2025 Yorkshire Leadership Awards shortlist revealed

The shortlist has been revealed for the 2025 Yorkshire Leadership Awards, showcasing some of the brightest business talent in the region.
TheBusinessDesk.com created the Yorkshire Leadership Awards to celebrate the people who are role models within their organisations and raise the bar for their competitors. The shortlisted individuals show the qualities of authentic leadership and were able to demonstrate the positive impact this has had.
The awards are supported by First Events and Global.
The judging panel was 2019 overall winner Taryn Edge, 2024’s diversity and inclusion leader Sarah Tulip, Doncaster Chamber chief executive Dan Fell, and African and Caribbean Business Ventures chief executive Karl Oxford.
The winners will be announced at the awards dinner on March 20, 2025, at Royal Armouries, Leeds. For more information, and to book your places visit https://leadershipawards.uk/#yorkshire
Sarah Tulip collecting her Yorkshire Leadership Award in 2024
Alex Turner, joint managing director of TheBusinessDesk.com, said: “We had fantastic range and depth in our entries this year, which gave our judges a difficult job to decide who to include and who to leave out.
“Yorkshire is blessed with a lot of impressive business leaders who are making a difference to their companies, and also their communities and sectors, demonstrating the real and positive difference leadership can make.
“We are looking forward to celebrating the achievements of all of our finalists in March.”
2025 YORKSHIRE LEADERSHIP AWARDS SHORTLIST
Young Leader
Ally Boldan – instantprint
Natalie Boswell – Lloyds Bank
Mattie Dawson – Children’s Corner Childcare
Georgina Fairhall – WAC
Nick Hird – ViDrate
Sam Teale – Sam Teale Productions
Public & Third Sector Leader
Nathan Atkinson – Rethink Food CIC
Lisa Dawson – Run With It
Linsay Medica – Little Hiccups
Nicki Rowland – The Magic Dentist Charity
Mentor
Colin Glass OBE
Sarah Gregory – Slipstream Engineering Design
Martha Phillips – Source
Andries Pyper – Golden Triangle Financial Services
Julie Stelling – Dakota Hotels
Emerging Entrepreneur Leader
Jason Crispin – IMAGINaiTION
Joseph Hawkins – SleepCogni
Zayn Hussain – Tech1 Solutions
Julian Pearce – Yasper
Armando Leal Puente – Eutechtics
Diversity & Inclusion Leader
Natalie Boswell – Lloyds Bank
Aisha Minhas – Openreach
Nicki Rowland – The Magic Dentist Charity
Ian Stafford – Bradford Bulls
Professional Services Leader
Davina Gillyon – rradar
James Groot – Cortus Advisory Group
Mark Puleikis – Titan Private Wealth
Rachel Roche – Roche Legal
Neil Wilson – Chadwick Lawrence
Green Leader
Alan Barnes – Wernick Refurbished Buildings
Fiona Conor – Trust Electric Heating
Peter Kavanagh – Harmony Energy
Médéric Payne – AIREA
Helen Slinger – Accounting for Sustainability
HR Leader
Rachel Alexander – Sure Group
Sam Brook – Severfield
Ian McAleese – Synhrgy
Jonathan Walton – Dakota Hotels
Hospitality Leader
James Ball – Fazenda Rodizio Bar and Grill
Danielle Best – Mexi Bean Express
Debbie Dobson – Dakota Hotels
Mica Jones – Escapism Bars
Manufacturing Leader
Scott Conor – Trust Electric Heating
Lou Ellis-Frankland – Mansfield Pollard
Matt Goff – Thurston Group
Emma Parkinson – The International Group
Rory Percival – EnviroVent
Education Leader
Canon Simon Baldwin – Leeds Beckett University
Lisa Dawson – Run With It
Adrian Kneeshaw – Carlton Academy Trust
Chris Simes – Collingwood Learning
Marketing Leader
Sam Goodwin – Headstar
Samantha Jevons – Bowman Riley
Julian Kynaston – Propaganda
Richard Michie – The Marketing Optimist
Julian Pearce – Yasper
Martha Phillips – Source
Technology Leader
Georgina Fairhall – WAC
Zayn Hussain – Tech1 Solutions
Barrie Jarrett – Planet Sport Group
Peter Kirby – Tred
Andrew Parker – Flood Technology Group
Liz Whitefield – Hippo Digital
Finance Leader
Natalie Boswell – Lloyds Bank
Lee Clayton – CHN Financial Consultancy
James Groot – Cortus Advisory Group
Peter Kirby – Tred
Sue Moul – Headstar
Company Leader (up to 50 employees)
Fiona Conor – Trust Electric Heating
Nick Hird – ViDrate
Gal Leslie – 2-Work Group
Oliver McClaren – The Escapologist
Emma Parkinson – The International Group
Dan Platt – Ultimate (Commercial Interiors)
Company Leader (51 – 100 employees)
Lee Clayton – CHN Financial Consultancy
Charles Draper – Sure Group
Michael Feather – Bowman Riley
Mark Puleikis – Titan Private Wealth
John Sanderson – PitStop Productions
Company Leader (101+ employees)
Mattie Dawson – Children’s Corner Childcare
Lou Ellis-Frankland – Mansfield Pollard
Gary Gallen – rradar
Matt Goff – Thurston Group
Médéric Payne – AIREA
Paul Teasdale – Premier Technical Services Group
Transformational Leader
Erica Hodgson – Differentis
Ian McAleese – Synhrgy
Médéric Payne – AIREA
Paul Teasdale – Premier Technical Services Group
Liz Whitefield – Hippo Digital
Leader of the Year
The overall leader will be selected from the category winners.
Join us at the 2025 Yorkshire Leadership Awards and network with the region’s most successful and exciting business leaders: