North East Entrepreneurial Awards - 2018 by Entrepreneurs' Forum

2018 NORTH EAST ENTREPRENEURIAL AWARDS FRIDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER 2018

HILTON NEWCASTLE GATESHEAD HOTEL

In partnership with

#NEentrepreneurs

#NEENTREPRENEURS

WELCOME TO THE 2018 NORTH EAST ENTREPRENEURIAL AWARDS

We’re delighted to welcome you to the 2018 North East Entrepreneurial Awards celebration. In particular, we would like to welcome all of the business owners and their families to the ceremony, which is held to honour entrepreneurs’ achievement and the outstanding contribution they make to our region’s prosperity. Over the last 15 years we have toasted some of the region’s biggest and best business successes and tonight will be no different, sharing inspirational stories of entrepreneurial achievement with a whole lot of fun. Nominations this year have been incredible and we think you’ll be astounded by the impact each of our finalists has had on their businesses and teams, so please sit back, enjoy the evening and the celebrations!

TONIGHT’S PROGRAMME Drinks Reception Supported by The North East Fund. Welcome Graham Robb, vice-chairman of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum. Our host Benedict Allen, explorer, adventurer and writer. Awards partner Colin Bell, business growth director at the North East LEP. Charity partner Alex Wilson, chief executive of Tyneside and Northumberland Mind.

Starters - Rustic pork, apricot and chestnut pâté, caramelised apple purée, pickled carrots, blackened baby onions. - Goats cheese and apple terrine, honey and thyme marinated beets with Tahiri dressed leaves (V).

Scale-up Award Sponsored by IA Growth.

Emerging Talent Award Sponsored by NBS.

Dessert - Citrus tart, raspberry sorbet and honeycomb. - Followed by coffee and tea.

Mentor of the Year Award Sponsored by The Malhotra Group PLC. Main Course - Beef brisket with gratin potatoes, thyme confit tomatoes, wild mushrooms and smoked bourguignon sauce. - Pumpkin ravioli, sun blushed tomatoes and sage cream (V).

Entrepreneur of the Year Award Sponsored by Ward Hadaway. Lifetime Achievement Award Sponsored by Made in Sunderland.

Bar closes at 1:00am.

In partnership with

2018 NORTH EAST ENTREPRENEURIAL AWARDS

THANK YOU! WE’D LIKE TO SAY A HUGE THANK YOU TO EACH OF OUR PARTNERS AND THIS EVENING’S SPONSORS. WITHOUT THEIR COMMITMENT AND SUPPORT FOR NORTH EAST ENTREPRENEURSHIP, WE WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO DO ANY OF THE THINGS WE DO; INCLUDING HOST THIS EVENING!

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

MENTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD

The North East Growth Hub provides North East businesses with impartial advice and access to support and finance to help them grow. It offers an online platform with over 300 business support and access to finance providers along with a number of tailored programmes specifically designed to give businesses the specialist support they need to grow. For more information, check out northeastgrowthhub.co.uk.

Since 1991 Malhotra Group PLC, part of Malhotra Family Holdings, has grown and diversified from a small family business into a large organisation employing over 1,100 people. Committed to a continual and sustainable growth plan, they are firmly based in the North East and successfully own and operate a specialised group of care home facilities, a national property investment portfolio and a leisure arm, incorporating hotels, restaurants and bars.

@GrowthHubNE northeastgrowthhub.co.uk

EMERGING TALENT AWARD NBS is committed to offering distinctive, innovative specification and information solutions to construction industry professionals and is proud to be leading the construction industry in its digital evolution. Its origins lie in the National Building Specification and for over 40 years has developed and produced NBS products which support the built environment. Combining world-leading technology with expert knowledge, NBS is trusted to help construction industry professionals make the best project decisions. @theNBS theNBS.com

@MalhotraGroup malhotragroup.co.uk

SCALE-UP AWARD With a focus on integrity, impact, individuality and innovation, IA Growth uses the vast breadth of skills and experience of its team to deliver unbelievable strategic value to entrepreneurs and business owners. Not only can they provide a new approach to strategic director support, they can also help to develop business confidence, build and deploy business growth plans, plan for exit and succession strategies, support organisational development, as well as offer accredited executive coaching and mentoring. @IaGrowth iagrowth.co.uk

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ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR AWARD

AUTOMOTIVE PARTNER

Ward Hadaway provide specialist, commercially-focused legal advice to entrepreneurs, companies and organisations across a wide range of sectors to help them meet their goals and fulfil their ambitions. As one of the UK’s Top 100 law firms, they can offer the strength in depth you need to help your business grow. To find out what they can do for you head to wardhadaway.com.

