Tech entrepreneurs Anna Assassa, Steve Bartlett and Dominic McGregor were among the winners at the NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards on Wednesday.
Assassa won GoDo Entrepreneur of the Year for her work at CRM and ERP expert Tisski.
Bartlett and McGregor, founders of influencer marketing agency Social Chain, jointly won Young Entrepreneur of the Year at the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester.
Paul Corcoran of Agent Marketing won Creative Industries Entrepreneur of the Year, SingleMuslim.com founder Adeem Younis won Entrepreneur for Good for international humanitarian charity Penny Appeal as well as Overall Entrepreneur of the Year while Tom Marley of The Car Buying Group was Scale Up Entrepreneur of the Year.
Entrepreneurs and business directors gathered for the fifth edition of the awards which recognise the hard work and inspiring stories of British entrepreneurs, rather than just their financial success.
The ceremony celebrated businesses from Manchester across 10 categories, from Family Business of the Year to Small Business of the Year.
The number of businesses who entered the awards has tripled this year, with well over a thousand entries received across five regions. Judges include Hayley Parsons OBE, founder of GoCompare, and serial entrepreneur James Caan CBE.
Founder of the NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards, Francesca James, said: “The judges this year have had an incredibly hard job in narrowing down winners from such an impressive shortlist.
“Each and every one of the winning entries has made a huge impact on entrepreneurship in their region and the wider UK economy.
“Not only have we had more entries this year than ever before, but the standard of entries has been amazing.
“We hope that winning an award will help give these entrepreneurs the recognition they thoroughly deserve.”
Gordon Merrylees, Head of Entrepreneurship for NatWest, said: “We are incredibly proud to support these important awards. It has been so inspiring to see the number and calibre of entries this year, which proves that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in Manchester.
I want to extend my huge congratulations to all the winners of this year’s categories and hope that their businesses continue to grow in the future.”
Full list of winners
GoDo Entrepreneur of the Year
Anna Assassa, Tisski
At 18 years old, Anna Assassa was a graduate trainee and this helped her develop her love for technology and management. Now running Tisski, Anna is able to use technology to help herself and others.
Creative Industries Entrepreneur of the Year
Paul Corcoran, Agent Marketing
Paul Corcoran is Managing Director of Agent Marketing, a full-service marketing agency which he established in 2006.
Entrepreneur for Good
Adeem Younis, Penny Appeal
As founder of world leading matrimonial website SingleMuslim.com, Adeem has helped facilitate 50,000+ marriages. In 2009, he established international humanitarian charity, Penny Appeal, transforming millions of lives across the globe through a range of sustainable poverty solutions.
Family Business Entrepreneur of the Year
Sean Ramsden, Ramsden International
Sean Ramsden is Chief Executive of Ramsden International, the leading wholesale exporter of British food and drink. He sells PG Tips, Marmite and Cadbury’s (and 23,000 other products) on five continents.
High Street Entrepreneur of the Year
Josh Turner, Stand4 Socks
Josh Turner is a young, serial social entrepreneur who has focused his time and effort on building great disruptive companies with social betterment at their core. He is currently Founder and CEO of both Stand4 Ventures and Stand4 Socks.
Innovation Entrepreneur of the Year
Ross McMahon, Kendal Nutricare
Ross McMahon – a food scientist with 30 years’ experience across three continents – has built his young company, Kendal Nutricare, on 55 years of Cumbrian manufacturing expertise.
Scale Up Entrepreneur of the Year
Tom Marley, The Car Buying Group
Established in 2014, The Car Buying Group was formed by young entrepreneur Tom Marley with the support of four shareholders, and is now the fastest growing online car purchasing website in the UK.
Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year
Mark Roberts, Beer Hawk
Mark Roberts co-founded Beer Hawk, together with Chris France, to bring the world’s most interesting premium bottled beers to beer lovers across the UK.
Start Up Entrepreneur of the Year
Laura Earnshaw, myHappymind
Laura Earnshaw is the founder of myHappymind.org, an innovative curriculum for children and teachers that is focused on developing positive mental wellbeing.
Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Steven Bartlett & Dominic McGregor, Social Chain
Steven Bartlett & Dominic McGregor are the co-founders of Social Chain. Their business has grown to be one of the world’s top social marketing agencies, and is Europe’s largest social influencer network.
Overall Entrepreneur of the Year
Adeem Younis, Penny Appeal & Single Muslim