E&Y unveils Entrepreneur of the Year shortlist
THE leaders of 28 North West businesses, ranging from travel agents to manufacturers, have been short-listed in Ernst & Young’s prestigious Entrepreneur Of The Year awards programme for 2013.
They will compete with 19 others from across the North at a regional final in Manchester on June 25 at the Hilton Hotel.
Winners will go on to vie for the national title and a chance to represent their country at a global awards ceremony in Monte Carlo next year. A total of 137 finalists have been named across the UK today.
The 2013 North of England judging panel will be chaired by Anthony Preston, founder of Pets at Home. The contenders, listed below, include Matthew Kimpton-Smith of Northwich manufacturer Cygnet Group, Mal Barritt and James Cole, Chorley-based World Travel Holdings, and Glenn Cooper of ATG Access, based in Haydock.
Mr Preston said: “These business leaders represent job and wealth creation, which are important factors in tough markets. My fellow judges and I look forward to meeting them and hearing their entrepreneurial stories and diverse approaches to growth.”
Last year’s North West winners included: Fred Done, founder and chief executive of Betfred; Peter Schofield of Tetrosyl Group; Ian Kelly of Matrix (Green Sky Energy); Matthew Sanders of de Poel; Iqbal Ahmed of Seamark; and Lawrence Jones of UKFast.
Robert Crooks, North West Entrepreneur Of The Year leader at Ernst & Young, said: “Our finalists are growing their businesses in the face of a flat economy. These entrepreneurial business leaders are identifying opportunities for growth and grabbing them. Innovative thinking gives them the edge over others; it’s in their very nature.
“In fact they are using current economic conditions to their advantage, to get ahead of the competition. Be it by investing in international markets – exports to China and India are growing strongly – or delving deeper into understanding their customers.
“Finalists in this year’s programme show deep understanding of their customer’s needs and are developing new products or services to match them exactly. Entrepreneurs aren’t waiting for traditional markets to recover, they are ramping up activities and capitalising on pockets of potential.”
The North West finalists:
• Majid Hussain, Accrol Papers, based in Blackburn
• Rizwan Khan, Advanced Childcare, based in Cheadle
• Zachary Lewy & Tom Drury, Arrow Global, based in Manchester
• Imran Akram, Asons Solicitors, based in Bolton
• Stephen Turner, Associated Security Solutions, based in Manchester
• Glenn Cooper, ATG Access, based in Haydock, Merseyside
• Julie Bowmer, Baker Bennett, based in Rochdale
• Christopher Baker-Brian, Mansoor Hamayun and Laurent Van Houcke, BBOXX, based in Macclesfield
• Keith Rimmer, Belfry Group, based in Warrington
• Colin Stevens, Better Bathrooms, based in Leigh
• Ian Munro, CRG (Castlerock Recruitment Group), based in St Helens
• Mal Barritt and James Cole, World Travel Holdings (UK), based in Chorley
• Matthew Kimpton-Smith, Cygnet Group, based in Northwich
• Matt Newing, Elite Telecom, based in Chorley
• Dave Neilson, Fusion21, based in Huyton, Merseyside
• Richard Law, GB Group, based in Chester
• Tony Hughes, J.D. Hughes Group (Hughes Safety Showers), based in Stockport
• Matthew Beech, Maltacourt Global Logistics, based in Runcorn
• Julian Bambridge, MPM Products, based in Macclesfield
• Miguel Corral & David Levin, Must Have, based in Manchester
• David Lindfield, Sovex, based in Prenton, Wirral
• Claire Watkin, Trendsetter Home Furnishings, based in Trafford Park
• Joe Blower, WEMS International, based in Stockport.
