Pictured above: Daniel Gidney (left) receives the Midlands
Business Person of the Year 2011 award from Ted Crofts of UK
Special Events
The boss of Coventry's Ricoh Arena has been officially named the
Midlands Business Person of the Year 2011.
Daniel Gidney took the plaudit at the 2011 Midlands Business
Awards, largely on the back of a string of successes which has seen
the Ricoh Arena's off-field activities expand greatly and
culminated in it winning the right to host football games in the
2012 Olympic Games. Ted Crofts of sponsor UK Special Events
presented him with the award at a gala ceremony at the NEC Hilton
Metropole.
Mr Gidney, who is from Birmingham, praised the efforts of his
whole executive team at the Ricoh. He added: "I am very proud to
fly the flag for Coventry."
He was just one of a host of winners from across Coventry and
Warwickshire. Gary Summers, MD of Southam-based Alumet Systems, was
named by judges as the Midlands Entrepreneur of the Year. The firm
supplies cladding, curtain walling and access systems, among other
products, and has just added a solar energy business to its growing
portfolio.
The Swanswell Centre in Rugby, which helps people with
alcohol-related issues, picked up the Service Provider of the Year
award. Rugby-based Chris Watts took the Networker of the Year
title. He runs the Warwickshire Business Club, which is centred on
Henley-in-Arden but has recently extended its reach to run events
in Ansty, Coventry, and Nuneaton. There was also success for
Stratford Business Forum, named Business Club of the Year.
To round off a great night for the area, there was also a
lifetime achievement award for Lord Kumar Bhattacharya, of the
Warwick Manufacturing Group in recognition of his work in promoting
the skills of the area.
He said the award was among the most special that WMG had
received because it was from its home region. He outlined the
journey the organisation had taken from starting with a single desk
at Warwick University to becoming a global player. He said one of
his proudest achievements was being able to help broker the deal
that led to Tata Motors buying Jaguar Land Rover, a company now on
course to make exports of more than £9 billion this year.
"We have in this region a diversity of culture and people to be
proud of," said Lord Bhattacharya. "Times are tough but people here
can hack it."
The ceremony marked the fifth year of the awards and the guest
of honour was Caroline Waters OBE - Director of People and Policy
for BT Group. The overall event sponsor was ARUP.
Harj Sandher, MD of the Leamington-based organisers UK Special
Events, the company behind the event, said: "These awards have
grown in popularity and in quality. They demonstrate that the
region has a thriving entrepreneurial spirit, which is needed at
times like this more than ever."