Business Person of the Year Award
An individual working for a local based business or organisation who has shown a commitment to the positive promotion of Doncaster to the business community, locally or on a wider scale.
Winner
Steve Mundin recieving his award
Steve Mundin
Steve operates Higher Rhythm, a not-for-profit company based in Doncaster providing professional recording services and award-winning training programmes, tasters and accredited courses in music technology and recording.
Recently Steve utilised his expertise and resources to produce a CD with local artists, donating profits to the Firefly Foundation (a local cancer care charity).
He also organises the Doncaster Music Week Live events, an exciting week of free events presented by global music industry professionals, giving local people a unique insight into how to get ahead in today’s music industry.
Higher Rhythm recently achieved second place in the 2008 BIZ awards in the enterprise in the community category, recognising Higher Rhythm's contribution to the regional social enterprise business community.
Finalists
Business Person of the Year Finalists
James Cameron
James has established The Glow Company UK, dedicated in offering innovative, practical and fun products that glow, flash, shine or glow in the dark.
The company has been hugely successful. In less than five years the Glow Company has seen a fifteen fold increase in turnover and profits margins rising from 10 to 28%.
Customers include 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory', BBC, ITV, Hatrick Productions, Endemol (the Production company for Big Brother) to name a few and the company has raised the profile of Doncaster as a place of commerce and innovation.
James is a great example to want to be entrepreneurs that business success is possible.
John Ryan
John Ryan is a pioneer of the cosmetic surgery industry. In the late 1970s John founded the Transform medical group. His revolutionary ideas and unique drive turned this small business into a multimillion-pound company.
Recently John has turned his transformational talents on to Doncaster Rovers, stepping in as chairman as the club dropped out of league football in 1998, bringing some feel-good optimism, ambition, and money to a club in desperate need of a hero.
Such was the buzz the new chairman created that despite their relegation to the Conference attendance increased. Since he bought the club, the team have progressed from playing non-league football to the playing in the Championship.
Jo Ward
Jo runs Doncaster Re-Furnish, a social enterprise that aims to reduce landfill waste and provide affordable furniture, electrical appliances and household goods to local residents by collecting and repairing unwanted goods.
Since 2003, when Doncaster ReFurnish was established they have:
Collected 74,000 items of furniture and electrical appliances from over 33,000 households.
Supplied these goods to over 8,000 families in need.
Saved 2326 tonnes of household items from being "wasted" and buried in local landfill sites.
Provided volunteering, training and work placement opportunities to 420 people.
Doncaster Re-Furnish currently employs approximately 20 staff while offering training and work placement opportunities to those involved in training schemes or wishing to volunteer.
Tony Ward
Following 24 years in the Army, Tony Ward took the plunge into self employment forming Force 10 Recruitment a company that specialises in finding jobs, training and franchise opportunities for ex forces personnel.
Having limited experience of the recruitment industry, Tony researched and tested the recruitment market as a candidate and client to see if he could find a recruitment company to work with that closely matched his values.
He came across an independent and growing company that impressed him over with its friendly, professional and efficient approach. Equally impressed with Tony's passion for the quality of ex-force personnel and determination to create a company that truly offered outstanding levels of service the company agreed to join forces with Tony to launch Force 10 Recruitment Ltd.
