Search for Business Executive of the Year 2016

The search is under way to find the Business Executive of the Year for 2016.

The Business Executive of the Year will be chosen from the winners of three other categories – Small, Medium and Large Business Executives of the Year.

The awards, held by the Leicester Mercury in association with the University of Leicester, aim to celebrate the business people who have seen great success with their firms throughout the year.

Other categories include Non-Executive of the Year, Young Business Executive of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Last year, Priyesh Patel, of Leicester-based Cofresh, won the Medium Business Executive award and was named the overall Business Executive of the Year.

Mr Patel, managing director of the UK’s top Asian snack company, was crowed the winner after a successful year.

This included milestones such as increasing turnover by nearly £3 million in the 12 months to December 2014 compared to the previous year, moving into new premises in Menzies Road, Leicester, and announcing plans to crack the Indian market.
At the time, Priyesh – known as Pete – said: “Accepting both awards, one has to appreciate that these awards are only achievable with the right people around you.

“That includes support from my wife and uncles and key management and everybody on the packing lines.

“Everybody puts in 100 per cent and the passion they have for the business is reflected in everything we do.

“The true inspirations are my father Dinesh who started the business and my mother Savita.

“The business has picked up many awards and my father has also picked up awards, but this is the first time I have picked up an executive award.”

The winners for this year’s event will be announced at a glamorous black tie event on Thursday, November 3 at the King Power Stadium in Leicester.

The other winners at last year’s event included Bob Woods, chairman of Enderby-based wealth management company Mattioli Woods (Lifetime Achievement), Andy Cliffe, of East Midlands Airport (Large Business Executive), Geoff Rowe, of Big Difference Company (Small Business Executive) and Will Prentice, of Elite Scooters (Young Business Executive).

The nominees for the Business Executive of the Year Awards are compiled by the Leicester Mercury business team and the judges.

The judging panel consists of Stephen Gould, from Everards Brewery, Eileen Richards, who runs Eileen Richards Recruitment, Alastair Cunningham, East Midlands agent for the Bank of England, Chris Darlington, partner at Mazars, Chris Shaw and Anjuu Trevedi, of the University of Leicester, KPMG East Midlands senior partner Ian Borley, Mike Kapur of Signum Corporate Communications, Mike Waterfield, director of Torr Waterfield, Dr Nik Kotecha, chief executive of Morningside Pharmaceuticals, Tim Horrocks, head of the Quilter Cheviot Leicester office, Tim Maxted, chairman and chief executive of Berkeley Insurance, Emma Knight, of East Midlands Trains, Mercury publisher David Simms and business editor Tom Pegden.

The judges will also be joined by representatives from the following sponsors to help them in making their decisions: AON and Handlesbanken.

The University of Leicester is the headline sponsor for the awards.

A University of Leicester spokeswoman said: “This is the university’s fifth year of sponsoring the awards, which we choose to do primarily because we want to support businesses and the local area by recognising, applauding and celebrating the excellent work undertaken by leading business executives.

“It is important that we recognise and celebrate the dedication, passion and innovation that local business leaders bring to their roles, as these are essential ingredients to the success and growth of their own businesses, the Leicestershire economy and the many people they employ.

“Secondly, the university wishes to engage and build mutually beneficial long-term working relationships with innovative executives and their businesses from Leicester and Leicestershire.

“By sponsoring the Business Executive of the Year Awards, the university is able to identify successful executives and their great businesses.

“We have established a number of industry facing initiatives to enable us to work with local businesses such as the ASDEC

(Advanced Structural Dynamics Evaluation Centre), the UK’s first commercial 3D (non-contact) measurement and modal analysis centre offering specialist structural dynamics expertise based at HORIBA MIRA near Hinckley, and the Leicester Innovation Hub, a dedicated space where companies can meet and work with our research scientists.”

– IFrodsham

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