Is success determined by a great idea or how it’s brought to life?

Lubna Qunash

Director, The Carlyle Group

As Director of Global Partners for The Carlyle Group, Lubna focuses on investment opportunities in European markets. Before joining Carlyle, she was a manager at the Dubai Investment Group, where she focused on opportunities in the financial institutions sector. Lubna is a Fulbright Scholar, a CFA Charterholder and holds an MBA and a Masters of International Trade and Investment Policy from The George Washington University.

Sam Smith

CEO and Founder, finnCap Ltd

Sam established her firm, finnCap, in 2007 having orchestrated the buy-out of a small broking subsidiary of a private client stockbroking firm. Today she remains the only female Chief Executive of a City broking firm, and finnCap is ranked number one Nominated Adviser and Broker to AIM companies. Sam is a qualified Chartered Accountant and a University of Bristol alumni. She is passionate about ensuring that women and girls see only opportunities for success, rather than barriers, in whatever industry they want to be in.

What makes a successful entrepreneur?
"Someone with passion for what they do, utter resilience and determination. They must have a positive mind-set and true self-awareness, with the ability to always want to improve and learn”.

What will you be looking for in this year’s finalists?
“A true passion for their business that comes across with energy and a real vision for the future. They must have a clear goal as to how they can change the game in their industry segment.”

Twitter: @SamSmithfinnCap

Martin Leuw

Chairman, Growth4Good

Martin leads Growth4Good’s investment strategy and is a serial entrepreneur specialising in digital media, with a 25-year track record driving growth. From 2001-2011, as CEO and significant management investor, he grew IRIS Software from small beginnings to become the UK’s largest private software house. He is currently Chairman/NED and investor in a range of businesses in both the technology and talent management sectors.

What makes a successful entrepreneur?
“A truly successful entrepreneur spots market opportunities where there is a significant problem that needs to be solved. Their skill is in designing a solution that delights customers and clearly differentiates itself from the competition. They have a big vision and are prepared to battle adversity to achieve their ultimate goals.”

What will you be looking for in this year’s finalists?
“I will be looking for a big vision, leadership, team building skills and persistence. They must possess the ability to scale and build a high growth, ultimately profitable business that can sustain its growth and delight employees, customers and shareholders, enabling it to stand out from the crowd as a leader in its market.”

Twitter: @MartinLeuw

Henrietta Morrison

Founder and CEO, Lily’s Kitchen

Lily’s Kitchen is a high-growth business that makes ‘Proper Food for Pets’. It has been named as one of the most ethical companies in the world and has been listed on the Virgin Sunday Times Fast Track 100 for three years running. Henrietta launched the company in 2008 after her border terrier Lily became ill from eating mass-produced pet food. Fast-forward 10 years, and Lily’s Kitchen now employs 65 staff and turns over £40m annually from its Hampstead base in London.

What makes a successful entrepreneur?
“A successful entrepreneur is often someone who has had a number of failures! It’s the ability to deal with breakdowns and get up over and over again. Being passionate, single-minded and unstoppable – often in the face of criticism and disbelief – causes the breakthrough to create a successful business.”

What will you be looking for in this year’s finalists?
“I will be looking for entrepreneurs who are going beyond start-up towards a high growth agenda. Challenger businesses that are disrupting the status quo to bring something unique to consumers.”

Twitter: @HenriettaLily

Diane Foreman

Chelsea Group

Diane is one of New Zealand’s most successful entrepreneurs. She was presented with Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business in 2012 and was also named in Forbes Asia magazine as one of Asia’s 50 most powerful women.

Diane has owned investments in a range of industries including healthcare, manufacturing, recruitment and a boutique hotel. Diane created the Emerald Food family of brands: Mövenpick, Killinchy Gold, Heavenly Treats, Lite Licks, Chateau Premium and iconic brand, New Zealand Natural. The Emerald Foods business was sold to offshore interests in 2015.

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year New Zealand winner 2009

Saleem Asaria

CEO, Cambian Group

Saleem is one of Cambian Group’s founders with 20 years’ experience in the healthcare industry. Aiming to be the highest quality provider of specialist education and behavioural health services for children, Cambian looks after 2,100 children and employs over 4,300 people across 224 residential facilities, specialist schools and fostering offices in England and Wales.

