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A host of inspiring young professionals from across the region have been celebrated at Insider’s North West Young Professionals Awards 2023. The event, which marked its 20th anniversary this year, was held last night at The Midland Hotel in Manchester. It was compered by Jason Mohammad. The awards were sponsored by Beyond Law Group, with Hall Brown sponsoring the networking booklets.
Young Finance Professional of the Year
Winner: Laura Sisson, YFM Equity Partners
Laura has completely transformed YFM in the market, according to the judges, and contributed to the continued growth of the firm. They were also impressed by the major role she has played in empowering female founders through Fund Her North.
Shortlisted:
Josh Bean, BGF
James Sloane, Benchmark International
Adam Hooson, Praetura Commercial Finance
Callum Bull, PMD Business Finance
Andy Clarke, NatWest
Oliver Wildig, NVM
Sarah Bowen
Young Accountant of the Year
Winner: Rowan Morrow-McDade, Alexander & Co
The judges said Rowan’s entry was very strong, and they were impressed by his percentage of billing. Rowan has gone above and beyond in his role, setting up networking events for the Manchester business community.
Shortlisted:
Jess Harcourt, Fearless Adventures
Stephanie Barker, KPMG
Ben Roden, LOFT
Erin Berry, Knight Transaction Services
Vicki Garlick, Grant Thornton
Alex Stewart, Cortus Advisory Group
Catherine Bedford, RSM
Aaron Booth, HURST Accountants
Young Apprentice of the Year
Winner: Joseph O’Rourke, Me2u Centre
The judges commended Joseph’s positive attitude and dedication to his role in a challenging environment. They were also impressed by the broad range of avenues that Joseph has used to generate new business for the centre.
Highly Commended: Fabian Murray, DLA Piper
Shortlisted:
Madeline Thorp, Cornerstone Design & Marketing
Lily McNamara, Airbase Media
Rachel Roberts, DSW Capital
Keira Penney, Girls in Marketing
Jack Hodkinson, Mazars
Bailey Morgan, UHY Hacker Young
Young Lawyer of the Year
Winner: Benjamin Fellows, DLA Piper
Judges described Benjamin as a subject matter expert within a large organisation with high profile cases and “impressive billables”. He is also an ‘e-mission’ champion, driving sustainability initiatives across the firm.
Shortlisted:
Katie Whelan, Fieldfisher
Natalia Aguilar, Freeths
Katie Porter, Pinsent Masons
Ellen Fell, Hall Brown
Nicola Bradley, McAlister Family Law
Mark Warburton, Slater Heelis
Lily Grundy, Olliers Solicitors
Didi Ogbo, CG Professional
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Young Marketing and Media Professional of the Year
Winner: Beth Cregan, Beyond Law Group
Beth’s ability to take serious subjects and make them fun has allowed Beyond Law Group to become one of the region’s most watched law firm on Tik Tok. The judges noted Beth’s innovative marketing strategies, which has led to the firm experiencing its fastest period of growth since inception.
Shortlisted:
Emlyn Dennis, Radius Payment Solutions
Natasha Davies, D&D London
Kate Brown, Time Finance
Stephanie Rowe, Bongo’s Bingo
Abbie Fleming, Placefirst
Abigail Noonan, Lifeshare
Katie-May Angel, Entyce Creative
Hayley McCarthy, Redwing
Young Business Development Professional of the Year
Winner: Lina Tejoprayitno, Pop Specs
The judges commended Lina for successfully scaling the business and achieving a high return on investment in a short space of time. They also said that Lina’s impressive testimonials demonstrated the strong relationships she has built with clients.
Shortlisted:
Alfie Perry, Santander Corporate Banking
Ben Jones, DC Advisory
Rhianne Jones, Addleshaw Goddard
Gemma Latham, Xenia Estates
David Briscombe, Redwing
Nick Shepherd, GC Business Growth Hub
Young Digital and Tech Professional of the Year
Winner: Rishabh Gupta, Radius Payment Solutions
The judges described Rishabh’s entry as one of the strongest out of any category. They commended him for developing a new area of the business which has been pivotal to increasing revenue and growing the customer base.
Shortlisted:
Jordan Stachini, co&co
Matthew Butcher, Virtual Engineering Centre
Jack Peagam, Linkup
Emily Johnstone, SentiraXR
Graduate/Training Scheme Award
Sponsored by Beyond Law Group
Winner: United Utilities
The clear effectiveness of United Utilities’ graduate scheme demonstrated by high retention rates earned them this year’s award. The judges felt that the scheme exposed graduates to a lot of different areas within the business, giving them a solid foundation for the next stage of their career.
Shortlisted:
Tangerine Group
The Growth Company
MC2
Young Property Professional of the Year
Winner: Sam Payne, Castle Green Homes
Sam’s entry stood out to judges due to the substantial revenue growth he has driven and the projected forecast. They described Sam as being fundamental to the success of the business and were impressed by his strong testimonials.
Shortlisted:
Simon Lomiiko, Identity Consult
Marc Silcock, Sepira
Dean Simpson, S I Sealy & Associates
Kayleigh Davenport, Redwing
Karl Winter, Winter Melia Developments
Sam Hyde, Hyde Group Global
Alexandra Harrison, Falconer Chester Hall
Young Professional Team of the Year
Winner: Knight Transaction Services
The judges admired that Knight Transaction Services is a female-led team in a male-dominated industry and commended their impressive KPIs. The success of the team is demonstrated by the strong Year One results, which exceeded targets by 100 per cent.
Highly commended: KPMG Acceleris
Shortlisted:
Shadow Board Team, Britain’s Energy Coast Business Cluster
PR & Marketing Team, RVA Surveyors
McAlister Family Law’s Children Team, Beyond Law Group
Corporate Finance Team, DSW Corporate Finance
Transaction Services, Cortus Advisory Group
Transaction Services, KPMG
Accounts and Business Advisory, UHY Hacker Young Manchester