Region’s finest business leaders honoured in IoD awards

THE chief executive of TV set-top box maker Pace was last night named Yorkshire’s top director at the Institute of Directors Director of the Year Awards.

Mr Gaydon, who has has been chief executive of the Saltaire-based digital TV technology firm since 2006 and has worked for Pace since 1995, was named Director of the Year at the event, held in front of an audience of several hundred of Yorkshire’s business leaders at the Queen’s Hotel in Leeds.

Dr Graham Honeyman, chief executive of Sheffield Forgemasters Internationalwas also given a Lifetime Achievement Award in acknowledgement of his inspirational contribution to the manufacturing company.

Dr Honeyman returned Sheffield Forgemasters to profit in just six months when he took over in 2002 and within less than three years increased the business’ turnover from £35m to £100m. Today, under his leadership, the company remains an internationally competitive business.

Other winners from across the region included Young Director of the Year, Todd Hannula the co-founder of the Camberwell Project and PEC Building Service’s Balbir Panesar who was given the Judge’s Special Achievement Award.

John Thompson, regional director for the IoD in Yorkshire & the Humber comments: “This was a superb night that celebrated the outstanding achievements of some of Yorkshire’s most dynamic business leaders.

“This year’s entries were particularly strong and I want to congratulate all those who made it onto this year’s shortlist and acknowledge the success of the winners whose hard work and innovation achieves incredible results for their companies and contributes to the prosperity of this region.”

The full line-up of winners at the awards, which are now in their fifth year, were:

• Director of the Year, Neil Gaydon, Pace
• Lifetime Achievement, Graham Honeyman, Sheffield Forgemasters International
• Young Director of the Year, Todd Hannula, Camberwell
• Entrepreneur of the Year, Neil Warnock, Luminary Solutions
• Voluntary & Charitable Sector, Purnima Tanuka, National Day Nurseries Association
• Business Advisor of the Year, Jo Haigh, Atf Group
• Non-Executive Director of the Year, Suzy Brain-England, Berneslai Homes
• Environmental Sustainability, Nick Heaton, EnviroVent
• Judge’s Special Award, Balbir Panesar, PEC Building Services