The founder of Bambino Mio, one of the world’s leading reusable nappy brands, has been crowned Great British Entrepreneur of the Year for the Midlands region.
The founder of Bambino Mio, one of the world’s leading reusable nappy brands, has been crowned Great British Entrepreneur of the Year for the Midlands region.
Guy Schanschieff started Bambino Mio in 1997 with his wife Jo after they met an American in India in 1991 and began talking about plastic pollution and the need for more reusable products.
It rounded off an excellent night for Guy, who also picked up the Entrepreneur for Good Award earlier in the night. An award-winning range of products, Bambino Mio’s can be found in supermarkets, pharmacies, nursery outlets and online retailers in more than 50 countries around the world.
Now in its seventh year, the NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards celebrate the hard work and inspiring stories of entrepreneurs, rather than the business’ balance sheet.
Francesca James, founder of the NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards, said: “In 2019 we are seeing greater attention given to sustainable, reusable products and services that tackle the climate crisis, but Guy was considerably ahead of the trend. He’s clearly incredibly dedicated to both the mission and product, and his passion for reducing single-use products is inspiring.”
Gordon Merrylees, managing director of entrepreneurship at NatWest, said: “NatWest is proud to support the Great British Entrepreneur Awards celebrating another year of amazing achievements for entrepreneurs starting and growing businesses from every corner of the country. Supporting entrepreneurs is a key priority for NatWest and our dedicated programme of fully funded accelerator hubs, mentoring, insight and bespoke coaching, is specifically designed to meet the needs of entrepreneurs who want to start, scale and succeed in business. Congratulations to all of the winners and to those who were shortlisted for one of these prestigious awards.”
Following two years as a finalist, Ed Hollands, the founder of DrivenMedia, was crowned Creative Industries Entrepreneur of the Year. And after winning the Start-Up category in 2018, the founder of Holy Moly Dips, Tom Booth and Gaz Walker returned to win the inaugural Food & Drink Entrepreneur of the Year award.
The winners of each category will now go to the National Final of the NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards, which takes place in London in November.
Full list of winners for the Midlands region:
Creative Industries Entrepreneur of the Year
Ed Hollands | DrivenMedia
Disruptor of the Year
Paul Morris | Addmaster (UK)
Entrepreneur for Good Award
Guy Schanschieff | Bambino Mio
Entrepreneurial Spirit Award
Rebecca Gill | VR Therapies
Family Business Entrepreneur of the Year
David Hallam | OrderWise
Food & Drink Entrepreneur of the Year
Tom Booth & Gaz Walker | Holy Moly Dips
Health & Beauty Entrepreneur of the Year
Kate Redmond & Tracey Redmond | Style Coaching Institute
Scale-Up Entrepreneur of the Year
Steve Perez | Global Brands Limited
Service Industries Entrepreneur of the Year
Wendy Shand | TotsToTravel
Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year
Stephanie Bennett & Lyndsey Hellyn | The Curiosity Approach
Start-Up Entrepreneur of the Year
Leo Scott Smith | Tended
Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Sophie Thompson & Dominic Barnard | VirtualSpeech
Great British Entrepreneur of the Year (Midlands)
Guy Schanschieff | Bambino Mio
