County so lucky to have a wealth of leadership talent
» TONIGHT, all will be revealed at The Gloucestershire Business Awards, where some of the region’s top organisations and its people will be recognised. Ahead of the evening, Quoluxtm, the leadership development and strategy specialist and sponsor of the Lifetime Achievement Award, reflect on some of the previous winners of this category. Jo Draper, director of Quoluxtm, highlights past winners and remarkable leaders...
OVER the past six weeks we’ve looked back at a range of our county’s award-winning leaders, highlighting their individual strengths and approaches.
We’ve seen how leaders can learn and develop – honing their skills and increasing their confidence to improve their leadership and, in turn, boost organisational success.
One of tonight’s most coveted awards – the Lifetime Achievement Award – celebrates an individual who has made a considerable, profitable and lasting contribution to business in Gloucestershire over a period of at least 20 years. Recognised for their commitment, aptitude and resilience, alongside their ability to motivate and inspire belief in others – their leadership is a legacy to others.
The founders of Renishaw, Sir David Mcmurtry and John Deer, were the deserved recipients of the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. Renishaw is rightly held up as a shining example of technical innovation. From humble beginnings as engineering apprentices, Sir David and John went on to establish one of the world’s leading engineering and scientific technology companies. It was their rigorous, openminded dedication to continuous improvement, that pervades every part of Renishaw, which secured its success.
In 2015, Julian Dunkerton was honoured with the title. The brainchild behind one of Gloucestershire’s greatest retail success stories – Superdry – it was Julian’s entrepreneurial skills and innovative strategic direction that led to the creation of this fashion phenomenon.
From a modest market stall in Cheltenham to a multi-million-pound global business, it was Julian’s approach – quite unique from his competitors – and his leadership skills that helped develop this household name.
In 2016, the award went to Steve Evans, founder and chairman of Clarkson Evans. His commitment to people – both his team and his customers – was instrumental to the company’s success. He recognised the importance of setting high standards, delivering excellent customer service and establishing a culture in which training and development creates opportunities for every member of the workforce to achieve their very best.
In 2017, we saw two winners receive the award. Bob Holt, former chairman of Mears Group, and its CEO, David Miles. Exemplars in leading high performance, it was thanks to their innovative spirit, working towards a shared vision, and relentless approach to continual improvement, that they transformed a small business into one of the county’s largest firms.
Last year’s award went to former CEO of St James Place Wealth Management, David Bellamy. His leadership and commitment to “doing the right thing” helped to grow the business into an incredibly successful organisation which regularly tops Reach Plc’s Top 100 Businesses in Gloucestershire.
We’re lucky to have such a wealth of leadership talent here in Gloucestershire and we look forward to awarding the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award this evening – celebrating another leadership legacy for our county.
The next LEADTM programme begins in November 2019, when we’ll be bringing together another small group of MDS, owner-managers, directors, senior managers and partners to explore their leadership and grow their companies.
To see videos from like-minded leaders and discover whether LEADTM might help you with your leadership development, visit www.quolux.co.uk