SUPPORTING SPONSORS:
Winners 2025
Apprentice of the Year
Sponsored by McManus Consulting
The “Apprentice of the Year” award recognises exceptional contributions by apprentices within our business community. To be eligible, nominees must have successfully completed a relevant qualification as part of their apprenticeship in the last two years or are currently studying. Judges consider factors such as outstanding achievement, commitment to personal development, safety awareness, and positive impact on the workplace. Demonstrating how their learning directly applies to their role is essential.
WINNER: Megan Hale – Newport Land and Law
Judges praised Megan’s ability to handle pressure alongside studying, their creativity and clear achievements.
Business Growth Success Story
Sponsored by The Nostell Estate
Small and Medium businesses are the engine of British business and many are growing despite economic conditions and the changes to international trade. Has your business grown despite all the challenges of the past few years? Whatever the size of your organisation – whether it’s run from your spare room or you have offices and hundreds of staff – if you have beaten the odds to deliver growth, we want to know what has made you so successful.
WINNER: IRM Group Ltd
The judges in this category commended our winner for their bold approach and innovative methods of driving growth. Their entry demonstrated a clear strategy supported by measurable targets. Echoing head judge Louise Turner’s advice on strong submissions, the detailed evidence provided made this entry both credible and easy to understand.
Business Leader of the Year
Sponsored by Purple Pebble People
Incredible leaders have a ripple effect across everyone they know. If you know someone who has made a real impact in business, this is the category to nominate them. Maybe they have built or transformed a business or created a unique proposition. They could have led a business unit or service through a difficult time, and it emerged stronger as a result. We’re seeking stories of vision, leadership, and success; of calculated risks and grasped opportunities; and of resilience in the face of challenge. It’s not the size of the business that matters, but the size of the difference they made to it.
We are happy to accept leaders of Wakefield District businesses OR business leaders that reside in the Wakefield District. Proof of residency may be required.
For this category we will accept self-nominations and entries from an organisation for one of their leaders.
WINNER: Helen McDonald – Solupak
Our winner’s entry was filled with evidence of her achievements, with descriptions of the way Helen leads both what needs to be done, and how it needs to happen. The judges were especially impressed with her team spirit, impact on the growth of others and passion for the business, which shone through the testimonials given by team members.
Collaboration of the Year
Sponsored by TAB Wakefield District
Have you successfully worked with other businesses from the Wakefield district to create an amazing collaboration? How have you added value to one another’s offer, or how have you helped a local business to even more success? This award will recognise the ways in which we are more than the sum of our parts. Tell us about how the collaboration came about, and how both/all parties have benefitted.
WINNER: Prosper Wakefield District & Community Foundation Wakefield District
The judges highlighted the winning entry for its strong, well-defined strategy, which introduced creative approaches to achieving the partners’ goals. The success of this collaboration has extended far beyond the organisers themselves; a fact clearly demonstrated in the evidence presented.
Digital/Creative Business of the Year
Sponsored by Tileyard North
The Wakefield district has a well-deserved reputation for being a creative and digital hub, being home to a diverse range of businesses which fall into that sector. If your business is a creative or digital one and you’ve done amazing things, use this category to tell us all about it. From gaming companies to music schools, creative agencies to copywriters, through to artists and artisans, we want to showcase the wide range of incredible creative talent Wakefield has to offer.
WINNER: Chris Whittam Photography
The winner of this category was praised by judges for calm confidence in their work and a solid commitment to quality – with one judge even awarding the entry full marks!
Doing Good in Business
Sponsored by Solupak
Businesses should be responsible citizens too. This award will be presented to the company with the best corporate social responsibility plan, relative to its size. You don’t have to donate thousands to charity or try to save the world, you just have to be doing your bit to make it a better place. If there’s a link between your activities and your business, even better. Maybe you’re volunteering for a charity close to your heart. Perhaps you’ve given some of your skills for free to a cause that deserves the support. You could have done brilliant work on sustainability and be well on your way to slicing your carbon footprint in half.
You’ll need a plan, a reason why you’ve chosen to do what you do, and a way to demonstrate how you’re making a difference to impress the judges.
WINNER: Juice Personnel
In this category, the judges praised how the entry vividly demonstrated the organisation’s impact. They also highlighted the way the organisation reflected on its original goals and responded positively to the advice it received, finding creative ways to contribute using both the business’s expertise and the team’s enthusiasm to support good causes.
Employer of the Year
Sponsored by JS Recruitment
Are you a truly outstanding employer? Have you listened to your people and created terms, conditions and an environment which truly helps them to thrive? Are you inclusive, flexible and understanding that people can’t totally switch off what’s going on at home when they come to work? Show us why you are head and shoulders above the rest and should be named Wakefield District employer of the year.
WINNER: En Route Hair and Beauty
In this category, the judges valued hearing directly from employees, alongside clear evidence of the initiatives in place to maintain team morale. The winner’s strong focus on mental health, together with insight into how its activities have supported staff retention, was especially well received.