What makes a successful entrepreneur?
"Exceptional entrepreneurs think in the art of the possible, not the probable.”

What will you be looking for in this year’s finalists?
“I will be looking for an individual who is able to clearly articulate their vision, has a proven concept and has created a route map to take it to the next level. The journey never stops, and great visions always have great future possibilities!"

Twitter: @Cambian_Group

Melissa Bethell

Managing Director, Bain Capital

Melissa joined Bain Capital in 1999 and relocated to London in 2000 as a member of Bain Capital’s European investment team. As Managing Director, her focus is on technology, media and telecommunications. Prior to joining Bain Capital, Melissa worked in the Capital Markets group at Goldman Sachs, with a focus on media and technology fundraising.

Bain Capital Private Equity partners with management teams to provide the strategic and analytic resources needed to build and grow great companies. Its success is built on a collaborative approach that harnesses the power of great teams to generate the best ideas and strategies.

Matthew Bridge

Principal, The Virgin Group

Matthew is a senior member of Virgin’s investment team, and also heads up strategic and commercial development of the Virgin brand. Matthew has an MPhil in Economics with Finance from the University of Cambridge and a BSc in Economics and Econometrics from the University of Nottingham. Prior to Virgin, Matthew was a Vice President at Deutsche Bank in their UK Corporate Finance team.

At Virgin, Matthew is primarily focused on sourcing, funding and developing new business ventures for the group. He leads investments ranging from the development of new Virgin branded businesses through to more traditional growth and VC equity investing.

Kym Denny

CEO, hVIVO

Kym is a leading pioneer in clinical research site management. As well as Chief Executive Officer of hVIVO, she is also currently serving on the Mayor of London’s Business Advisory Board. Her Entrepreneur Of The Year award win was coupled with the Gold Award in the Female Executive of the Year in Europe, the Middle East and Africa category at the Stevie® Awards for Women in Business.

hVIVO is a life sciences company pioneering a human disease models platform to accelerate drug discovery and development in respiratory and infectious diseases.

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year UK category winner 2016

Matt Isaacs

Founding Partner and Chairman, Essence

Matt is Chairman of Essence, the global digital agency he co-founded in 2005 and has led as CEO until 2014. Now owned by WPP, the world’s leading communications services group, Essence manages over $3bn in media spend in more than 70 markets. Prior to its sale to WPP, it was the world’s largest independent digital media buyer, and it is the only company ever to have ranked number 1 in both the Sunday Times Tech Track and International Track league tables of fastest growing UK private companies.

Matt is an active angel investor, an advisor to internet start-up Headbox.com, social enterprise Positive News, and not for profit Rainmaker Foundation, and trustee of two charitable foundations.

What makes a successful entrepreneur?
“Grit, charisma and just enough craziness to believe your own dream”.

What will you be looking for in this year's finalists?
“Their personal story of creation, challenges overcome and their contribution beyond their obvious successes”.

Twitter: @MattIsaacs

Michelle Morgan

Founder and Managing Director, Livity

Michelle helps connect global and world leading brands with young people, by creating socially relevant campaigns that address business and brand objectives, whilst also delivering social outcomes. She is also Chair of Livity Africa.

Livity is a socially responsible youth marketing agency, training provider, publisher and social enterprise. The company works with young people every day, engaging in a range of positive, practical vocational experiences. Livity provides its clients with a deep ethnographic understanding of the youth market.

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year UK category winner 2011

Chris Sellers

Group Business Development Director, Capita

Chris joined Capita in 2005. He works with clients across the public and private sectors to help them transform services through innovation. He is the author of two books on the topic of unlocking the value of information within organisations. He is a Chartered Engineer and Member of the Institute of Directors, and has worked in both the UK and Australia.

Capita is a leading provider of business process management and integrated professional support service solutions. Its 75,000 staff across the UK, Europe, South Africa and India help make processes smarter, organisations more efficient and customer experiences better.

