Almost 50 of the region’s top business leaders will find out this month if they have been crowned the best of the best.
The top established and up-and-coming business people across the East Midlands are through to the finals of the Institute of Directors (IoD) East Midlands Director of the Year awards 2019.
The winners of the 12 categories will be announced at Winstanley House Hotel in Braunstone, Leicester, on Thursday, June 20.
Categories include best non-executive director, best family business director, best young director and top director in a £50 million-plus business.
This year there are 16 finalists from Leicestershire, 15 from Nottinghamshire, five from Derbyshire, eight from Lincolnshire and two from Northamptonshire.
The awards will be hosted by BBC East Midlands presenter Anne Davies, and East Midlands’ category winners will be entered for the IoD’s national finals in London on October 18.
Last year Shahid Sheikh OBE, managing director of Clifton Packaging on the Meridian Business Park, Leicester, was named as the IoD’s East Midlands director of the year.
He also won the won the inclusivity category and jointly, with Simon Rice, the managing director of Derby’s HSG UK, Mr Sheikh won the innovation category.
To top it off he was highly-commended in the global category of the 2018 awards.
Judges praised his "truly multicultural company, employing people from many different nationalities."
IoD East Midlands Regional Director Ron Lynch said the awards mark the achievements of the region’s most hardworking and innovative business leaders with new categories this year reflecting global business and emerging directors.
He said: "The judges were really impressed by the range of talented regional people who entered the awards, from a variety of companies.
"Applicants demonstrated that despite the challenging economic conditions entrepreneurs are still out there and business in the East Midlands is in good hands."
