THE 2021 NORTH EAST ENTREPRENEURIAL AWARDS

from Member Magazine: Autumn 2021

HIGH FLYER

And the winners are…

Returning to the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead for our black-tie awards ceremony, our 2021 North East Entrepreneurial Awards honoured North East business leaders who had demonstrated strong leadership standing out from their peers during these exceptional times.

EMERGING TALENT

Dan Parker, Aspect Facades

Our Emerging Talent Award was awarded to Dan Parker of Aspect Facades. Having averaged year on year sales growth of 270% across the first four years of trading, Aspect Facades are now set for another bumper year of growth, with over £6million secured out of a projection of £8million for the current financial year.

SCALE-UP ENTREPRENEUR

Steven Rawlingson, Samuel Knight International

Steven Rawlingson, founder of global manpower specialist Samuel Knight International, was named Scale-up Entrepreneur. In 2019, Samuel Knight International USA was launched in Boston and Chicago and despite the COVID pandemic both the UK and USA branches grew by 90% - 100%, with the company being on track to achieve £30 million in sales.

What we do is made possible by the support of our partners and this year, our Awards were delivered in collaboration with ION as headline sponsor and Ward Hadaway, the Malhotra Group, Agilico, Qrious and IA Growth as award supporters.

MENTOR OF THE YEAR

Bill Scott OBE

The Mentor of the Year award was presented to Bill Scott OBE who, after growing Wilton Group into a successful engineering firm, is now giving back his expertise and knowledge to help other North East business owners prosper. He was praised by those he has worked with for the ‘passion and interest’ he shows, the ‘confidence and positivity’ he instils in those he works with and for being a ‘genuine inspiration’.

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR

Lee Hutchinson, Double Eleven

Lee Hutchinson of Double Eleven was named Entrepreneur of the Year. Lee founded the business in 2009 after a successful gaming career and has since grown it into a leading console porting and publishing agency working with the likes of Microsoft, Sony and Paradox Interactive. The company shows no signs of slowing down, with record levels of turnover and profit this year and more ambitious projects in the pipeline.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

John and Dame Irene Hays

This year’s Lifetime Achievement award was presented to two individuals who have worked in partnership in both business and marriage to make a major impact on individuals and communities across the country: John and Dame Irene Hays. They were acknowledged for their longstanding contribution to the region, particularly within Sunderland where the Hays Travel headquarters are based, and for saving thousands of jobs when they purchased the Thomas Cook retail operation.