EY announces shortlist for Midlands Entrepreneur Of The Year

ENTREPRENEURS from across the East and West Midlands have been shortlisted for success in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 Midlands Awards.

The finalists represent 34 businesses across Birmingham, Nottingham, Leicester, Coventry, Redditch, Solihull and Worcester. The firms have a combined turnover of £1bn and employ more than 15,000 people in the region.
 
The shortlisted companies are drawn from firms in the automotive, healthcare, real estate and government & public sector.

The winners will be announced in the Midlands final, which takes place on Tuesday June 14 at Birmingham Council House.  
 
They will join the winners of regional finals in Scotland, the North of England, and London & the South to battle it out for the UK title, which will be announced at a ceremony in London in October. They will then represent the UK at EY’s World Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards in Monte Carlo in 2017.
 
Chairing the Midlands judging panel for the first time is Digby, Lord Jones of Birmingham.

Joining him on the 12-strong panel are other well-known Midlands business leaders, along with previous Entrepreneur Of The Year winners: Jim McCarthy, chief executive of Poundland and Simon Ward, of Inspired Thinking Group.
 
EY Andrew Spence Dec 14Andrew Spence, Midlands Entrepreneur Of The Year Leader at EY, said: “These dynamic, fast growing companies – and the people behind them – are vital to the Midlands’ national and global competitiveness, and these awards rightly recognise their success. Investment in technology and innovation, domestic and international expansion are just some of the ways these entrepreneurs are growing their businesses and positioning themselves for further growth over the years ahead.
 
“This year’s panel of judges reflects the strength and diversity of the entrepreneurs and business leaders we have in the Midlands, and we’re delighted to welcome Lord Digby Jones as Chair of our 2016 judging panel.”
 

This year’s Midlands finalists are:

Name

Company

Company description

HQ location

District

1

David Ball

Bridge Farm Group

Bedding and Ornamental Plant Nursery Supplying Supermarkets

Spalding

Lincolnshire

2

John Woodward and Marg Randles

Busy Bees

Provision of early years services

Burntwood

Staffordshire

3

Simon Fishel

Care Fertility Holdings Ltd

Fertility and IVF service

Nottingham

Nottinghamshire

4

Matthew Hayes

Champions (UK) plc

Champions (UK) plc is a creative brand agency with a difference. We are a new agency for a new marketplace, responding to the challenges of a brave new world.

Costock

Nottinghamshire

5

Steve Dixon

Changes UK

Changes UK Community Interest Company (CIC) provides a range of holistic services for people in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, including detox, rehab, supported housing, volunteering opportunities, training and employment.

Birmingham

Birmingham

6

William Chase

Chase Distillery Limited

The manufacture of potato vodka and other beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) for sale to uk customers.

Preston Wynne

Herefordshire

7

Paul Alekna

eResponse Group

Specialist recruitment, training and workforce solutions business operating from eight centres across the Midlands

Redditch

Worcestershire

8

Geoff Love

Esendex

Esendex is the UK’s leading supplier of intelligent multichannel mobile messaging for businesses and is targeting being Europe’s #1.

Nottingham

Nottinghamshire

9

Adrian Ryan

FLYDocs

Aircraft records and data management

Tamworth

Staffordshire

10

Paul Cadman

Futura Group

Automotive designer and manufacturer supplying the likes of Bentley and Jaguar Land Rover

Birmingham

Birmingham

11

Dino (Constantinos) Kyriacou

G&P Group Holdings Ltd

Global Quality Management Service Providers

Birmingham

Birmingham

12

Neil Male

GMS Security Services Ltd

GMS Security Services Ltd provides nationwide security services to a wide and varied client base. Services include manned guarding, security guards, canine / guard dog security, close protection security, key holding response etc.

Bromsgrove

Warwickshire

13

Mark Jones and Jeremy Taylor

Green Frog Power

Power generation, provides National Grid and others with back up reserve power on demand

Coleshill

Warwickshire

14

Sarah-Aime (Sarah) Gill

Gro Organic C.I.C

Urban Regeneration, Community Skill Development & Garden Design & Landscaping Services

Birmingham

Birmingham

15

Neil Bacon

iWGC

iWantGreatCare, also known as the Tripadvisor for Health, is both a healthcare ratings and reviews service for the public and a commercial data business that works directly with healthcare providers.

