South West and Wales entrepreneurs shortlisted as finalists in EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2019

News
15/05/2019

Limbs & Things of Bristol and Zip Wire of Bethesda among the finalists


EY has announced its EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2019 Midlands and South West finalists today, with two businesses from South West and Wales making the shortlist.


Margot Cooper, Founder of Limbs & Things – a healthcare simulation manufacturer based in Bristol – has been selected as a finalist. Sean Taylor, Co-founder and Director of Zip World –which offers adventures and experiences including the fastest zip line in the world, based in Bethesda, North Wales – has also been selected as a finalist.


Andrew Perkins, Senior Partner at EY in the South West & Wales, said:

“It’s fantastic news Margot and Sean have been recognised in this year’s programme, which supports the enviable entrepreneurial community we have in the South West and Wales. These businesses not only create jobs and generate wealth, they also contribute to the continued growth of the local economy.”


The finalists in the 2019 Midlands and South West programme will convene at an awards ceremony in June in Birmingham where an independent panel of judges will select the entrepreneurs who will represent the region at the national event in the autumn to vie for the title ‘EY UK Entrepreneur Of The Year’. The Midlands and South West winners will compete against entrepreneurs from Scotland, the North of England, and London & South.


The overall winner will then represent the UK at the ‘EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year’ in summer 2020, a forum which gathers the world’s most inspiring entrepreneurs from more than 50 countries.


Midlands and South West judging panel

· The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2019 Midlands and South West judging panel is co-chaired by Nicholas Georgevic, Chairman and CEO of Scrivens Opticians & Hearing Care; and Tracy Lewis, Non-Executive Director at Staffline Group Plc.

Nicholas and Tracy are joined by:

· Rosie Ginday, MBE, Founder of Miss Macaroon

· Wendy Merricks, CEO of Jumar Solutions

· Gurinder Sunner, Investor at BGF

· Michael Ward, CEO of Gateley Plc


Full list of 2019 Midlands and South West finalists

· Ian Lonergan, CEO of Charter Court Financial Services, a specialist mortgage bank based in Wolverhampton.

· Jon Slade, CEO of ENSEK, which helps energy suppliers provide a better customer experience through modern technology and the power of data, based in Nottingham.

· Anna Taylor, Managing Director of Feridax, a wholesaler of motorcycle clothing and accessories based in Halesowen.

· Robert Milnes, CEO of Fertility Focus, which aims to provide a new approach to the issue of infertility diagnosis and treatment, based in Warwick.

· Jason Blakey, Tony Gleeson, and Jason Granger, Directors of Gleeson Recruitment Group, a professional recruitment and executive search company based in Birmingham.

· Alan Barratt and Juliet Barratt, Co-founders of Grenade, a sports nutrition brand based in Solihull.

· Deborah Mitchell, Founder and CEO of Heaven Skincare, which produces products derived from natural bee venom containing the patented formula ABEETOXIN®, based in Shifnal.

· Richard Taffinder, Group Managing Director at Hills Numberplates, a manufacturer of legal number plates and licence plate components based in Birmingham.

  • Stuart Hetherington, CEO of Holovis, an experiential design company specialising in the creation of immersive and mixed reality based in Lutterworth.

· Andrew Jackson, CEO of Intercity Technology, which provides people-first technology services and digital solutions across the public sector, enterprise and SME markets, based in Birmingham.

· James Hyde, CEO of James and James eCommerce Fulfilment, a company which provides eCommerce fulfilment services based in Northampton.

· Ayaz Tejani, CFO of Leicester Tissue Company, a household tissue manufacturer based in Leicester.

· Margot Cooper, Founder of Limbs & Things, a healthcare simulation manufacturer based in Bristol.

· Keir Edmonds, Group Managing Director of MCS, a construction business specialising in fast track complex projects based in Warwick

· Byron Dixon, OBE, Founder and CEO of Micro-Fresh®, specialists in an invisible technology that adds long lasting freshness and prevents the growth of bacteria, based in Leicester.

· David Hallam, Managing Director of OrderWise, which supplies business management software and warehouse robotics to businesses, based in Lincoln.

· Cerys Johnson, CEO of REPL, a technology and consulting company specialising in the workforce management, supply chain, point of sale and in-store digital solutions, based in Henley In Arden, Birmingham

· David Clemson, Managing Director of Riviera Travel, which operates European and worldwide escorted tours and river cruises, based in Burton-On-Trent.

· Paul Gratton, Co-founder and CEO of SDL Group, a property services group including surveying, mortgage services, auctions, property management, lettings and estate agency, based in Birmingham.

· Terry Monkton, CEO of Simworx RoboCoaster, a company which specialises in the design, development and manufacturing of dynamic simulation attractions and 4D effects cinemas, based in Kingswinford.

· Martyn Corfield, Owner of The Good Food Chain, a niche ‘food to go’ manufacturer and distributor based in Stone.

· Todd Cassidy, Founder and CEO of WED2B, the UK’s largest bridal retailer based in Milton Keynes with 42 stores across the UK.

· Douglas Wright, Managing Director of Wright Restaurants, which operates 20 franchised McDonald’s restaurants and is based in Sutton Coldfield.

· Sean Taylor, Co-founder and Director of Zip World, which offers adventures and experiences including the fastest zip line in the world, based in Bethesda, North Wales.


Sponsors

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year’s national headline sponsor LGT Vestra, a global wealth management firm founded and ran by entrepreneurs who understand the milestones, challenges and investment perspectives of fellow entrepreneurs. The programme’s UK media partner is the Financial Times.