EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2020 North West finalists announced

• Five entrepreneurs from four businesses selected as finalists for the North West
• Finalists from Manchester, Chester and Lancashire
• Five Northern business leaders formed the judging panel for the North

North West, Thursday 17 September 2020: EY has announced its EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Northern finalists today, with four businesses from the North West making the shortlist.

This year’s finalists highlight the vibrant diversity of the North’s entrepreneurial landscape, with companies from sectors including retail, hospitality, construction and social care represented across the region.

The North West finalists are:

• Jamil Mawji and Faisal Lalani, Co-Founder and Director of National Care Group Limited, a leading provider of care and support services to vulnerable adults throughout the UK. Based in Lancashire.
• Graham Donoghue, CEO of Sykes Cottages, one of the UK’s fastest-growing independent holiday cottage rental agencies. Headquartered in Chester.
• Paul Baker, Founder of St Pierre Groupe, an international market leader in European bakery products. Based in Manchester.
• Richard Barlow, Founder and CEO of wejo Limited, which collects, processes, analyses and licenses connected vehicle data into insights. Based in Chester.

Victoria Price, Partner and EY Entrepreneur Of The Year leader in the North, said: “It’s fantastic to see another group of finalists from the North. This year’s EY Entrepreneur Of The Year programme recognises the achievements of six of some of the best businesses from across the North West and Yorkshire, all helping to grow the North’s economy.

“Entrepreneurs are facing one of the most challenging environments’ we’ve seen and so I continue to be impressed by their relentless determination and resilience in an uncertain climate. The calibre of all our Northern applicants has been truly inspiring. While some of our finalists have had to navigate a very turbulent year, some have been able to seize unexpected opportunities to accelerate growth.”

Marked against six criteria by an independent Northern judging panel in July, the shortlist celebrates business leaders who showcase real entrepreneurial spirit and unwavering ambition in solving tomorrow’s challenges. Similar events were also held in Scotland, the Midlands and South West, and London and the South East.

The regional finalists make up the 25 UK business finalists that will progress to the UK judging and final, vying for the title ‘EY UK Entrepreneur Of The Year’. The overall winner will then represent the UK at the ‘EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year’ in summer 2021, a forum which attracts the world’s most inspiring entrepreneurs from more than 60 countries.

Last year’s Northern finalist, Steve Jackson OBE DL of Recycling Lives, went on to be crowned EY Entrepreneur Of the Year™ 2019 Overall Winner, the Preston-based founder also took home the ‘Societal Impact’ category award for the positive contribution the business made to the wider community.

North judging panel

• The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 Northern judging panel was chaired by Clare Roberts, CEO of Kids Planet and Kids Allowed, who was joined by:
  • Imran Hakim, CEO of Hakim Group
  • Martin Wardhaugh, Group CEO of Arran Isle
  • Neil Inskip, Director of BGF
  • Simon Wilkinson, CEO of Mobica

Full list of EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 North finalists:

• James Parker, Owner and CEO of Gym King, which specialises in ath-leisure wear available in over 1,000 stores worldwide. Based in West Yorkshire.
• Jamil Mawji and Faisal Lalani, Co-Founder and Director of National Care Group Limited, a leading provider of care and support services to vulnerable adults throughout the UK. Based in Lancashire.
• Steve Parkin, CEO of Moores Furniture Group, a leading manufacturer and installer of kitchen and bathroom furniture in the UK. Based in Wetherby.
• Graham Donoghue, CEO of Sykes Cottages, one of the UK’s fastest-growing independent holiday cottage rental agencies. Headquartered in Chester.
• Paul Baker, Founder of St Pierre Groupe, an international market leader in European bakery products. Based in Manchester.
• Richard Barlow, Founder and CEO of wejo Limited, which collects, processes, analyses and licenses connected vehicle data into insights. Based in Chester.

Sponsors

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year’s national headline sponsor is global wealth management firm LGT Vestra.