Lexus Newcastle is a state-of-the-art Lexus Centre, designed to offer you the opportunity to experience something amazing. Each member of the Lexus team is knowledgeable, friendly and highly trained, so you’ll always get a warm welcome. Call in or get in touch and enjoy the complete Lexus experience, from the award-winning service using genuine parts, to the extraordinary Lexus self-charging hybrid range.

@WardHadaway wardhadaway.com

@Lancaster_Lexus lexus.co.uk/centres/Newcastle

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Sunderland is open for business, open to business. It offers a remarkable range of opportunities in a city with a growing entrepreneurial spirit and international ambition. MAKE it Sunderland is aimed at encouraging and supporting businesses of all sizes, from start-ups to international blue chip organisations, to base here and benefit from world leading levels of productivity, unrivalled connectivity and available space. @MAKEitSund makeitsunderland.com

NETWORKING PARTNER The North East Fund Limited (TNEFL) is the holding fund manager appointed to govern the North East Fund (NEF). The team has now been responsible for over £300m of investment funds, over the past 14 years, including the £159.5m Finance for Business North East Fund (JEREMIE), and has been responsible for providing almost 1,500 jobs and supporting over 1,000 North East businesses.

Event production & AV provided by

@NorthEastFund northeastfund.org

2018 NORTH EAST ENTREPRENEURIAL AWARDS

SUPPORTING MIND WITH SO MANY PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER WE FELT THAT WE COULDN’T MISS THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO MORE GOOD IN THE NORTH EAST SO, ON YOUR TABLE THIS EVENING, YOU WILL FIND A CHARITY ENVELOPE. Tonight we are hoping to raise £5,000 for the North East branches of Mind and it would be fantastic if you could make a donation to help this wonderful organisation; which relies on donations to survive.

Mind is a mental health charity that is here to make sure anyone with a mental health problem has somewhere to turn for advice and support. With one in four people known to suffer from mental health issues, Mind provides vital services for people with mental ill health to help improve their lives.

MANAGING MENTAL HEALTH AT WORK Thanks to fundraising, businesses in the North East can access free information sessions with Mind, designed to raise awareness of the signs of mental health issues within the workforce. The Forum is hosting an event in conjunction with Mind for members to attend, on Thursday, 18th October at the Northern Design Centre in Gateshead. For more information visit www.entrepreneursforum.net/MIND

We know that businesses struggle with managing employees who suffer from mental health problems and Mind have designed various support programmes to educate businesses on how to improve the mental well-being of their workforces, and manage any issues that may arise. A £25 donation will fund one of Mind’s local Safe Space sessions (groups that help reduce the time people spend alone and help build confidence and skills). £135 pays for six one-to-one counselling sessions and £500 will fund a six week course for someone managing grief. @MindCharity mind.org.uk

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT Mind is a charity that relies on donations and is very grateful to everyone who supports them financially. If you would like to know more about how they are funded and managed, simply visit www.mind.org.uk. In return for your generosity, each person who donates will be entered into a raffle, with someone from each table* winning one of these fantastic prizes, all kindly donated by amazing local businesses.

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Family ticket to Alnwick Garden

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Car for the weekend from Lexus Newcastle

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White and red wine glasses from Andrew James

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£100 voucher for Aztec Diamond Equestrian

Complimentary booth, bottle of spirit and cocktail tree at Livello

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Waterproof jacket by Berghaus

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Sunday lunch for two at Close House

2x first-class return train fares to London (London North East Railway)

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£100 voucher for Crafter's Companion

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£250 three-piece suit from Master Debonair

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Dinner for two at El Paso restaurant (The Malhotra Group)

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Bottles of Mint and Earl Grey Tea from Noveltea

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2x entry to the Kielder Marathon / Half Marathon (Extra Mile Media)

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£500 holiday voucher from Parkdean Resorts

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£150 voucher for Pink Boutique

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£150 voucher for Fenwick

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£50 voucher for Psyche

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Overnight stay for two at Grey Street Hotel (The Malhotra Group)

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Luxury hamper from Ringtons

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Bed and breakfast stay at the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead

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Overnight stay at Rockliffe Hall

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Lunch for two at Hotel Indigo, Durham

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2x brewery vouchers from Tyne Bank Brewery

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Afternoon tea for two at Jesmond Dene House

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One of the first numbered bottles of Steel Bonnets from The Lakes Distillery

Electric toothbrush and whitening toothpaste from Whitewash Laboratories

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Luxury hamper from Lanchester Wines

Overnight stay with dinner at William De Percy (Apartment Group)

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£50 voucher for Lane 7

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Afternoon tea at Wynyard Hall Hotel

*We know there are more tables than listed prizes, but some people have donated more than one prize!

r e r u t n e v d A start ere! h The

Image courtesy of Martin Hartley

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TONIGHT’S HOST

BENEDICT ALLEN THE ULTIMATE EXPLORER.

