Northern business leaders honoured at UK EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards

THREE northern entrepreneurs were among 10 business leaders who won UK EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards last night.

There were no Yorkshire winners, but Jon Wright of Leeds-based Xercise4Less, was among the shortlisted companies.

The three northern entrepreneurs were Bill Holmes, chief executive and founder of Crewe-based Radius Payment Solutions, and the winner of the overall North of England EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in June, who took home the Business Products and Services Award; Nitin Passi, managing director and founder of Manchester-based online fashion retailer Missguided, who picked up the Emerging Award; and the Entrepreneur Of The Year Family Business Award of Excellence went to Sir Michael Bibby Bt, managing director of Bibby Line Group and the sixth generation of his family to lead the company.

The Overall UK Entrepreneur Of The Year Award was won by Rosemary Squire, co-chief executive and founder of Woking-headquartered the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG).

Squire is the first woman to win the UK award and will now go on to compete with more than 50 other country winners at the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015 Awards in Monte Carlo. A panel of independent judges praised Rosemary’s achievement in growing ATG to be the world’s number one live-theatre group.

The judging panel was chaired by John Spence (chairman and CEO of Karma Royal Group), and included former UK EY Entrepreneur Of The Year winner James Lambert (chairman of Burton’s Biscuit Co and Animalcare Group, formerly of R&R Ice cream), Lawrence Jones (CEO of UKFast) and Claire Dove (chief executive of the Blackburne House Group) among others.

Stuart Watson, Yorkshire and Humber senior partner and UK Entrepreneur Of The Year leader at EY, said: “Bill and Nitin’s entrepreneurial spirit, focus on innovation and strong leadership have underpinned the rapid growth of their businesses in recent years, and both have been recognised as two of the best entrepreneurs in the country.

“Radius Payment Solutions and Missguided, through their respective strategies, are ideally placed to grow over the coming years and lead by example for a wider pool of high-growth, entrepreneurial talent quickly coming through in the North of England.

“It is fitting that the role of family business – which is critical for economic growth in the North of England and the wider UK – has been recognised and Sir Michael’s contribution celebrated. Bibby Line Group and Sir Michael have had a huge impact on the business landscape and the communities they operate in.”

Held at The Brewery in London and hosted by Jeremy Vine, the awards dinner honoured 10 business leaders across 11 categories, including overall winner. Each winner was judged and selected from 44 regional winners leading 38 companies from across the UK.

Watson said: “Entrepreneurs are at the heart of the UK economy, with 93% planning to grow their businesses, according to our Entrepreneur of the Year Alumni survey. The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards celebrate the achievements of these dynamic leaders.

“It is critical that we continue to celebrate entrepreneurial success, and support and nurture the next generation of high growth businesses. Their ability to deliver rapid wealth and job creation to help rebalance the economy will be critical in building a sustainable future for the UK.

“With innovative Northern entrepreneurs like those that were involved in this year’s programme, we should feel confident that the North can thrive over the coming years.”

UK category winners

Health Products & Services – Dr Deborah O’Neil, CEO, Novabiotics (Aberdeen)

Manufacturing – Robin McGeachy, managing director, Peak Scientific Holdings (Renfrew)

Technology – Hamid Guedroudj, CEO and founder, Petroleum Experts (Edinburgh)

International – Steven Gray, managing director, ROVOP (Aberdeen)

Emerging – Nitin Passi, managing director and founder, Missguided (Manchester)

Business Products & Services – Bill Holmes, CEO, Radius Payment Solutions (Crewe)

Private Equity-backed – Rosemary Squire OBE, co-CEO and founder, Ambassador Theatre Group (Woking)

Consumer Products & Services – Holly Tucker MBE, founder and president,
notonthehighstreet.com (Richmond)

Social Enterprise – John Niland, CEO, Provide (Colchester)