Mark Whitworth

CEO, Peel Ports Group

Peel Ports provides port-centric logistics solutions, working with importers and exporters, shipping lines and logistics providers, rail operators and hauliers, and businesses from around the world, to improve supply chains’ efficiency and environmental impact. Mark joined the company in 2010 and has seen their profit increase from £119m a year to over £210m. He is in charge of BG Freight Line, a shipping line which turns over more than £70 million, and Peel Port’s entire ports operation, including its major facilities at Port of Liverpool, the Manchester Ship Canal, Clydeport, London Medway, Heysham and Great Yarmouth. Under Mark’s guidance, Peel Ports has been instrumental in progressing the Northern Powerhouse agenda, helping Liverpool become the gateway to the North and creating opportunities for importers, exporters and manufacturers in the region.

What makes a successful entrepreneur?
“Entrepreneurs are bold, ambitious and determined. They look beyond ‘business as usual’ and traditional solutions. In thinking differently from the crowd, they see opportunities that others miss, and are willing to put in the hours needed for success. Entrepreneurs also take managed risks and are agile enough to adapt as circumstances change.”

What will you be looking for in this year’s finalists?
“Entrepreneurship is more about attitude than anything else. I’m looking for creativity, resilience and a willingness to work really, really hard, even when times are tough. But they also need to have the foundations of sound business understanding and judgement, so that they can channel their innovative thinking and energy wisely”.

Twitter: @PeelPorts

Sarah Louise Fairburn

Brand and Sales Director, L J Fairburn & Son

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2017 UK finalist

Sarah Louise has been a formidable influencer in the Fairburn family business. As Brand and Sales Director, she has boundless energy, drive and enthusiasm, which have helped take the family business to a leading position within the UK egg industry and retail market. Since her appointment, the business has been listed five years in a row on the London Stock Exchange’s 1000 Companies to Inspire Britain list, has won over 30 prestigious awards, including the IGD Award for Business Transformation in 2014, and has increased its turnover from £12m to £80m in five years.

What makes a successful entrepreneur?
“An entrepreneur’s success is down to hard work, belief and having the tenacity to go out and reach your goals. Work when others want to play, invest, innovate and work with integrity to develop a strong sustainable business and an enviable brand that customers can trust. You are your own brand ambassador, so be who others can only aspire to be, and always remain focused on your strategic business relationships.”

What will you be looking for in this year’s finalists?
“When judging the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year awards, I will be looking for those businesses that show a genuine passion for what they do. It takes tenacity to win and succeed, and investment and innovation are of critical importance in business today. I congratulate everyone taking part for making their mark in UK business, and wish everyone the best of luck!”

Twitter: @FairburnsEggs

Matthew Hirst

CEO, Utiligroup

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2016 UK finalist

Utiligroup, a leading provider of technology and services to the utilities and energy industry, aims to make utilities smarter for everyone. Matthew sits on its ESG board, leading the European business, setting strategic direction and building a world-class culture amongst its people. In 2014 he piloted a £16.1m management buyout of the firm, alongside private equity firm NorthEdge Capital. He has since led the Chorley-based company through a period of rapid growth, with long-term contracted turnover increasing over 200% between 2014 and 2016.

What makes a successful entrepreneur?
“Entrepreneurs come from all sorts of backgrounds and no two entrepreneurs are the same. That said, they all share some of the same attributes: a significant amount of drive, the ability to take an idea and scale it, and the willingness to take significant personal and business risks.”

What will you be looking for in this year's finalists?
“I will be looking for passionate people that have come through adversity in order to succeed. I am not necessarily interested in an idea-generator but someone that has proven they can take a disruptive idea, focus on monetising it and then build a scalable business with a robust business model.”

Twitter: @Utiligroup

Glenn Timms

CEO, IESA

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2017 North category finalist

IESA, a £300m market-leading disruptor providing BPO services for the management of indirect goods critical to manufacturing businesses, now operates in six countries. It provides full outsourced services via an SAP-based and cloud-enabled platform developed specifically to meet the challenges of complex manufacturing, assembly, digital and processing operations. Following an MBO in 2012, Glenn joined the company as CEO to lead its next growth chapter, with a track record of growth in multi-site, multi-national businesses, including business and support services, and manufacturing.

