Winners revealed at West Midlands Leadership Awards 2025
Mitchell Barnes, CEO and founder of RYSE 3D was the double winner at Wednesday evening’s West Midlands Leadership Awards, being named Leader of the Year and Company Leader of the Year (up to 50 employees).
19 winners were crowned in front of the West Midlands business community at the Macdonald Burlington Hotel in Birmingham city centre.
The awards are independently judged by the region’s business leaders and our panel of judges for this year consisted of Andy Begley, CEO of Shropshire Council, Henrietta Brealey, CEO of the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, Andrew Lovett, CEO of the Black Country Living Museum and Abbie Vlahakis, CEO of Millenium Point.
TheBusinessDesk.com’s West Midlands editor Anna Cooper, who chaired the panel, said: “Congratulations to all our winners – and those shortlisted. The standard of this year’s nominations was higher than ever, displaying the depth and breadth of the leadership talent in the West Midlands.”
The winners:
Young Leader: Jordon Tipper – Start Tech
Mitchell Barnes – RYSE 3D
Dan Boardman-Weston – BRI Wealth Management
Ben Hobbis – Step Up Network CIC
Katy Paddock – Colmore Business District (BID)
Kyle Raffo – Embello
Public & Third Sector Leader: Ben Howells – Living Well UK
Clive Bawden – Various
Ben Hobbis – Step Up Network CIC
Yiannis Maos MBE – TechWM
Mentor: Tom Bower – Lauralu UK
Artemis Ansell – Lichfield District Council/Lichfield West Midlands Traded Services
Clive Bawden – Various
Professor Paul Cadman – Walk through Walls
Andy Gillett – BRI Wealth Management
Adam Kohlbeck and Chris Passey – EduPulse
Diversity & Inclusion Leader: Zoe Bennett – Training Personified
Emma Armstrong – Empro Business Group
Rupert Lyle – Midven
Sophia Tarr – STEAMhouse Innovation Lab
Professional Services Leader: Joanna Lee-Mills
Dan Boardman-Weston – BRI Wealth Management
Kirsty Davies-Chinnock – Women With Metal
Karen Moores – Sydney Mitchell
Sarah Moorhouse – Black Country Chamber of Commerce
Green Leader: Ankita Mishra – Mills & Reeve
Liane Kynaston – Absolute Collagen
HR Leader: Karuna Bhatia – Richborough
Angela Millward – Dains Accountants
Hospitality Leader: Conrad Brunton – Tonic Talent
Nouman Farooqui – Asha’s Restaurants
Manufacturing Leader: Kirsty Davies-Chinnock – Women With Metal
Mitchell Barnes – RYSE 3D
Melissa Snover – Rem3dy Health
Education Leader: Ben Hobbis – Step Up Network CIC
Adam Kohlbeck and Chris Passey – EduPulse
Rebecca Waterfield – South & City College Birmingham
Marketing Leader: Zoe Lee – BMet College
Becca Dean – Shropshire Festivals
Jennie Sanders – Dains Accountants
Harriet Troth – BRI Wealth Management
Technology Leader: Yiannis Maos MBE – TechWM
Darren Cox – Delta Financial Systems
Simon Davies – Delta Financial Systems
Melissa Snover – Rem3dy Health
Jordon Tipper – Start Tech
Chris Woods – CyberQ Group
Finance Leader: Andy Gillett – BRI Wealth Management
Rupert Lyle – Midven
Richard McNeilly – Dains Accountants
Property Leader: Phil McHugh – Vistry North West Midlands
Tom Bromwich – Bromwich Hardy
Julia Chowings – Gerald Eve
Steve McCarthy – McCarthys
Company Leader (up to 50 employees): Mitchell Barnes – RYSE 3D
Emma Armstrong – Empro Business Group
Dan Boardman-Weston – BRI Wealth Management
Craig Humphrey – Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub
Sarah Moorhouse – Black Country Chamber of Commerce
Anthony Tattum and Rachel Roberts – Leopard Co
Company Leader (51 – 100 employees): Chris Woods – CyberQ Group
Paul Campbell – Richborough
Ross Edwards – Erwin Hymer Centre Travelworld
Ben Howells – Living Well UK
Company Leader (101+ employees): Iain McCallister – MAN Commercial Protection
Richard McNeilly – Dains Accountants
Melissa Snover – Rem3dy Health
Transformational Leader: Rupert Lyle – Midven
Billy Chalk – Delta Financial Systems
Emma Fardell – Richborough
Ileana Lupsa – techUK
Chris Woods – CyberQ Group
Leader of the Year: Mitchell Barnes, CEO and founder of RYSE 3D
