One of the region's largest business awards, the North East Entrepreneurial Awards, will take place online as it sets to recognise the exceptional achievements of entrepreneurs in exceptional times.
For the first time in the awards 17-year history, the winners of the North East Entrepreneurial Awards will be announced online in a week-long social media campaign. Delivered by the Entrepreneurs’ Forum, the membership organisation for North East entrepreneurs, the Awards will recognise and celebrate the triumphs of those who are driving growth, creating jobs and making the North East a place of prosperity.
Nominations for the North East Entrepreneurial Awards, which in the past have been won by some of the region’s most successful businesspeople, are open until 30th November 2020, while the online award announcements will take place week commencing 8th February 2021.
Any North East entrepreneurial leader can be nominated, they do not need to be a member of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum, nor does the person nominating them.
The awards comprise five categories which recognise outstanding individuals at each stage of the entrepreneurial journey: Emerging Talent, Scale-up, Entrepreneur of the Year, Mentor of the Year and Lifetime Achievement. In previous years, the North East Entrepreneurial Awards has been marked with a black-tie awards ceremony and charity fundraiser where over £500,000 has been raised collectively for local and national charities.
Although the black-tie awards ceremony will not go ahead this year, the Entrepreneurs’ Forum has announced it will be fundraising for Feeding Families, a North East charity who provide food hampers to families who struggle to make their stretched resources cover the extra expense and expectation of Christmas. The Forum team will be running, walking or cycling 350 miles in 14 days, 70 miles each, which is the distance it takes to circumnavigate the North East region and virtually visit the head offices of its entrepreneurial members.
Elaine Stroud of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum said: “The Forum team are passionate about making a difference in our region, and without the fundraising efforts of our annual awards, we knew we needed to do something. “Feeding Families provides Christmas hampers to families in our region who struggle to make ends meet. Receiving a food hamper, especially at Christmas, can make a huge difference.
“2020 has been a unique year to say the least and while we can’t celebrate as we usually do, we still wanted to acknowledge the exceptional work of those who are leading dynamic and growing businesses in the region. “We’re looking forward to celebrating the achievements of the North East’s emerging and established entrepreneurs online and encourage those who fit the criteria to send in their nominations.”
Since the first award was presented to John Hays of Hays Travel in 2004, the North East Entrepreneurial Awards have recognised 50 of the region’s leading entrepreneurs, including property developer Sir John Hall, Paul Callaghan CBE of Leighton Group, and Anne Preston MBE of Prestons of Potto.
Nominations can be made online at www.entrepreneursforum.net/awards
