Pictured above: (l-r) Nick Abell -Wright Hassall, Keri
Doherty - Aesthetics (accepted on behalf of Lee Thomas), Tom Clift
- CW2012, Tracy Darke - Coventry City Council, and Adam Smith -
Royal Bank of Scotland
The man who has played a key part in ensuring Coventry will host
Olympic football matches during London 2012 has been named as
Coventry and Warwickshire's Professional of the Year.
Tom Clift, Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership manager for the
2012 Games (CW2012), scooped the top award during the third
Coventry and Warwickshire First FirstPro Awards, which were held at
the Ricoh Arena.
Around 230 people attended the FirstPro awards which aim to
celebrate the skill and expertise of professionals in Coventry and
Warwickshire.
The awards are designed to encourage continuing professional
development, raise the profile of professionals locally and
recognise those individual professionals who contribute to the
growth of the sector by putting something back into the
community.
Clift heads up CW2012 - the organisation responsible for
maximising opportunities arising from the London 2012 Games for
Coventry and Warwickshire.
He has helped to establish a staggering number of London
2012-inspired projects across the region with the most high profile
success coming as he helped Coventry beat competition from cities
across the Midlands to be awarded the right to host 12 Olympic
football tournament matches in 2012.
"I am overwhelmed to have won this award, I did not expect it at
all, it was a complete shock," he said.
"It is an honour and a lovely feeling but there is no way I
could have been considered for this award without what we as a
partnership have achieved collectively for Coventry and
Warwickshire.
"None of what has been achieved could have happened without the
support of all the organisations, partners and individuals which
have supported us over the last five years.
"My personal highlight from 2010 would obviously be getting
married! But the Ricoh Arena winning Olympic football in 2012 comes
a close second and now we just have to focus on delivering all the
projects we have underway to the best of our ability as we approach
the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that is London 2012."
The judging panel for the awards was made up by Michael
Woodhead, managing director for Eon Sustainable Energy, Peter
Deeley, form the Deeley Group, Philip Costigan, partner at law firm
Band Hatton and chairman of Coventry and Warwickshire First.
Deeley said it had been one of the most tightly contested
FirstPro Awards to date and he was overwhelmed by the quality of
the nominees.
"All of the judges were blown away by the expertise, enthusiasm
and dedication displayed by every one of the nominees," he
said.
"We found each decision we took was extremely difficult and that
is a glowing endorsement of the quality of the businesses and
professionals we have in the region.
"Awards like these are extremely important for highlighting the
talent we have in the Coventry and Warwickshire and all of the
winners and nominees deserve the highest of praise.
"Tom is a young man who has done a superb job - not always in
the easiest of circumstances - and has helped ensure that Coventry
will be well and truly on an international stage.
"The amount of work he and his team have done, and the results
he has achieved are quite mind-blowing."
The awards are divided into five categories with Lee Thomas,
from Coventry events staff firm Aesthetics, given the Business
Services award, Adam Smith, from the Royal Bank of Scotland, taking
the Financial Professional gong while Tracy Darke, from Coventry
City Council was awarded the title of Property Professional of the
Year and Tom Clift also took home the title of Young Professional
of the Year.
There was also success for Warwickshire as Leamington-based law
firm Wright Hassall saw senior partner Nick Abell named as Legal
Professional of the Year.
Former England cricketer Chris Broad also attended to speak at
the evening and guests raised over £4,200 for motor neurone
disease charity The Broad Appeal.