sponsored by Curium Solutions
This person will be selected from the other award winners and will be the person or organisation that embodies outstanding leadership and is an exemplar for the Midlands.