NW trio vie for national IoD awards

THREE North West bosses are in the running for a prestigious national awards from the Institute of Directors.

The trio, all regional winners at the IoD North West awards, will learn if they have won at an event hosted by former politician Michael Portillo in London on October 1.

Competing in the Director of the Year, small and medium company category, is Liz Russell of Lancashire-based Envirosystems.

Liz, who won the overall North West Director of the Year last year, launched the Preston-based agricultural supplies and animal bedding business in 2001.

Sarah Dunning, a former corporate financier who now runs Cumbrian group Westmorland, which operators the Tebay motorway service station on the M6, farm shops and a hotel, is shortlisted in the Family Business Director of the Year Category.

Earlier this month Westmorland won planning approval for its first major project outside the North West, as the green light for a new motorway services on the M5 in Gloucester was given.

Ian Jackson, managing director of Imerja, the Bolton-based IT infrastructure company, is in the running for Director of the Year for Environmental Leadership. 

After the winners of seven individual awards are revealed, the overall IoD Director of the Year will be crowned.

For the first time this year the IoD will present a Lifetime Achievement Award, which will recognise a senior figure in business who “has done something truly worthy of special recognition”.

Among the names in frame are Sir Richard Branson, Sir James Dyson and Sir Terry Leahy of Tesco.