IoD Midlands january 2022

Director of the Year Awards
Finalists
Sam Hallett, Enable Life &
Enable Your Future Ltd
Finalist in the Agility & Resilience and
Innovation categories
Sam has built Enable
Life into a highly
regarded Life & Health
insurance broker which
specialises in Business
Protection by delivering
outstanding customer
service based on a
genuine desire to offer clients a
solution to meet their needs.
Rachel Hayward,
Derby Swap Shop Ltd
Finalist in the Agility & Resilience
category
Rachel has created an
interactive free-to-use
platform on which
small businesses and
charities seeking
support can swap
skills, talents,
products and services.
Daniel James,
Hickman James Ltd
Finalist in the SME category
Daniel’s attention to detail and
service standards have helped
Hickman James Ltd be recognised
as a leader in the highly competitive
printing industry.
Ian McKellar, Quantum Meruit
Credit Management Ltd
Finalist in the Start-Up category
Ian’s repositioning of
the business, using
automated processes
to minimise the risk of
invoices becoming
overdue, has been a
masterstroke, giving
clients more control over finances.
Matthew McKeown, Lincolnshire
and Rutland EBP
Finalist in the Innovation category
Matthew is proud to help
this social enterprise
support young people as
they transition to the
workplace; his innovative
use of Virtual Reality
proved a winner when
work experience projects were hit by
Covid.
SME DIRECTOR
Alex Roberts, Forest Holidays
Alex has challenged a previous lack of innovation
and an ineffective brand with a bold new strategy.
He has promoted a clear, unifying vision to evolve
Forest Holidays into a purpose-led organisation
that puts technology, brand and ecommerce at
the heart of its operations and will confirm its
position as a leader in the travel sector.
AWARD SPONSOR
NON-EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR
Shameem Kazmi,
Birmingham County FA
Shameem has helped transform the FA’s business
strategy. His external experience has helped identify
new opportunities while ensuring the organisation’s
finances and structures were protected throughout
Covid-19. He promoted new ways of working to
simplify the business, reducing costs and responding
with agility, despite cuts to funding.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Philip Brooks-Stephenson, BACKLIT
Philip’s visionary thinking has helped BACKLIT remain focused on its
core mission and values while promoting diverse emergent artists.
In addition, Philip has continued to prioritise sound financial and
corporate governance.
AWARD SPONSOR
THIRD SECTOR
Andrew Thompson,
Groundwork West Midlands (GWWM)
When Andrew joined GWWM, project delivery
was disjointed, there was no clear plan, financial
reporting systems were poor and it was suffering
badly from ‘mission drift’. In addition, departments
were fragmented and staff lacked confidence to
pursue ambitious projects. Andrew tackled each of
these issues head on, establishing a Reset Model
to allow GWWM to develop, grow and play a
relevant and vital part in the lives of the residents
of the West Midlands.
AWARD SPONSOR
16 Keep up to date at iod.com/westmids and iod.com/east-midlands
January 2022