Member Article

Hunt is on for top North East entrepreneurs

The search is on to find the best entrepreneurial talent in the North East, as The Entrepreneurs’ Forum is gearing up towards its annual awards in May.

Regional businesses will be honoured for excellence in entrepreneurial achievement at the Who Dares Wins Annual Business conference awards ceremony on May 17.

Winners will be chosen after being tested against a range of criteria ranging from the financial performance of their business to their personal achievements and contribution to the North East economy.

This year’s awards will be presented across several categories including Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award, and Entrepreneur of the Year.

Finalists will be invited to present their business to an esteemed panel of judges on May 1 and 2, including Simon Lenney of Yorkshire Bank, sponsor of the awards.

A shortlist of nominees in the Forum’s Entrepreneur of the Year and Young Entrepreneur categories will be chosen after the April 20 closing date.

Judges will be looking for outstanding financial performance and growth, both historic and forecasted; consider any unique innovations in the business; increase in employees and the impact the organisation may have on the wider region.

The panel is also keen to hear about the personal development of the entrepreneur themselves, and any particular achievements they can highlight.

Nigel Mills, chairman of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum, said: “We have really shaken up our
annual awards this year to make them more accessible, transparent and inclusive in recognising the best entrepreneurial talent we have here in the North East.

“Anyone can enter or be nominated and that offers a very exciting prospect for the panel in
that they may discover new things that are going on in businesses across the region.

“We are looking for the very best; great ambassadors for the entrepreneurial spirit and talent of our region. For the winners, there is the honour of knowing they have been chosen above other outstanding entrepreneurs and been recognised by their business peers.”

Winner of last year’s Emerging Talent of the Year award, Sara Davies, said: “You very rarely see women at business award events so to win as a woman, and at my age, is what I’m most proud of. To be recognised at this sort of level was really a big privilege.”

Entrepreneurs who think they are the region’s best can nominate themselves.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .