Northern Gamechanger Awards – inspiring Manc finalists announced

40 local individuals and businesses have been announced as finalists for the brand new Northern Gamechanger awards.

The all-new awards programme will celebrate the forces for good in our business communities and honour leaders in the region making a real difference in their fields.

Unlike most awards ceremonies, there aren’t defined categories here – rather, finalists are recognised for their work in a number of areas, from sustainability and social mobility to diversity and decarbonisation.

The 40 finalists announced today include some of the most familiar business names in the region, including TalkTalk, HideOut Youth Zone, Go Thrift, UA92 and The Juice Academy, as well as brilliant individuals.

The awards themselves are set to take place on 14 September.

10 total Northern Gamechangers will be announced then, chosen by judges including The Manc Group managing director Anna Gledson, Capital & Centric co-founder Tim Heatley, founder of SA Consulting Sharon Amesu, and drector of Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre Amer Gaffar.

The brand-new awards programme is the brainchild of north-west based business consultancy, Elevate, and was launched after noticing the little recognition available for those making a real difference.

Katie Robson, co-founder and director of Elevate, said: “Seeing so many individuals and organisations across the region being nominated has been brilliant.

Read more: New Manchester awards ceremony will champion ‘Northern Gamechangers’

“We already knew there were plenty of people using their influence for good, but this has really highlighted the game changing attitudes of the north’s pioneering business community.

“We can’t wait to champion those people who are making a real difference – the main reason we wanted to launch Northern Gamechangers, was to shout about the fantastic work people are doing in the realms of sustainability, charity, diversity and many more.”

There’ll be accessible ticket prices for the ceremony itself, which will be a fun and relaxed evening of celebration and networking – with no white tablecloths in sight.

Programme sponsors include leading independent PR agency, The PHA Group, which last year launched its northern base; Manchester Central, the city’s thriving exhibition and conference centre; and Appleyard Lees, Intellectual Property specialists.

You can purchase your ticket for the Northern Gamechanger awards here.

The full list of the Northern Gamechanger finalists

• Abi Dunn, Sixty Eight People
• Abigail Herron, Aviva Investors
• Adam Farricker, HideOut Youth Zone Manchester
• Adam Pope, Spencer Churchill
• Agent Academy
• Carl Walker, Go Thrift
• Catherine Wilks, Slalom
• Chris Roberts, Safe As Houses
• Christos Tsaprounis, Autotrader
• David MacDonald, Cullen ECO Friendly Packaging
• Dr Ruth Brown-Shepherd, FSB West Yorkshire Academia-Industry Network
• Duane Cormell, Realm Recruit
• Emma Louise-Fusari, Inhouse Health
• Fund Her North
• Gary Woodhead, CurveBlock
• Georgia Fitzgerald, Juice Academy
• Grace Dyke, Yellow Jigsaw
• Hannah Cox, BetterNotStop
• Heard Storytelling
• Helen McHugh, TalkTalk
• Helen Seagrave, Electricity North West
• Holly Holland & Laura Pomfret, Financielle
• HOME Team
• Husain Bensaud, HBL Associates
• Isobelle Panton, University Academy 92
• Jason Laing, ProMake
• John Eckersley, Castefield Partners
• Katie McIntosh, The Remedy Kitchen
• Lauren Rosegreen, Invisible Cities Manchester
• Lee Chambers, Essentialise Workplace Wellbeing
• Liam Starkey, The Inclusive Hub
• Lyndsay Hymas, Slalom
• Manchester PA Network
• Max Whiteley. Accounts & Legal
• Rebecca Hartley, Saving Grace Events
• ReCon^2
• Simon Mellin, The Modern Milkman
• Sophie Walker, Dsposal
• The Royal Exchange Theatre
• Tiffany Thorn, BiVictriX Therapeutics

Featured image: Heard Storytelling / Unsplash / Modern Milkman