Yorkshire entrepreneurs recognised at national awards
Two Yorkshire business leaders were awarded EY Entrepreneur Of The Year UK titles at a ceremony in London last night, competing with some of the UK’s leading entrepreneurial companies.
Di Walker of Karro Food Group claimed the UK ‘Transformational Leader’ title while Debbie Bestwick MBE of Team17 Digital was a winner in the Disruptor category, along with biotech company Oxford Nanopore Technologies.
Malton-based Karro Food Group is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of pork products into the retail, food service and export markets. Walker played a pivotal role in the transformation of the business through a difficult period, transitioning the business from loss to profit and rescuing over 1,000 jobs in the process.
Debbie Bestwick
Founded in 1990, Wakefield-based Team17 Digital is an award-winning international games label that hosts the Worms franchise, Yooka-Laylee, The Escapists, and others. Bestwick is disrupting traditional publishing, helping independent developers to set themselves up as sustainable businesses and bringing through the next generation of games creators.
Alastair Nuttall, EY partner and Entrepreneur Of The Year Leader in Yorkshire, said: “It is fantastic to see Yorkshire represented in our list of national winners, by such impressive female business leaders.
“Di is a remarkable entrepreneur who has been recognised for the pivotal role she played in the transformation of Karro Food Group through a difficult period, which saw the business turnaround from loss to profit while saving 1000 jobs in the process. The judges were also impressed by her continuous focus on improving company culture by leading from the front.
“Debbie’s leadership has turned Team17 into a successful and sustainable business model, with significant growth over the last three years and international expansion. The panel also applauded Debbie for the passion and drive she demonstrates for her industry and supporting young people within it, in particular women in the gaming industry.”
