North East Times Impact Awards 2018

North East Times hosted its inaugural Impact Awards, sponsored by Sunderland College, last night (December 6) to celebrate individuals who have made a significant mark this year.

More than 150 people attended the informal ceremony at the BALTIC River Terrace, where five awards (financial, regional, profile, global and innovation) were presented, alongside the overall Outstanding Impact Award.

Winners on the night were:

Financial Impact Award: John Savage, managing director, Flame Heating Group

Regional Impact Award: Lesley Spuhler, CEO, Foundation of Light

Profile Impact Award: Jim Mawdsley, chief executive, Generator and Digital Union

Global Impact Award: Steve Parkin, CEO, Mayborn Group

Innovation Impact Award: Neil Herron, chief executive, Grid Smarter Cities

Outstanding Impact Award: Lesley Spuhler, CEO, Foundation of Light

All the winners appear in the December issue of North East Times, while double award-winner, Lesley Spuhler, features on its cover (pictured).

Lesley said: “I’m very proud to win these awards as well as very surprised!

“It’s great to be recognised by North East Times for my contribution to the region and that the team can see the potential that the Beacon of Light has to improve our region.

“However, I am also lucky to work with a fantastic team at the Foundation who inspire me every day; I’d like to think these are awards for our organisation more than just myself.”

Alison Cowie, editor of North East Times, said: “We decided to launch these awards to honour those in the region who have made an impact in a variety of ways.

“We asked people to nominate individuals online, and we received scores of fantastic nominations – which demonstrated the breadth and depth of the region’s business community and the influence they’re making regionally, nationally and internationally.

“Congratulations goes to last night’s winners – all of whom have shown exceptional leadership and strategic decision making.

“A special thank you also goes to our category sponsors – Motel One, St James Square Law Firm, SEAO Talent Partners, Projector and North East England Chamber of Commerce – as well as our event partner, Sunderland College.

“The team at North East Times purposely made last night’s ceremony an informal, free-to-attend event, where guests could network with each other and our winners.

“This unique format seemed to go down well with those who attended and it’s something that we’ll be building on as we look to make North East Times Impact Awards an annual event.”