Announcing our Celebrating Enterprise 2016 Award Winners

On Thursday 10 November, SFEDI and IOEE hosted the annual Celebrating Enterprise Awards 2016, bringing together educators, entrepreneurs and other key figures from the UK’s small business, enterprise and skills sector. In the prestigious setting of the House of Lords, we recognised the individuals and organisations who have made an outstanding contribution in the field of enterprise, skills and entrepreneurship.

From start to finish, the Celebrating Enterprise Awards were a fabulous success. Simultaneously a fitting way to mark the close of a productive, rewarding 2016 and a great way to look forward to all that 2017 may bring.

We are delighted to announce this year’s Celebrating Enterprise award winners:

Enterprise Learner of the Year
Roxanne Kelly

Presented by Nic Preston, CEO, SFEDI Awards.

Roxanne Kelly has overcome real adversity and was referred by youth homelessness charity Centrepoint to Bradford Floating Support in October 2014. Since then she has completed a series of enterprise qualifications and developed her own fledgling enterprise.

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Enterprise Educator of the Year
Christine Atkinson

Presented by Leigh Sear, CEO, SFEDI Solutions.

Christine Atkinson is Co-Director of the Centre for Enterprise and heads up the Women’s Entrepreneurship Hub at the University of South Wales. Since joining the university in 1999, she has worked tirelessly to promote enterprise and career progression for women.
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Enterprise Learning Provider of the Year
Ignition Auto Training

Presented by Sarah Trouten, CEO, IOEE.

Ignition Auto Training is a social enterprise that supports the disabled, ex-offenders and people with addictions back into employment via motor mechanic training. It is the brainchild of David Brazer who set out with a starting grant of just £30,000. The enterprise is estimated to have already saved local services over £224,000 and has moved 22 ex-offenders into employment from the initial pilot.

London South Bank University received Highly Commended status for this award.

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Small Business Apprenticemaker of the Year
Anthony Impey

Presented by Sophie Hardwick, Head of Apprenticeships, SFEDI Group.

Anthony Impey is Founder and CEO of Optimity, a wireless broadband company. He has made apprenticeships a core component of Optimity’s talent strategy and is passionate about developing talent for the tech sector more widely. Anthony started Tech City Stars and Tech Up Nation to help local young people ignite careers in East London’s tech sector.

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Enterprise Support Champion
Samuel Kasumu

Presented by Malcolm Trotter, Chair of the SFEDI/IOEE Advisory Council and CEO, IAB.

In 2012, Lord Young launched the £160 million Start-Up Loans Company to award low interest loans to 60,000 early stage businesses. However, entrepreneur Samuel Kasumu recognised that those from Black and Minority Ethnic Backgrounds (BAME) were not benefiting from the initiative. He campaigned to promote the opportunity to the BAME community and, thanks to his efforts, some 6000 people received support to develop business plans and access funds.

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Innovative Partner of the Year
The Institute of Supply Chain Management, IoSCM

Presented by Ruth Lowbridge MBE, Executive Chair, SFEDI Group.

The Institute of Supply Chain Management (IoSCM) is the UK’s leading professional organisation within supply chain management. Founded and led by Kevin Rumfitt CEO, the IoSCM has worked with SFEDI to create a new suite of professional qualifications perfectly tuned to the needs of both small and large businesses operating across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

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IOEE International Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr. Ernesto Sirolli

Presented by Gary Lapthorn, Head of Community and Charity Engagement, Commercial Banking, Lloyds Banking Group.

A world leader in the field of local economic development, since beginning his career in International Aid in Africa in the early 1970s Dr. Ernesto Sirolli has worked across the globe promoting and facilitating local entrepreneurship and self-determination. He is also the founder of the Sirolli Institute, a social enterprise dedicated to teaching civic leaders how to capture the passion, energy and imagination of their own people.

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IOEE Lifetime Achievement Award
Kanya King MBE

Presented by Stephen Pegge, Group Competitive Markets and Business Policy Director, Lloyds Banking Group.

Kanya King MBE is an internationally renowned entrepreneur best known for her role as CEO and founder of the MOBO Awards. Much more than just an awards ceremony, for almost two decades MOBO has provided training and guidance to generations of aspiring music industry professionals. Persuasive, insightful and energetic, Kanya King is a real shining star both of the UK’s music industry and of its enterprise community.

Ruth Lowbridge MBE, Executive Chair of the SFEDI Group, said:

“Everyone who has received an award at this year’s Celebrating Enterprise event should be incredibly proud of their achievement. The standard of the nominees was exceptionally high, with the judges having difficulty choosing. Each individual had their own unique enterprising achievements. I’d like to take this opportunity to warmly congratulate all the nominees and winners and to thank them for all their hard work and dedication. Well done!”

The award celebrations continued into the evening at the PRIMO Bar, Westminster, where we celebrated 20 successful years of SFEDI, the Sector Skills Body for Enterprise and Enterprise Support. The aftershow party included an awards presentation recognising our new IOEE Honorary Fellows, a live band and photo booth.

Photographs from both events are available to view online here.