East Midlands Leadership Awards – meet the shortlist

In a new series, we’ll be profiling those shortlisted in our forthcoming East Midlands Leadership Awards.

Tickets are now available for the event, to be held from 12-3pm on Wednesday 6 November at the Crowne Plaza in Nottingham, which will celebrate the cream of East Midlands business leadership as we crown those steering their companies or organisations to success.

In the second of the series, we take a look at the Diversity and Inclusion category.

Ben Solomon is the technical and managing director of Octavian IT.

Ben Solomon

He believes that employees are the heart of the business and spends time training them, whether they are minimally skilled or from an apprenticeship background, he has trained and encouraged his team to undertake industry standard studies and exams to help them in their career. Because of this, he has an outstanding rapport with his team, he has built processes and system with their input and it has turned the business into a working machine with little need for interference.

Ben is also a part of the MSDUK network in which he understands the challenges faced within diversity, and strives to ensure his business is inclusive of all minorities.

Book your tickets for the East Midlands Leadership Awards here

Nick Banks is the operations director within the Building Business Unit at construction giant nmcn.

Nick Banks

Nick has fought against the typically “male, stale and pale” culture that surrounds the construction industry and genuinely believes in diversity and inclusion amongst his workforce.

His leadership style is coaching and inclusive which gives you the support and confidence to succeed without the need for micromanagement or curtailing of the entrepreneurial spirit within his team. His team is multicultural and diverse in age and gender, embracing difference as a business benefit and a genuine belief that in order to tackle the complex environments that we all face and operate within by having a diverse workforce herd mentality is prevented and problem solving encouraged.

Book your tickets for the East Midlands Leadership Awards here

Lizzie Jordan is the founder and chief executive of Think2Speak, a social

Lizzie Jordan

enterprise that empowers people to be better communicators.

The CIC focuses on equipping people with the skills and confidence to have conversations around subjects they may find challenging such as LGBT+ relationships, sex education and sexual health. The organisation has clients in the private and public sector, where founder Lizzie Jordan and her team can often be found educating the next generations in schools around the country.

Book your tickets for the East Midlands Leadership Awards here

Mark Esho is the founder and director of Easy Internet Services –

Mark Esho

one of the first search engine optimisation companies in the UK. He has led the company since its formation and spearheaded its evolution from pure SEO provider to full digital marketing agency.

Mark is aware of the need for employers to be more ‘Disability Confident’ and to that end spearheaded Easy Internet Services ‘Disability Confident’ partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in 2013. They’ve been a partner ever since – Mark believing firmly in leading by example. Mark met David Cameron at the launch of ‘Disability Confident’ and has subsequently given talks to MPs around the county over the years, his main topic being ‘The Benefits of Employing Those with Disabilities’. His latest talk was for Liz Kendal MP and he does about three/four a year for the DWP too – the most recent being in July at the King Power Stadium.

Book your tickets for the East Midlands Leadership Awards here

Richard Sutton

Richard Sutton is both a director and, more recently, has been appointed NG Chartered Surveyors’ new managing director.

He has a track record of recognising and rewarding talent, from whatever gender, ethnicity or social background. Backing this up is the fact that NG is first surveying firm in the East Midlands to achieve RICS Inclusive Employer status.

Richard’s view is that if staff are treated like adults then good people will do good things. He also has a zero-tolerance stance on workplace bullying.

On the back of this, NG has grown to become a diverse, inclusive agency always embracing new cultures, genders and ways of working.

Book your tickets for the East Midlands Leadership Awards here