Finstock

Oxfordshire

16

Harbans Kalsi

Kalsi Plastics

Manufacturer of maintainance free building plastics

Birmingham

Birmingham

17

Colin Cole

Lioncourt Homes

Property developer

Worcester

Worcestershire

18

Pravin Majithia

M.P.K. Garages Ltd.

Fuel retailing through a network of filling stations

West Mansfield

Nottinghamshire

19

Gareth Hughes

Marston Holdings (Marston)

Marston Holdings (Marston) is the UK’s largest judicial services Group. We work on behalf of central government, local government and private creditors, to recover debts owed to them.

Birmingham

Birmingham

20

Rosie Ginday

Miss Macaroon

Miss Macaroon produces premium gluten free French macaroons reinvesting the profits in providing training and employment opportunities for unemployed young people.

Birmingham

Birmingham

21

Mick Parsons

NSL Automotive Components

Remanufacturer of Steering Racks

Coventry

Coventry

22

Alan Hardy

Paragon Interiors Group PLC

Paragon Interiors specialises in the design, build and fit-out of inspiring and environmentally sustainable commercial office interiors thereby enabling clients to optimise the value and return on their property asset.

Nottingham

Nottinghamshire

23

Michael Bruce

Purplebricks

Estate agency combining the human face of the traditional estate agent with technology.

Solihull

Birmingham

24

Shalin Mehra

Rodericks Dental Ltd

Group of dental practices

Northampton

Northamptonshire

25

Ben (Benjamin) Maughan

SHEco Ltd

Installatioon and maintenance of special purpose machinery for the motor industry

Tipton

Sandwell

26

Paul Lalli

Solid Systems Global Ltd

Global Enterprise Level Support & Service

Derby

Derbyshire

27

John and Heather Penn

SSE Audio Group

Engages in renting out, selling and installing audio equipment and ancilliary services for the live event industry

Redditch

Worcestershire

28

Marc Wileman

Sublime Science Ltd

Our mission is to make science awesome for 1 million children. The Award-Winning Sublime Science Party is the most popular party in the UK with slime and fizzing potions.

Leicester

Leicestershire

29

Brian Donnelly

Synapse Information

Spreadsheet consolidation service provider

Birmingham

Birmingham

30

Alan Lusty

Systems adi Group

Turnkey Engineering Solutions, specialises in supporting the manufacturing sector in the UK & Ireland.

Birmingham

Birmingham

31

Peter Sephton

The Parts Alliance Group

The Group comprises 9 owned companies that, with 5 associate companies, forms the UK and Ireland’s largest group of wholly owned and franchised businesses supplying OE and matching quality autoparts to national and independent garages and workshops.

Solihull

Birmingham

32

Kevin Caley

Business Loan Network (Thin Cats)

ThinCats.com peer to peer business lending platform

Tamworth

Staffordshire

33

Graham and Jennifer Wynn

TTC Group

Provides learning and development services working with public and private sector clients to improve personal and professional knowledge, accountability and responsibility in UK

Telford

Shropshire

34

Andrew Wilson and Carolyne Vale

Wilson Vale

Wilson Vale is an independent catering company with a portfolio of 85 clients, mainly within business and industry, independent schools and the conference venue sector.

Ashby De La Zouch

Leicestershire

This year’s Midlands region judges are:

1.    Digby, Lord Jones of Birmingham, Chair of Judges and international businessman and cross bench peer in the House of Lords.

2.    Tracy Lewis, Chief Executive Officer of Wacoal Europe

3.    Jim McCarthy, Chief Executive Officer of Poundland

4.    Melanie Mills, Director of Big Society Capital

5.    Jonathan Halford, Chairman of RTP

6.    Tim Whittard, Investment Director of Business Growth Fund

7.    Nick Brayshaw, Chairman of Stadium Group

8.    Simon Ward, Chief Executive Officer of Inspired Thinking Group

9.    Ian Lister, Chief Executive of Greenray

10.  Phil Hodgkinson, Global Director of Jaguar Land Rover

11.  Ninder Johal, President of Black Country Chamber of Commerce

12.  Sharon Redrobe, Chief Executive Officer at Tycross Zoo. 

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