Celebrating the UK's entrepreneurial talent - submit your entry now!

News
02/08/2017

Now in its fifth year, the NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards acknowledges the hard work and inspiring stories of British entrepreneurs and businesses in Great Britain. The Awards have celebrated some outstanding entrepreneurs who have gone on to become household names.

These include David Buttress of Just Eat, James Watt of BrewDog and Julie Deane of The Cambridge Satchel Company.

With increased support from NatWest, the organisers have now been able to extend the coverage of the Awards across the UK for the 2017 programme with ceremonies now being held in five cities – Cardiff, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and London – compared with two in previous years.

Creator of the NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards, Francesca Russell, believes that it is vital that British entrepreneurs are championed. She explained: “Entrepreneurs inject competition into markets, create jobs and spur innovation. In many cases their businesses change the ways in which we live and work. These awards are different because they celebrate the story behind these people – true entrepreneurs are as much about their story as they are about their balance sheet.”

Gordon Merrylees, Head of Entrepreneurship for NatWest, said: “Entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of the UK Economy. There are more businesses in the UK than ever before and it is clear that entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well. NatWest is thrilled to be supporting these Awards again this year and allowing other UK cities to celebrate their entrepreneurs.”

Entrepreneurial Spark, powered by NatWest, is the world’s largest free business accelerator for start-up and scale-up businesses. It now has 12 UK hubs, covering all four nations of the UK, with a London hub opening its doors in August 2017. These hubs have supported businesses that have collectively turned over £176m and secured £151m in investment. The entrepreneurs behind these businesses have, to date, created 3,152 jobs across the UK.

Now a proven model for accelerating business from start-up to scale-up, Gordon Merrylees sees the bank as having a “duty to help grow this economy and support and develop that vibrant entrepreneurial community.”

There are 11 categories for each host city and the deadline for entries is August 18th.

You can find more information on the NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards here.

BBP Media is proud to be a Supporting Partner of the NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards