… and congratulations again to all the winners! The FirstPro Awards ended on an extra high note with an exclusive offer from the Telegraph Hotel for FirstPro sponsors and winners, read all about our sponsors and the offer here.
The FirstPro 2020 Awards might be over but join us in looking back at the online announcements which, thanks to our host Dave Sharpe, we delivered at an energetic pace and with a light, fun touch. The full Awards can be seen here and the edited highlights here.
It’s all change this year with several new categories and plenty of excellent submissions so the judges had their work cut out. Congratulations to all our finalists! Click here to see the full list.
The winners of Coventry & Warwickshire First’s FirstPro 2018 were announced at a gala dinner held at Coombe Abbey on Thursday 19 April.
In the gift of Coventry & Warwickshire First’s board, the Outstanding Achievement award recognises the exceptional contribution of an individual in the past year.
This year, however, the outstanding achievement of the year was delivered by the City of Culture Trust Team securing City of Culture 2021. Their efforts mean Coventry can take centre stage and show the world all the city has to offer.
The winners of the other six categories were:
Communication Campaign of the Year: City of Culture Trust, Advent Communications and The Jade Studio.
Integral to the bid for City of Culture 2021, the communication campaign told the city’s story to the local, regional and national audiences. The brand was strong and energetic and the campaign was built on lateral thinking, creativity and the thoughtful integration of all elements.
Deal of the Year: SFB Group.
Faced with its existing bank pulling out of the sector, the hospitality and leisure business turned to SFB Group to refinance and so secure the business. The team secured offers from two potential funders and then managed a six month negotiation process as the goal posts shifted. By getting the deal away they secured the future of this important local business.
Property Deal of the Year: EDG Property.
EDG Property is transforming the 1950s Co-operative building into a mixed-use destination to include a collection of high spec. apartments, a private internal residents’ park and members’ lounge. The £15m scheme represents a significant investment in the city and will catalyse further regeneration.
People Excellence: Shakespeare Martineau.
Genuinely aware of the need to invest in its people, Shakespeare Martineau created the Academy. Open to all employees, its aim is to stretch employees’ knowledge and capability and to dissolve barriers to progression. The judges were particularly impressed by the positive feedback from employees at all levels of the business.
Team of the Year: HB&O.
Teamwork is at the heart of HB&O’s approach, collaboration being embodied in the vision statement. Working as a firm-wide team, they have delivered strong year on year growth, been proactive in the region and raised more than £11,000 for charity.
The judges gave a special mention to Coventry & Warwickshire LEP. The team has secured significant inward investment and was recently ranked in the FDI European Cities & Regions of the Future Awards 2018/19 top ten LEPs (ranked fifth). Their achievements are built on their collaborative approach to working with other organisations in the region.
Young Professional of the Year: Andriy Buniak.
Andriy stood out as exceptional, both at work and in terms of his contribution to the local community. At work he has been recommended in the 2016 and 2017 editions of the Legal 500. Outside work he organised his firm’s participation in the Alzheimer’s Walk and mentors A-Level students, amongst many other activities.
Sponsors:
Headline Sponsor: Coventry BID
Deal of the Year sponsor: Band Hatton Button
Young Professional of the Year sponsor: Coventry & Warwcikshire LEP
People Excellence Sponsor: Coventry College
Communication Campaign of the Year sponsor: HB&O
Team of the Year sponsor: University of Warwick
Outstanding Achievement sponsor: Mander Hadley
Property Deal of the Year sponsor: The HR Dept.
Match funding the sum raised for Coventry Haven: Barclays
Introducing a new category to celebrate talented apprentices.
The search for the YoungPro 2018 was launched at a Gala Reception for leaders of Coventry and Warwickshire First’s professional services community, held at Mallory Court on 26 October.
New this year is the category of Apprentice, complementing the existing categories of Legal, Finance (including Accountancy, Insolvency and Banking) and Business Services (including IT, Marketing, HR and other business support services).
Coventry & Warwickshire First’s YoungPro celebrates the breadth and depth of talent within the region’s professional and financial services sector’s next generation of leaders. It is open to all in the professional services sector who are under 35 years of age and based in Coventry or Warwickshire.
Holly Brain, of HCB Accountants and Chair of Coventry & Warwickshire First’s Young Professional Network explained: “There is a growing number of talented young apprentices in our sector. We want to recognise both their achievements and invaluable contribution to our sector. Attracting the right talent is always a challenge; the growing popularity of apprenticeships is helping us grow our own.”
Vangeya Murphy of Shakespeare Martineau, the winner of last year’s inaugural YoungPro Awards attended the launch. Explaining what the award meant to her, she encouraged everyone to give it a go!
Nominations are welcomed from individuals, their peers, colleagues, clients and managers, with referees required for anyone self-nominating. Nominations are open until Friday 15 December 2017; all details can be found on Coventry & Warwickshire First’s website, www.coventryfirst.co.uk.
Each shortlisted nominee will be interviewed by a panel of judges comprising leaders in the sector. The judges will look for superb performance in the workplace, a commitment to the region and the all-important and intangible x-factor.
The category winners will be announced at a Gala Reception on Friday 26 January 2018 in the wonderful surroundings of St Mary’s Guildhall, Coventry. The overall YoungPro 2018 will be announced at the FirstPro Awards Gala Dinner, taking place on Thursday 19 April 2018 at Coombe Abbey.
Photocaption: Trish Willetts (Coventry Bid), Vangeya Murphy (YoungPro 2017, Holly Brain (Chair of Coventry & Warwickshire First’s Young Professionals Network)
Coventry Business Improvement District (BID) has been announced as the headline sponsor for YoungPro 2018.
Trish Willetts, Manager of Coventry BID said: “Sponsorship of YoungPro 2018 gives us a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the developing talent in the city’s professional services sector. Having sponsored the event last year, we know it’s the perfect platform for promoting Coventry as a great place to work and build an exciting and challenging career.”
In its second year, YoungPro 2018 celebrates the breadth and depth of talent within the region’s professional and financial services sector’s next generation of leaders. It is delivered by Coventry & Warwickshire First’s Young Professional network and is open to all in the professional services sector who are under 35 years of age and based in Coventry or Warwickshire.
New this year is the category of Apprentice, complementing the existing categories of Legal, Finance (including Accountancy, Insolvency and Banking) and Business Services (including IT, Marketing, HR and other business support services).
Holly Brain, chair of Coventry & Warwickshire First’s Young Professionals Network said: “We’re delighted to welcome back Coventry BID as YoungPro’s headline sponsor, particularly in this exciting year as we introduce the new category of Apprentice.”
The search for YoungPro 2018 is to be launched at a Gala Reception for leaders of Coventry and Warwickshire First’s professional services community at Mallory Court on 26 October.
Nominations are welcomed from individuals, their peers, colleagues, clients and managers, with referees required for anyone self-nominating. Nominations are open until Friday 15 December 2017; all details can be found on Coventry & Warwickshire First’s website, www.coventryfirst.co.uk.
Each shortlisted nominee will be interviewed by a panel of judges comprising leaders in the sector. The judges will look for superb performance in the workplace, a commitment to the region and the all-important and intangible x-factor.
The category winners will be announced at a Gala Reception on Friday 26 January 2018 in the wonderful surroundings of St Mary’s Guildhall, Coventry. The overall YoungPro 2018 will be announced at the FirstPro Awards Gala Dinner, taking place on Thursday 19 April 2018 at the new venue of Coombe Abbey.
Sarah Perry, Managing Partner of Wright Hassall Solicitors, was named FirstPro 2017, at a gala dinner held at the Ricoh Arena on Thursday 6 April.
“With a strong national reputation and leading a key firm in Coventry and Warwickshire, Sarah is an incredibly worthy winner,” said Michael Durkin, Relationship Director at Santander and chair of Coventry & Warwickshire First. “She embodies the professional services capabilities of our region and as such is an excellent ambassador for our sector.”
As one of only eight female managing partners of law firms in England, Sarah has been identified as a ‘Hot 100’ lawyer by the industry leading publication, The Lawyer. Chambers UK 2017 describes her as “a tenacious litigator who leads a good team with a very clear focus on what the client is trying to achieve”. Responsible for the firm’s ambitious three-year growth strategy, Sarah is also Head of Wright Hassall Solicitors’ dispute resolution practice. She is recognised for her commercial and financial litigation expertise and her considerable High Court experience.
