Quartet make shortlist for entrepreneur award

FOUR entrepreneurs from the West Midlands have been shortlisted in the finals of a national award scheme.

The quartet has been named among the 30 finalists of the 2020 Entrepreneur of the Year awards run by financial services firm EY.

The awards have been celebrating entrepreneurship for 20 years and this year’s UK shortlist features people from a diverse range of sectors including automotive, technology, health, life sciences, consumer products and telecommunications.

The West Midlands finalists are Sam Cinkir, managing director of skin and hair specialist Este Medical, and Lucy Woods, chief executive of credit hire and credit repair company Accident Exchange, both of which are based in Birmingham.

Joining them on the shortlist are Ben Francis and Steve Hewitt, founder and chief executive respectively of fitness clothing and equipment brand Gymshark in Solihull.

Simon O’Neill, office managing partner at EY in the Midlands, said: “It’s a challenging time to be an entrepreneur.

“While Covid-19 has made it incredibly difficult for business owners to undertake business-as-usual activities, it has offered an unprecedented opportunity for entrepreneurs to show their agility and spirit of innovation.”

The 30 UK finalists will now undergo further judging before one is crowned EY UK Entrepreneur of the Year and will then represent the country at the global event next summer which attracts entrepreneurs from more than 60 countries.