The Entrepreneur Wales Awards, now in its second year, has just announced the 2016 short-list.
Run by the producers of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, the Entrepreneur Wales Awards is Wales' only awards to acknowledge the hard work and inspiring stories of Welsh entrepreneurs and businesses in Wales, not just the balance sheet.
Among last year's winners were Just Eat CEO David Buttress as Expat Entrepreneur of the Year, Welsh ICE founder Gareth Jones as Entrepreneurs' Champion, Lisa Tobia who designed Admiral's Cardiff reception as Creative Entrepreneur of the Year and social-enterprise founder Jo Ashburner as Manufacturing Entrepreneur of the Year.
Following their success at the inaugural Awards in 2015, previous winners Andy Ling, Darren Thomas and David Buttress join the likes of GoCompare founder Hayley Parsons, author and TV presenter Lyndon Wood and serial investor Ashley Cooper on the judging panel.
The shortlist:
Accelerated Growth Business Entrepreneur of the Year – Sponsored by NatWest Cymru
Owen Derbyshire, Properr
Russell Pearce, Grove Autocare
Benjamin Milsom, Echosec Systems Ltd
Nick Evans, Evabuild
Gemma Richards, SA Flyers
.
Creative Industries Entrepreneur of the Year – Sponsored by S3 Advertising
Jessica Morgan, Jessica Draws
Ken Bird, West Coast Wales
Jason Stallard & Lyanna Tsakiris, Station Rd. Marketing
Darren Crockett, Do Digital Realities
.
Eco Entrepreneur of the Year
Gareth Jones, Carbon Zero Renewables
Martyn Popham, Cenin Limited
Katie Hayward, Felin Honey Bees
Richard Allen, Eco Bunker
.
Entrepreneurs’ Champion of the Year – Sponsored by Entrepreneurial Spark
Gareth Jones, Welsh Ice
Natasha Davies, Because U Can
Emma Wilkins
Mandy Weston, Welsh Ice
Annette Gee, Taskforce paintball
.
Fashion & Retail Entrepreneur of the Year
Marc Brown, Sporting Hares
Christian Macnamara, The Brogue Trader
Anne Arkle, Jaspersparkle
.
Food and Drink Entrepreneur of the Year
Jonathan Saunders, Croesy Bars
Kasim Ali, Waterloo Tea
.
Manufacturing Entrepreneur of the Year
Anne Arkle, Jaspersparkle
Laura Adams, Bespoke Laser UK
Andrew Hicks, Keen Attachments
.
Micro Business Entrepreneur of the Year – Sponsored by Cardiff and Vale College
Jack James, Pontus Research
Marsha Ward, The Number Hub
Cerys Ashley, Ashley HR
Samantha Davies, IConsult Technical
.
Service Industries Entrepreneur of the Year - Sponsored by Blake Morgan
Gillian Edwards, A Quality Service
William Scott, Scott Waste
Rob Dance, Rock IT
Ben Wheeler, Copper Bay Creative
.
Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year
Jonathan Saunders, Croesy Bars
Owain Hopkins, Tree Top Films
Spencer Symmons, CPS Group
Rachel Bedgood, Complete Background Screening
James Hughes, Sphere Solutions
.
Social Enterprise Entrepreneur of the Year - Sponsored by Cardiff Council
Peter Watkins-Hughes & Andrea Durban, The Market Hall Cinema
Yasmin Sarwar, Cardiff 6th Form College
Mahmuda Khatun & Sha Hoque, Go2GP
Katy Chamberlain, Business in Focus
.
Start-Up Entrepreneur of the Year - Sponsored by Cardiff FM
Laura Griffin & Kelli Aspland, Solar Buddies
Eoghan Powell & Ceri Butcher, Carreg Adventure
Ben Lloyd, Pure Commercial Finance
Mahmuda Khatun & Shah Hoque, Go2GP
.
Student Entrepreneur of the Year – Sponsored by Simply Do Ideas
Adam Dixon, Phytoponics Ltd
Puteri Jasni, Bookworm & Mugs
Jack Bevan-Davies, Infinite Void
Jenny Evans, Jenny Evans Designs
David Cooke & Oliver Biggs, Wandering Visuals
Sarah Callaway, House of Callaway
Daniel Huxtable, HDMS
.
Technology Entrepreneur of the Year – Sponsored by Finance Wales
Benjamin Milsom, Echosec Systems
Simon Pridham & Jeremy Stephens, Aspire 2Be
Ken Bird, West Coast Wales
Stephen Jones, Comparison Creator
Adam Curtis, Hoowla
Kristian Bailey, Computers for Flooring
.
Young Entrepreneur of the Year – Sponsored by Redrow
James Koash, Seiri
Laura Emily Dunn, LED Media
Damian Williams, Timeless Trowel
Cariann Emanuellie, Wize Virtual Admin
Daniel Shepherd, CanDo Laundry Services
Crowned Entrepreneurs Champion in 2015, Gareth Jones CEO of Welsh ICE has been shortlisted to defend his title, but will also be judging the start-up category in this year’s awards.
He said: “Winning the inaugural Entrepreneurs’ Champion award at last year’s Entrepreneur Wales Awards was incredibly humbling and helped cap off a great year for us at ICE. That event has acted as a catalyst and inspired a range of new initiatives over the course of this year to ensure we as ICE cement our status as the champion for founders in Wales. There are a great deal of organisations and partners who help make this possible, it feels like an exciting time for entrepreneurs in Wales.
Alix Popham, former Welsh rugby international and co-founder of the Entrepreneur Wales Awards, said: "The first Entrepreneur Wales Awards in 2015 was a fantastic celebration of the fantastic businesses and entrepreneurs Wales has to offer. Wales is really making a name for itself in business and entrepreneurship, and the entries this year give plenty of optimism for the future."
Co-founder, Welsh entrepreneur and Cardiff Metropolitan university graduate, Francesca Russell said: “This year I had the pleasure of personally letting the shortlisted entrepreneurs know they’d been shortlisted and without exaggeration, it was the most rewarding day of my year. When you get a chance to deliver some great news to someone who’s working relentlessly around the clock in “the thick of” their business daily, it’s inspiring and rewarding.
“Entrepreneurship is thriving in Wales and we need to start acknowledging the people who are driving our economy forward.”
The Entrepreneur Wales Awards gala final takes place on November 9th during Cardiff Business Week at the Principality Stadium.
Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/entrepreneur-wales-awards-tickets-24994581466