Medium or large business of the year – businesses with more than 50 employees
Sponsored by The One Point
Celebrating the contribution that medium and large businesses make to the Wakefield district, this award will be given to an organisation which demonstrates consistent growth, strong financial performance, a deep understanding of its customers and an engaged workforce.
Show the judges your strategy for sustained success, how you’re harnessing technology and/or why your strategy is paying off. Give them insight and strong evidence to support your story and demonstrate your impact.
WINNER: Thurston Group Ltd
The winning organisation demonstrated consistent growth, increased productivity and a deep understanding of its customers, all underpinned by a strong strategy. Judges commented that it was clear the organisation was led by its people, with evidence the workforce are involved and consulted, leading to strong engagement and home-grown talent being promoted to leadership.
Micro or small business of the year – businesses with 0-50 employees
Sponsored by Heart of Yorkshire Education Group
Micro and small businesses rock too! Tell us about how you are small-but-mighty. Name-drop as much as you want (or are able to) and help the judges understand why you’re making a huge impact with a small team.
If you’ve had a year to remember, delivered a stand-out project, or just think you and your team deserve your moment in the spotlight, this is your opportunity to show the whole business community why micro and small businesses are not to be under-estimated.
WINNER: SoluPak Ltd
What set the winning entry apart were the ambitious goals the business set and successfully achieved. As a small team, they met every target and backed this up with strong evidence for the judges. The business makes innovative use of its resources, showing both determination and heart; not only driving impressive growth but also supporting other organisations through charitable fundraising.
Multicultural Excellence Award
Sponsored by Progressive Talent CIC 
With our district becoming increasingly diverse – more than 20 languages are spoken across the area – organisations which channel the power of this diversity will create a clear advantage. Does your business promote inclusion, break down barriers, and empower marginalised communities? Have you harnessed the positive impacts of the district’s increasingly diverse community? Would people say your organisation truly operates equitably and inclusively?
This award showcases businesses that foster diversity in all forms—whether ethnic, cultural, or social.
This award will be judged based on:
- Commitment to diversity and inclusion: A clear commitment to fostering diversity within the workplace, workforce, and wider community
- Creativity in addressing barriers and promoting unity: How have you creatively broken down barriers and helped people from a range of backgrounds?
- Leadership: Evidence of sharing what you’ve learned and acting as a role model to lead the way for others
- Collaboration: Using diverse voices to help you shape your activities or working together to achieve results that are more than the sum of their parts
- Success against your objectives: Whether the impact has been a more diverse workforce, better engagement with marginalised or under-represented groups, or another measure, show us what you aimed to achieve and how you fared against those targets
WINNER: Complete Care West Yorkshire Ltd
Praised by the judges for recognising the strengths created by having a diverse team, for embracing different cultures and traditions, and for treating diversity and inclusion not as a tick-box exercise, but as something which is powerful for the business.
Not-for-profit/Charity of the Year
Sponsored by Newport Land & Law
We need our third sector more than ever as issues with the cost of living still have us firmly in their grasp. Not for profit organisations fulfil an incredible need, supporting the most vulnerable and providing essential as well as enriching services. If your organisation is voluntary, not for profit or a registered charity, this is the category for you. THIS CATEGORY IS FREE TO ENTER.
WINNER: Wakefield BID
Our independent judges were so impressed by the wide range of needs the winning organisation addresses, and with all the activities and opportunities they create for our Wakefield community. The entry provided a thorough evaluation of its impact, and the organisation’s passion for its mission shone through.
Rising star – for under 30s
Sponsored by Handelsbanken
Do you know an under-30 who’s already making their mark? Maybe they have recently taken on extra responsibilities or gone above and beyond what you’d expect for them. We’re looking for stand-out individuals making a significant contribution to their organisation, whether through improving internal communication, exceeding their targets set or receiving notable recognition from clients and customers.
Nominees for this category must be 29 or younger on 13 November 2025. Nominations must be made by someone other than the potential rising star!
WINNER: Luke Laycock – SoluPak Ltd
There were some outstanding stories in the submissions for this category, but our winner really shone. Judges commented on the winner being the embodiment of a team player, who is clearly valued by the whole team.
Team of the Year
Sponsored by Clear Workplace Pensions
Teams competing for this award should showcase tangible outcomes. Highlight how your team’s efforts have positively influenced the company or organisaton’s success, growth, or strategic goals.
Describe how your team worked together to overcome obstacles or challenges. Whether it was a complex project, a tight deadline, or unexpected setbacks, emphasise your team’s resilience and problem-solving abilities.
Remember, winning the Team of the Year award is not just about individual achievements; it’s about collective excellence, synergy, and shared success.
WINNER: SoluPak Ltd
Judges were impressed by the team’s passion for the business as much as its people. This small-but-mighty team is clear, focused and successful because they’ve built a strong, inclusive culture where everyone values and respects one another.
2026 Winners announced on 1st September 2026
Ticket sales open 1st September 2026
Event date: 12 November 2026
