Yorkshire Business Masters 2011: Choose your winners
VOTING begins today for the Yorkshire Business Masters 2011 awards.
Every day this week we will be profiling the entries shortlisted across the six categories starting today with the Yorkshire Newcomer and, new for this year, Yorkshire Adviser awards.
Readers of TheBusinessDesk.com will have the opportunity to vote online for the entries that impress them the most before the awards are presented at the Yorkshire Business Masters 2011 event at Aspire, in Leeds, on June 16.
The shortlist in each category was drawn up by a panel of judges chaired by Andrew Palmer of the CBI with Yorkshire Forward chair Julie Kenny; Finance Yorkshire chairman and Sheffield City Region LEP chairman James Newman; Yorkshire International Business Convention founder Mike Firth; Stephen Martin, chief executive of Clugston Group and Paul Fullerton, agent for the Bank of England in Yorkshire.
Yorkshire Newcomer
Leeds Brewery
Founders Sam Moss and Michael Brothwell launched the business in Leeds three years ago because of the lack of an independent brewer in the city.
Now producing more than 20,000 pints a week, the brewery has three of its own pubs in the city centre and distributes to hundreds more across the country.
Led by two entrepreneurs under the age of 30, it is now poised to exploit the planned closure of the Tetley’s Brewery, leaving Leeds Brewery as the only one in Leeds.
S3 ID
Based in Rotherham, S3 ID makes location devices used in the offshore and energy sectors.
With offices in Norway and Singapore, the firm designs, engineers, supplies and supports its products in markets around the world.
In January this year S3 ID became Finance Yorkshire’s first equity investment when it took a £1.1m stake.
Xeros
A new company based on University of Leeds research, Xeros is focused on developing technology that dramatically cuts the amount of water used in laundry cleaning.
Operating from laboratories in Leeds, the company has developed a prototype machine and is looking to launch in the commercial laundry market by the end of the year.
In November, the company received a £3.5m investment from a mixture of new and existing investors.
TO CAST YOUR VOTE FOR THE NEWCOMER AWARD CLICK HERE
Yorkshire Adviser
Ian Gilbert, Walker Morris
In the last year Ian Gilbert has been appointed managing partner at Walker Morris and advised on the region’s biggest deal of 2010 – the sale of Netto by AP Moller Maersk to Asda for £778m.
The Netto deal involved the sale of 194 stores to Asda in a deal that was under close regulatory scrutiny.
With more than 25 years’ experience, Mr Gilbert’s clients range from major PLCs to start-up companies and private individuals and was recently described by one as “skilled in knowing his bargaining strength, charming even when pushing a hard deal and sensible in his approach”.
Deals aside, he has had through hs career an interest in private equity and and supporting start up companies and has advised on AIM fundraisings for university spinouts including Avacta and Syntopix.
Teresa Hitchcock, DLA Piper
Based in DLA Piper’s Sheffield office, Teresa Hitchcock is credited with establishing the firms national safety, health and environmental team and is recognised as one of the country’s leading experts in the field.
During the year she advised Tata Steel on the sale of the Corus Teesside Cast Products site, in Redcar, to Thailand’s largest steelmaker, SSI, in a transaaction that secured 700 jobs and the business vulaed at £291m.
Described by those who know her as enthusiastic, knowledgeable and approachable, her clients include the Coal Authority, Corus plc and Whitbread plc.
In heading one of DLA Piper’s UK teams from Sheffield, her work and reputation makes her an ambassador for the region’s professional services sector.
Jonathan Jones, Squire Sanders Hammonds
The managing partner at the firm’s Leeds office for the last two years, Jonathan Jones has overseen the merger with Squire Sanders & Dempsey to create a top 25 global legal practice. He is one of only four UK members of the global board and the only one from outside London.
Focused on private equity, recent deals he has advised on include acting for the management and sellers of Zenith Vehicle Contracts Group Limited on its latest £85m transaction having advised Zenith on its previous three MBOs.
Already an award-winning lawyer, Mr Jones’s clients include Callcredit, Lloyds Development Capital and Keepmoat.
Mr Jones insists on the firm playing a role in the community, forging close relationships with local charities and establishing an annual charity ball.
TO CAST YOUR VOTE FOR THE ADVISER AWARD CLICK HERE
To request tickets for the event please click here.
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