High Street TV, parcel and marketing execs join entrepreneur’s organisation
Entrepreneur’s organisation Connect Yorkshire have welcomed three high-profile entrepreneurs to the fold.
The trio have become Entrepreneurs in Residence, offering mentoring to smaller and growing businesses using their wealth of experience.
Chris Henry, who founded Intermarketing Communications in Headingley in 1990 along with his brother Gerrard is the first of the three. Henry ran the print management services division and the duo saw 25 years of growth, counting Next, Halifax and Grattan as clients
By the time Henry disposed of his shares to a management team in 2015, the company employed over 80 staff and had a turnover approaching £20m. The agency was sold earlier this year to Advantage Smollan, the sales and marketing outsourcing specialist.
The second new EIR is Gordon Black, who joined family company Peter Black in 1965, a supplier of bags and shoes to Marks &Spencer. Along with his brother he expanded the business and floated it on the stock exchange in 1972.
The company was taken private on 2000 and sold in 2007 to a Chinese purchaser by which time turnover had reached £300m and had several thousand employees. Since the sale Gordon has invested in variety of ventures including the fast growing High Street TV Limited and written a book From Bags to Blenders-The Journey of a Yorkshire Businessman.
Last but not least, Andy Wilby has signed on to Connect Yorkshire having launched Leeds Parcel Company in 1999, backed by four shareholders. It launched with three people and now has seven depots across the North East and Scotland. It turns over £40m and has 450 employees.
Connect Yorkshire operations director, Sophie Patton, said: ‘We are very proud to announce another three Entrepreneurs in residence who all give their time to Connect Yorkshire for free to help mentor and grow Yorkshire based businesses. We are always looking to improve our services and membership offering and these three add even more value to our growing membership.”
Connect Yorkshire is a not-for-profit organisation aimed at helping fast growing businesses in the region to create jobs and wealth in Yorkshire.