Tim Powell, one of the region’s leading business consultants, was recognised for his Outstanding Contribution to business in Coventry and Warwickshire. He began his career in the banking sector, supporting SMEs. Then, as Managing Director of DBM Direct, he grew the company from six people and a turnover of £275,000 to 22 people and a turnover of £2.2 million. He went on to join Warwick University Science Park to deliver a pilot Investment Readiness Programme, helped deliver the Advanced Growth Fund and has been personally involved in the delivery to support of over 650 SMEs. Outside work he has helped organise the Coventry Fun Run for over a decade and is Director and Treasurer of Coventry Mind.
The category winners are:
Legal Professional: Sarah Perry, Wright Hassall Solicitors
(Legal Professional Highly Commended: Mark Lewis, Lodders Solicitors)
Finance & Banking Professional: Deborah Austin, Dafferns Chartered Accountants
Business Services (including Property) Professional: Jason Strain, Harrison Beale & Owen Financial Services
Young Professional: Vangeya Mhone Murphy, Shakespeare Martineau
Legal Professional: Sarah Perry, Wright Hassall Solcitors
Legal Professional, Highly Commended: Mark Lewis, Lodders Solicitors
A partner at Lodders Solicitors and Head of the Charity Law Team, Mark has been recognised by both the Legal 500 as ‘Elite’ and by Chambers as exceptional. He has been recognised as providing a ‘first class service’, ensuring ‘strategic plans are fit for purpose’ and focused on ‘achieving the best solutions in corporate and commercial matters’. Mark is active in the local community. Alongside Dafferns Chartered Accountants he runs a third sector group to support trustees and others in the charity and not-for-profit sector. He is on the local Chamber of Commerce committee and is the Secretary of the Leamington Spa Conservation Trust.
Finance & Banking Professional: Deborah Austin, Dafferns Chartered Accountants
Deborah is a local girl through and through having been born, schooled and professionally qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in the city. Outside work, Deborah’s passion lies in providing opportunities to improve life and career chances for Coventry children; she is on the Governing body of a primary school and a primary school federation driving improvements in Coventry. Deborah also runs the Dafferns Excellence programme which provides a group of up to eight Year 12 students the opportunity to learn and put into practice business problem solving skills through a week-long programme in a real world business situation.
Business Services (including Property) Professional: Jason Strain, Harrison Beale & Owen
Jason heads up the Financial Services’ team as Managing Director at Harrison Beale & Owen Financial Services, helping clients manage their money and plan their financial future. He enjoys providing clients with a sound personal finance plan and is a great advocate of long term wealth planning. He is an expert in bespoke company pension schemes and regularly carries out trustee work.
Young Professional: Vangeya Mhone Murphy, Shakespeare Martineau
The judges were inspired by Vangeya’s career journey, from being told she would never make it as a solicitor to becoming the 2016 Warwickshire Junior Lawyer Division’s Solicitor of the Year! Regularly winning new business for her firm, Vangeya has also taken on responsibility for training newly qualified solicitors and trainees. Keen to pass on her skills and knowledge, she is setting up a mentoring scheme for inner-city girls aged 14-19. The judges were very impressed by the breadth of her activities, from being a committee member at BNI, where she grew the membership by 29% during her tenure, to fundraising for local charities such as The Shakespeare Hospice and her local parish.
Coventry Business Improvement District (BID) has been announced as the headline sponsor for Coventry & Warwickshire First’s FirstPro 2017 and the inaugural YoungPro 2017.
“One of our key roles is to promote the city centre as a great place to work and do business,” explained Trish Willetts, Manager of Coventry BID, “so we’re delighted to support YoungPro and FirstPro. These awards celebrate the talent amongst the current leadership of the professional services sector in the region as well as that of the next generation.”
Coventry BID is a partnership between the businesses in the city centre and Coventry City Council. Its purpose is to promote, develop and elevate Coventry city centre as a place to work, visit and do business.
Whilst nominations for FirstPro 2017 do not open until the new year, the hunt for YoungPro 2017 is on now. Launched this year, YoungPro 2017 is dedicated to celebrating the talent amongst the next generation of leaders in the professional services sector.
