THE 2019
HEROPRENEURS AWARDS HIGHLIGHTS
Heropreneurs entered its tenth year of operations in 2019 and, this November, we were delighted to once again welcome so many faces, both familiar and new, to our annual Awards ceremony, held in association with The Telegraph.
Hosted by Stuart Rock and Alecia Emerson-Thomas, the Awards champion the remarkable achievements in business of Armed Forces Veterans and spouses and we were delighted by the calibre of nominations that we received. Choosing the runners-up and eventual winners of their respective categories was a phenomenally tough job, so much so that an additional award was given in the Entrepreneur of the Year category, in recognition of the entrepreneurial success of nominee Ed Bussey and his business, Quill. Our thanks go to our panel of judges, including Head Judge General Sir John McColl, KCB, CBE, DSO, Chairman of COBSEO, who had this to say of the evening:
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“Congratulations on a wonderful evening; immaculately choreographed, and put together with style and panache. Not only did we celebrate the very best of British determination, drive, and ingenuity but we also had a really good time! Yours is one of a minority of charities which transmits a relentlessly positive message about the Armed Forces Community and it is hugely important.”
We were honoured to host a number of influential figures at the Awards, including Her Royal Highness, the Countess of Wessex, and Lt Gen Richard Nugee, Chief of Defence People, our headline speaker for the evening.
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THE WINNERS
Many congratulations to the 2019 winners and runners-up of this year’s awards. If you have been inspired by this year’s winners then please make a note that we will start accepting nominations for The Heropreneurs’ Awards 2020 in March 2020.
ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR – Sponsored by AYR Aviation
Steve Birdsall – Gaist Solutions Limited
This category was so tight the judges felt it necessary to create an additional award to recognise an entrepreneur that couldn’t be overlooked as a leader in their own field ‘Entrepreneurial Success of the Year’, which goes to Ed Bussey of Quill Content.
HEROPRENEUR OF THE YEAR – Sponsored by Black Isle Group
Nick and Louise Goldsmith – Hidden Valley Bushcraft
LARGE EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR – Sponsored by OBXteK
Atkins
MILITARY PARTNER IN BUSINESS AWARD – Sponsored by Goldman Sachs
Lucy Mans – Family Rule
SMALL EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR – Sponsored by OBXteK
Inzpire – Hugh Griffiths
START-UP OF THE YEAR – Sponsored by Facebook
Toddle – Hannah Saunders
TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS OF THE YEAR – Sponsored by Amazon Web Services in association with TechVets
Senseon – David Atkinson
THE VETERANS’ FOUNDATION AWARD – Sponsored by The Veterans’ Foundation
Veterans’ Launchpad
WARWICK BUSINESS SCHOOL – Sponsored by Warwick Business School
Mercedes Notton-Hill – Solstice Domestic Angels Lt
Many thanks to our photographers on the night Martin Burton and Graham Lee. Please get in touch with esme@heropreneurs.co.uk if you would like to view the full image suite.
OUR SPONSORS
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Our thanks go to our sponsors for the Awards, including our media sponsor, The Telegraph; category sponsors, Warwick Business School, Amazon Web Services in association with TechVets, Black Isle Group, Facebook, AYR Aviation, Goldman Sachs, OBXteK and The Veterans’ Foundation; as well as Banks Cooper Associates Ltd, who sponsored the drinks reception. Their continued support is immensely valuable and it is heartening to see so many companies so keen to support us to reward military Veterans and spouses for their endeavours.
