Yorkshire Business of the Year winners revealed

Former Morrisons chief executive David Potts was named Ambassador of the Year at TheBusinessDesk.com’s 2024 Yorkshire Business of the Year Awards.

Potts spent a decade at the helm of one of Yorkshire’s largest and best-loved companies. He not only transformed it from an organisation that had lost its way into a customer-focused success story, but completed its £7bn sale after a long, competitive process.

Collecting the award on behalf of David, Grace Morrison, granddaughter of the supermarket chain’s founder William Morrison, said, Potts was committed to the business. “For him it wasn’t a job,” she said. “It was his life.”

Guest speaker Mandy Ridyard, chief business advisor to West Yorkshire Combined Authority Mayor Tracy Brabin, praised Yorkshire’s innovative spirit, “Innovation is in our DNA. It’s our heritage,” she said.

Mandy, chief finance officer of Bradford aerospace engineers Produmax, added, “Yorkshire has 5.4 million people. That’s more than Scotland, New Zealand, Ireland and Norway. We’ve an economy larger than 11 European countries.”

TheBusinessDesk.com Yorkshire editor Andrew Staples thanked sponsors – Clearwater, CMS, LDC, RBC Brewin Dolphin, and Verlingue – for visiting each and every awards entrant during the rigorous judging process.

He added, “Every company and individual shortlisted for these awards can be assured that they have earned their place by excelling in the eyes of professional experts. Congratulations to every one of you.

“Particular congratulations to tonight’s winners. The last year has not been an easy one for business, but tonight your dedication, passion and drive are recognised and celebrated. You are the best of the best.”

Nearly 400 people attended the awards ceremony at The Queens Hotel, Leeds, on Thursday evening.

Start-Up of the Year
Winner: Hyperact, who had a very strong first year with confident and clear growth plans, and overcame the adversity of a founder leaving. Hyperact has big, bold ambitions.

Shortlisted:
Discover Place Promotion
Smart Temporary Solutions
The Yorkshire Lime Company
Trad Collective#

Innovation
Winner: Synthotech, whose robotic technology sources and repairs leaks in underground pipes, show a commitment to R&D and innovation to develop world-leading products.

Shortlisted:
Adventoris
CoolCare
Daval Furniture
Slipstream Engineering Design
Sport:80

Sustainability
Winner: Camira, a textiles group with sustainability principles woven into the fabric of the business with an impressive range of industry leading initiatives including a recent investment in textile reprocessing.

Shortlisted:
AIREA plc
Flotilla
Lowell
NaughtOne
Tribus

Community Impact
Winner: Enzygo, an environmental consultancy that has worked with a river trust and schools to make a hands-on difference.

Shortlisted:
Bailoran Solicitors
Enviro Electronics
Projex Solutions
The Biskery

Employer of the Year
Winner: Clarion, a law firm with a reputation as a great place to work Its flat management structure, transparency and culture are supported by a significant commitment to learning and development.

Shortlisted:
Consilia Legal
CSG Talent
Oakland Group
Pentest People
Trident Building Consultancy

International Trade
Winner: LabLogic Group, an instrument manufacturer with a genuinely global reach – even Antarctica – and recent success in opening up new export markets in Central and South America and Africa.

Shortlisted:
Corrosion Resistant Materials
Slipstream Engineering Design
Watermans

Investment
Winner: Ultimate Commercial Interiors, which bought land in the Aire Valley to and built The Hive, an immersive 16,000 square foot workplace experience to showcase its best workplace design, and followed it up with significant investment in digital platforms.

Shortlisted:
Aspect Business Solutions
Mansfield Pollard
ResQ
Cubo

Property Business
Winner: Helmsley Group of Companies. From masterminding the submission of plans for the major Coney Street Riverside development in York to the launch of a specialist holiday lettings business and substantial business growth, it has been a milestone year for Helmsley.

Shortlisted:
Cubo
North Property Group
The Harris Partnership

Family Business
Winner: Daval Furniture is a fabulous furniture manufacturing business now run by the three sons of the founder with a commitment to quality ad sustainability of people looking for the next generation to take over one day.

Shortlisted:
Tudor International Freight
Watermans

Small Business (up to 50 employees)
Winner: Adventoris, a tech business wit huge potential, whose innovative B2B software has a client list across Europe and is now targeting North America.

Shortlisted:
75Media
Art of Cloud
CoolCare
Projex Solutions
Ultimate (Commercial Interiors)

Medium Business (51-250 employees)
Winner: Mansfield Pollard ticked all the boxes our judges were looking for – market-leading products and a real commitment to its team, and to sustainability, investment and innovation.

Shortlisted:
BOXT
Green Building Renewables
LabLogic Group
Northern Monk
Torsion Group

Large Business (251+ employees)
Winner: Lowell, a credit management provider driving change in its sector with a very serious commitment to ESG and to its staff. Its recent investment in its new head office has created the foundation for more growth.

Shortlisted:
Clarion
Premier Technical Services Group Ltd (PTSG)
ResQ

Fast Growth Business
Winner: Boxt, a technology platform now second only to British Gas in installing residential boilers. It growth has been phenomenal since its founding in 2017. In 2022 it added £10m sales, then £28m last year to become a £70m company – and has the potential for more.

Shortlisted:
Green Building Renewables
Oakland Group
Pentest People
Pure Pet Food
Torsion Group

CEO of the Year
Winner: Paul Teasdale is one of the founders of Premier Technical Services Group Ltd. Starting from scratch in 2007, he has steered the company to become the go-to specialist services provider across the construction and FM sectors, and is targeting £1bn turnover within the next five years.

Shortlisted:
William Beer, Tunley Engineering
Gill Marchbank, ResQ
Khatiza Bibi, Deluxe Beds
Dan Spencer, Torsion Group

Ambassador of the Year
David Potts, Morrisons

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