There are five categories in YoungPro – Legal, Finance, Banking, Property and Business Services. Each category winner will combine superb performance in the workplace with a commitment to the region and the all-important and intangible x-factor.
The winners will be announced at a Gala Reception, being held at St Mary’s Guild Hall, Coventry on Friday 27 January.
The YoungPro category winners will automatically be the finalists in the Young Professional category of FirstPro 2017; winning a category is the only route to the shortlist for Young Professional category of FirstPro 2017.
Nominating a talented young professional is easy. Visit Coventry & Warwickshire First’s website for more information or email the organisation’s executive support, Angela Tellyn at angela@coventryfirst.co.uk.
Well known and respected through Coventry and Warwickshire, Phil Ewing has helped lead his firm, Harrison Beale & Owen, through a sustained period of consistent growth, contributed to the local area and served Coventry & Warwickshire First itself, including a year as chair of the organization. He was a very worthy winner of the category of Business Services Professional of the Year.
We asked him about the win and what it’s meant to him since.
“I was shocked when I won,” said Phil. “I had been shortlisted previously and not won so I didn’t get my hopes up. I was just thrilled to have been nominated, particularly since it was by people I work with outside the firm. Winning on the night added extra gloss to an already wonderful experience.
“The aftermath has been incredibly positive too. I’ve had plenty of congratulations and support, which is lovely.”
You originally trained as an accountant. What brought you to the point at which you won the business services category?
“Two things. First I went on The Business Growth Programme at Warwick University in the late 1990s. It brought me together with a group of business people, none of whom were accountants.
“Combining theory and practical coaching and development, the programme was incredibly developmental. My eyes were opened to the excitement and potential of the role of business adviser.
“Quickly after completing the Business Growth Programme I got involved in an Accountants Boot Camp. Its purpose was to move the accountant from score keeper to business adviser and I came to see and appreciate the breadth of my skills.
“Afterwards, I sat down with my partners and we agreed a new strategy for growth for the business, designed to transform it. Our practice is now much larger and our offer to clients is high value and much more varied. We now offer a holistic approach to a business, serving the owners and their families as well as the organization itself.”
What is your proudest achievement in the workplace?
“I think it has to be helping my clients succeed, in the knowledge that success means different things to different people. For some it’s simply cover the wage bill and for others it’s selling out for millions.
“I also love helping businesses turn around. I remember one client in particular with whom I had to be very tough. But after some blunt conversations and the development of a plan to re-navigate the business they’ve turned from loss making to generating profits in excess of £500K per annum.
“When I look internally and assess what we have achieved here I’m also incredibly proud. We’ve transformed our business and have a great team on board.”
Where next for you?
“I want to continue working for the success of our clients, helping them develop and explore global opportunities where appropriate. The world is a small place, perhaps more so now than ever with Brexit hovering in the background.
“I’ve just helped a client to buy a business in Malaysia re-inforcing that perspective.”
Speaking of Brexit, what’s your view of the local economy?
“At the moment, things are looking good. Jaguar Land Rover is an incredible success story and is continuing to invest, even if its success does bring challenges like the pull on skills. The councils are also working hard to attract investment and we have a diverse economic base. All in all, I’m optimistic.”
You’re an active contributor to Coventry and Warwickshire. Tell us a little more.
“I’ve always been a member of organisations that give something back. I started in Rotaract, moved on to the Round Table and then joined the board of the Heart of England Community Foundation. I’m now a trustee.
“The Heart of England Community Foundation really embodies what I think is best about community engagement. We gather money from all sorts of different sources and then give it out in small chunks to community groups, who in turn translate a little into a lot. The average grant is around £1,500 and we reached 112,000 people in the 12 months to March 2016! We’re hoping to reach even more in the next year ”
What do you do to unwind?
“I love sport, even if I am more of an armchair player. Any shape or size of ball works for me and I really enjoyed the Summer of Sport, packed with the Olympics and Paralympics.”
And the last word …
“I’m a very proud of this area; my main office base is in Coventry and my home is in Warwickshire. I loved being part of Coventry & Warwickshire First’s board and advocating on behalf of the region. I’ve gained a lot from active participation and I would say to others, get involved and make sure your voice is heard!”