What makes a successful entrepreneur?
“A successful entrepreneur is often an eclectic combination of several qualities, including vision, ambition, drive, empathy, persuasiveness and resilience.”

What will you be looking for in this year's finalists?
“I will be looking for people who have built something that is both commercially successful and sustainable and has the potential to become a material enterprise. Equally, someone that appreciates the nuances of taking their organisation seriously, but not themselves – business should be fun.”

Twitter: @IESA_UK

Tayyab Akhlaq

Director, Public Desire

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2017 North category winner

Founded in 2014, Public Desire has fast become a leading fashion-forward retailer and industry innovator. Tayyab built its online retail business quickly, going from a standing start to £10m turnover in just two years. When its Instagram channel first launched, it was used as a way of building the brand rather than simply a place to post images, and now has over one million followers in over 150 countries. The brand has been worn by celebrities all over the world and is challenging established fashion brands through its agility and pace of development.

What makes a successful entrepreneur?
“A successful entrepreneur is someone who is not afraid to fail, someone who challenges the norm and someone who inspires others to do the same.”

What will you be looking for in this year's finalists?
“I am looking for someone who has created an opportunity for themselves that others may have had the chance to do, but didn't.”

Twitter: @tayyabakhlaq

Catherine Richards

Partner, Inflexion Private Equity

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2010 North judge

Cath joined Inflexion in 2005 and has helped build the firm’s strong market position in the north of England. As a Partner she has built a track record of working alongside management teams to accelerate significant growth within their business, in the UK and internationally. Catherine has co-led successful IPOs and sits on the board for Mobica, Shimtech and PD&MS Energy. Based in Inflexion’s Manchester office, she is responsible for sourcing new investment opportunities and enjoys meeting talented management teams with dynamically growing businesses.

What makes a successful entrepreneur?
“I have spent over 12 years backing successful entrepreneurs and believe there are four key characteristics essential to their success. These are a deep-rooted passion for what they do, a crystal clear vision of what they want to achieve, an unrelenting drive to make things happen and an ability to take their team on the journey with them.”

What will you be looking for in this year's finalists?
“I’ll be looking for an individual who demonstrates excellence in all areas. They need a real passion for what they do, a razor sharp vision and determination to succeed, combined with a stellar track record of success. They also need to demonstrate an effortless ability to lead and inspire others whilst navigating the inevitable challenges that the competition may throw at them.”

Dr Alison Fielding

Venture Partner, IP Group plc

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2014 London & South category winner

Dr Alison Fielding became CTO and then COO of IP Group after it acquired Techtran Group Ltd, a business Alison co-founded, in 2005. Today she remains with the company as Venture Partner and sits as a Non-Executive Director at Nanoco Group plc, Royal Voluntary Service and Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland. Alison was recognised by Entrepreneur Of The Year in 2014 for growing the business and making a significant contribution to the economy.

What makes a successful entrepreneur?
“Successful entrepreneurs demonstrate passion and perseverance, and are perceptive. Entrepreneurs are hugely enthusiastic and energetic about what they do, and they are committed and determined to succeed under all circumstances. They have a self-awareness that allows them to be open-minded to change and also to understand their own strengths to build complementary teams around them.”

What will you be looking for in this year's finalists?
“I’ll be looking for evidence of the key traits of a successful entrepreneur – passion, perseverance and perception. The questions I’ll ask myself are: are they passionate about what they do and can they convey that enthusiasm and knowledge? Have they shown drive, commitment and battled against the odds? Are they open-minded to change and adaptive? Are they self-aware, acknowledging their strengths and building strong organisations around them?”

Twitter: @IPGroupplc

Marnie Millard

Chief Executive Officer, Nichols

Marnie joined Nichols in 2012 as Managing Director of the UK Soft Drinks Division and was appointed to her current role in May 2013. She is a Non-Executive Director for Finsbury Foods and is the Chair of the North West Region of the CBI. She is also a member of the Executive Council and Management Board for the BSDA (British Soft Drinks Association).

