meet the winners

winter 22 2022 award winners drumroll please…

Hosted by writer, comic, actor and radio presenter Alfie Joey, the 2022 North East Entrepreneurial Awards (one of the first events of our autumn/winter 2022 calendar) celebrated entrepreneurs who are leading dynamic, innovative businesses and making a genuine change to our region.

Entrepreneur of the Year

Mike O’Brien, Opencast

Mike O’Brien, of Newcastle-based Opencast was named the 2022 Entrepreneur of the Year. Mike co-founded Opencast in 2012 and has grown the business into one of the largest tech companies in the North East with a team of over 400. Opencast has been named in the GP Bullhound Top 100 list no less than five times in the award's nine years and is on track to become a future FTSE 250 company.

Emerging Talent

Chloë Clover, Wander Films

Co-founder and director of Wander Films, ‘Clover’ has led Wander from two girls with a broken GoPro to an award-winning video production and content marketing company made up of a talented team of 18. A school dropout, Clover made the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list, is an enterprise advisor at Northern School of Art and is on the board of Power of Women.

Mentor of the Year

Craig Huntingdon

The Mentor of the Year award was presented to Craig Huntingdon who, after being introduced to his mentees through his role as a Scaleup Partner at RTC North, is now giving back his time altruistically to help other North East business owners prosper. Those who have worked with Craig praised his ‘extensive knowledge and insight into a wide array of areas’ and for showing ‘genuine care and interest’ in those he works with.

Scale-up Entrepreneur of the Year

Tim Ward, OPPORTUNI

Tim Ward, founder of OPPORTUNI, was named Scale-up Entrepreneur of the Year. Through OPPORTUNI, Tim has rebuilt the procurement ecosystem, helping to create a level playing field for SMEs. Within five years, the business plans to redirect £225 billion per annum of government spend to small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) across the UK, US and Europe. Founder of Helen McArdle Care and Kids 1st Day Nurseries, Helen was presented the Lifetime Achievement award for 2022 for her longstanding commitment to health and social care within the region and for her generous contributions to many worthy causes across the North East. Helen has donated more than £10 million to local and international charities throughout her career while also funding critical age-related research and healthcare education.

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Lifetime Achievement

Helen McArdle CBE

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winter 22 together we can take on the world 2022

Held at Hilton Newcastle Gateshead, and hosted by presenter Charlie Charlton, our autumn conference Together We Can Take on the World saw over 250 North East entrepreneurs come together for a day of inspiration, learning and making new connections.

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We work with all of our customers to ensure the safest and most effective working environment. A quality workspace design leads to a less stressful and more productive atmosphere. It’ s essential that employers take the physical work environment of their employees into consideration. Employees need to feel comfortable and calm in their physical work settings to produce their best work.

We can offer a refresh service to improve the space you have, or carry out a full fit out. From the design process to executing this, our team or professionals have you covered!

An overwhelming majority (87%) of workers would like their current employer to offer healthier workspace benefits, with options ranging from wellness rooms, company fitness benefits, sit-stands, healthy lunch options and ergonomic seating The right lighting not only reduces the risk of all kinds of health problems for your employees, it also increases productivity and safety within your company. We want to ensure the safety and comfort of your staff and customers. Getting your lighting right is important as employees may experience drowsiness or lose their sense of motivation, which can result in an overall reduction of work productivity, when working in a dim lit room. Bright lighting or high-intensity lighting can also affect productivity.

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