Often described as an explorer, adventurer, writer or, on other occasions, as a “cat who’s used up six of his nine lives”, Benedict Allen sees himself simply as the son of a test pilot who shares his father’s desire to get out there on a clear mission, then report back. To that end, he is the only person who is known to have crossed the Amazon Basin at its widest, he was the first to document a journey that took him the length of the Namib Desert, and he is the only person known to have crossed the full width of the Gobi with camels alone. During his recent solo expedition to Papua New Guinea - to visit a community he had befriended thirty years earlier - Benedict hit the headlines after failing to turn up for a flight to Hong Kong, prompting his friends and family, and eventually the world media, to become concerned for his wellbeing. Famous for his technique of immersing himself among indigenous peoples, there is arguably no one alive who has lived so long isolated and alone in so many potentially hostile remote environments. Today Benedict is also widely known for establishing the adventure genre in television. By using a handheld video camera rather than a film-crew he re-defined the landscape of TV, allowing millions of people around the world to witness for the first time adventures unfolding genuinely in inhospitable conditions.

His journeys are depicted in his ten books - including two best sellers, six BBC television series, as well as other ground-breaking series for National Geographic TV, The History Channel and Channel 5. He is currently touring theatres across the UK, sharing the unvarnished truth about his most recent adventure to Papua New Guinea. @benedictallen benedictallen.com

“In our own way, we all share the explorer instinct to investigate the unknown. It’s part of what makes us human. My hope is to, in some way, encourage people who are facing challenges nearer at hand, whether at work, school or home. Nowadays we tend to think that our planet is fully explored, but of course we understand very little about the world even at our doorstep.”

2018 NORTH EAST ENTREPRENEURIAL AWARDS

EMERGING TALENT FINALISTS ARE ALL INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE BUILT A BUSINESS OF OUTSTANDING POTENTIAL, WHICH HAS BEEN TRADING FOR SIX YEARS OR LESS. Sponsored by

JORDAN McCABE, AZTEC DIAMOND EQUESTRIAN Named after her own horse, Aztec Diamond Equestrian has found a niche in the market for high quality, fashionable equestrian apparel at an affordable price. Set up in May 2014 as a new British clothing brand for the female rider, the products are designed by Jordan, manufactured overseas and sold online through her website. Offering everything from leisure wear to technical competition apparel to horse wear, Aztec Diamond is helping to make a financially draining sport more accessible and, with help from modern marketing and social media, is going from strength to strength.

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EVE & SIMON WHITAKER, MASTER DEBONAIR After walking around Newcastle for hours searching for a beautiful tie clip and pocket square, Simon left disappointed and said to his wife Eve: “I think I’d like to source some men’s accessories as I just can’t find what I want”. They thought of a name and Master Debonair (MD) was born in February 2016. They have never looked back. From a Facebook page to one person in a store serving customers and asking their mum to cover whilst they ran to the post office to send an online order, they now have a £2m menswear business, shipping worldwide with 22 staff.

MIKE O’BRIEN, OPENCAST SOFTWARE Building software and fixing thorny technological problems for large enterprises, Opencast Software is an enterprise software and consulting business. Founded in 2012, they provide software development and consulting services to Barclays Bank, Morgan Stanley, the NHS, HMRC and Sage, to name a few, operating a flat structure which encourages collaboration and communication throughout the business and with clients. Recently expanding to London with ambition to scale significantly and organically throughout the UK and overseas, Mike’s vision is to bring honesty and real technical expertise to a sector that, until now, has been dominated by less agile large players.

THANK YOU TO OUR JUDGES: Steven Rawlingson, Katherine Hay-Heddle, David Lynch and Andrew Tomlinson.