Nichols is the home of Vimto, a soft drink which was established in 1908 by John Noel Nichols. The business operates internationally and turnover for the group is £117mn.

Jon Batson

Joint Managing Director, Ralawise

Jon, along with his twin brother Jeff, is the driving force behind one of Europe’s leading B2B multi-brand distributors of clothing and apparel, Ralawise.com. From a modest background, the twins alongside their parents, helped develop the family business. Now award winning, Ralawise generates revenues over £120mn and has developed from a traditional UK wholesale business to a leading global dot-com trading in over 50 countries.

Ralawise provides the foundation, platform and opportunities for its entrepreneurial customers to grow and develop their own businesses.

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year UK finalist 2016

Rachel Clacher

Chief Executive Officer, Moneypenny

Rachel co-founded Moneypenny with her brother Ed Reeves in 2000, with £10,000 and a shared vision to create a customer-centric business that people wanted to work for. Today Rachel focuses on the company’s strategic direction, sits on a number of boards and runs Moneypenny Foundation, a charity that brings opportunities to disadvantaged young women.

Moneypenny is a world leader in telephone answering and outsourced switchboard services, and was recognised as one of the top five best companies to work for in the UK by Sunday Times in 2015. Moneypenny has over 500 employees across its offices in the UK, US and New Zealand.

Richard Law

Chief Executive Officer, GB Group

Richard became Chief Executive Officer of GB Group (GBG) in 2002. He led GBG through the launch of the world’s first electronic ID verification service, combatting the rise in identity-related fraud. He is an investor in and Chairman of Zuto, an investor in Realitymine and Interim Chairman of ResponseTap.

Today GBG is a world leader in identity data intelligence with a market value that has risen over 70 fold since Richard became Chief Executive Officer.

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year UK finalist 2013

Chris Rea, OBE, BSc, CEng, FIMechE, DL

Managing Director, AESSEAL

Chris founded AESSEAL in 1985. He is also a shareholder and Non-Executive Director of British Rototherm Group Ltd. In 2002 he was awarded an OBE for Services to Industry.

AESSEAL is the UK’s last remaining and the world’s fourth largest mechanical seal manufacturer, it has 42 subsidiary companies globally and operates in over 75 locations. Over 30 years the company has grown from 8 to 1,700 employees. The company's product and process development, information technology, and over 90% of its manufacturing, are still based in the UK.

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year UK finalist 2006

Clare Roberts

Chief Executive, Kids Planet

Clare founded Kids Planet when she struggled to find quality, flexible childcare for her oldest child. The group was named number one childcare provider in the country in the league table published by Nursery World and was awarded ‘Nursery Group of the Year’ by Nursery Management Today in November 2016.

Kids Planet is a North West based group of children’s day nurseries. The group was started in 2008 and has grown to its current size of operating 18 nurseries. The group is committed to delivering outstanding childcare to all children regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds.

Mark Senior

Chief Executive Officer, dock10

dock10 operates The Studios at the heart of MediaCityUK with clients including the BBC, ITV, independent producers and agencies. It hosts many iconic programmes, including Match of the Day and The Voice UK, and also delivers high end commercials and corporate films.

Mark started working for The Peel Group at MediaCityUK in 2010 and took over as Chief Executive of dock10 in 2012. Under his leadership revenues have grown to more than £25m with a team of over 150.

Mark has also served as a non-executive director of Pinewood Shepperton plc, the leading provider of services to the global film industry, and spent his earlier career in Corporate Finance, latterly as a partner at EY in Manchester.

Garry Wilson

Executive Chairman, Endless

Garry is the Executive Chairman and one of the founding partners of Endless LLP, a private equity house.

Endless has offices in London, Leeds and Manchester and, since its establishment in 2005, it has completed over 70 acquisitions and 45 exits of UK businesses. The firm has £1bn of funds under management and is currently investing the Endless Fund IV of £525mn. It currently owns 23 businesses with combined revenues of £2.5bn, which employ 15,000 people. Endless has consistently delivered top decile returns for its investors.