2018 NORTH EAST ENTREPRENEURIAL AWARDS

SCALE-UP AWARD FINALISTS ARE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE LED THEIR COMPANY TO ACHIEVE AT LEAST 20% ANNUALISED GROWTH IN EITHER TURNOVER, PROFIT OR EMPLOYEE NUMBERS FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS. Sponsored by

JULIE BLACKIE, PINK BOUTIQUE Founded with just £90, joint-owner Julie has built Pink Boutique into one of the UK’s leading pure play online retailers, with a specific focus on the 18-35 glamour lifestyle. Selling mainly in the UK, but with 4% of sales in Europe and the rest of the world, the company identifies, develops, sources, markets and sells an extensive range of ontrend great value dresses, separates, shoes and accessories. Pink Boutique has been in The Times Fast Track 100 for the last 3 years, ranked 24th in the UK this year.

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KEVIN BROWN, PACIFICA GROUP Kevin has built Pacifica Group from a standing start into one of the UK’s largest providers of home services. Its flagship brands, 0800 Repair Gas and 0800 Repair, form part of Pacifica Home Services and Pacifica Appliance Services, with the group also including UK Warranty. Today, Pacifica Group employs in excess of 470 staff, including 250 field-based engineers, handling 230,000 service calls per year. A series of acquisitions and lucrative contract wins have supported the Group’s continued growth, putting Kevin well ahead of his five year plan.

JOHN SAVAGE, FLAME HEATING GROUP

STEVEN RAWLINGSON, SAMUEL KNIGHT INTERNATIONAL Since launching in 2014, Samuel Knight has grown from a four man business to employing over 40 specialist recruitment consultants across three UK offices: Newcastle, London and Bristol. With further aggressive growth plans and a culture of innovation, Steven has built a business that prides itself on client and candidate care, working in complete partnership with both. Samuel Knight operates on some of the world’s most complex engineering projects across 32 different countries in some of the world’s most hostile environments.

Since John established Flame in 2011, he has delivered double-digit year-on-year growth, fuelled by an ambitious expansion strategy and the opening of new branches each year. Supporting both the public and trade with all aspects of plumbing and heating equipment, Flame has grown from a single branch to 11 outlets across the North East and Scotland, making it currently the North East’s fastestgrowing heating and plumbing merchant. Plans are in place to launch further outlets throughout the UK, including in Cumbria and Yorkshire.

THANK YOU TO OUR JUDGES: Colin Hewitt, Christine Nugent, David Nicholson and Ian Kinnery.

2018 NORTH EAST ENTREPRENEURIAL AWARDS

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR FINALISTS ARE ALL INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE LED THEIR BUSINESS TO STRONG GROWTH IN REVENUE AND PROFITS THROUGH INNOVATION, TEAMWORK AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS. Sponsored by

STEWART GRIERSON, UPNORTH GROUP A group of specialist building services organisations, Upnorth Solutions improve environments, both globally and locally. Market leading and pioneering, they service some of the fastest growing markets in the world, including the mobile phone, internet and data centre serving sectors. Employing over 180 people across the group, their continued and impressive organic growth correlates with their best-in class customer service and is expected to continue in 50% increments over the next three years.

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LEE HARTLEY, FAIRSTONE GROUP Fairstone is a national, full-service financial advisory house redefining the UK wealth management market. Launched by Lee in 2008, it is very much a ‘new model’ financial services business operating across retail and corporate sectors. Fairstone is a chartered financial planning business with annual revenues approaching £70m and encompasses 470 staff and professional advisers. Operating from a head office in Boldon and an 80 strong office in London, as well as 42 regional hubs, Lee has ensured that Fairstone has a truly national presence. By leveraging cloud technology to support double-digit annual growth and maintain their strong value proposition, they now oversee in excess of £8bn of investment assets on behalf of 41,000 clients across the UK.

LIANNE WALKER MBE, WALKER FILTRATION Walker Filtration is a designer and manufacturer of high quality and exceptionally engineered filtration, vacuum and drying solutions headquartered in Washington. Established in 1983, Walker Filtration has experienced substantial growth with Lianne at the helm from a £6m turnover business in 2005, to a £30m turnover business in 2018. With established assembly and distribution hubs in the Americas, Australasia and Asia, Walker Filtration continues a strong tradition of North East engineered and manufactured products by exporting over 2m products per year into a global marketplace.

THANK YOU TO OUR JUDGES: Stephen Hall, Fiona Cruickshank and Bill Scott.

2018 NORTH EAST ENTREPRENEURIAL AWARDS

MENTOR OF THE YEAR