The boss of one of the fastest growing companies in the East Midlands has been named 2021 LeicestershireLive Business Executive of the Year.
Jason Ashby, the founder of Hinckley-based UK Flooring Direct, picked up the top award at the black tie celebration which took place at the Leicester Tigers Welford Road stadium.
Mr Ashby was also named top executive within a large business – beating Brian Duffy, chief executive of the Watches of Switzerland Group, and Jon Jorgensen, chief sales officer at Loughborough-based business software specialist Access Group.
UK Flooring Direct is one of the biggest online flooring retailers in Britain and sells everything from wooden floors to laminates, vinyl flooring and underlays to the public and trade.
It is now expanding into selling carpets and Mr Ashby said he hopes to hit £1 billion of turnover in the coming years.
He had previously told BusinessLive: “We have a 12 per cent share of our category which we dominate with the exception of B&Q, who have a 15 per cent market share.
“We’ve just invested in carpet cutting machines and that’s a market that’s three times bigger and we expect to have the same market share with that.
“Having our own brands and being direct to customer keep all the middle men out of the way so we are in a very, very strong position.
“With the way the home improvement market is going in the UK we are targeting £1 billion by 2030, which we will achieve, in a whole market that’s worth £40 billion.”
The 2021 lifetime achievement award was presented to Leicester Tiger’s director Peter Wheeler, a well-known – and much-loved – member of the Leicester and Leicestershire business community.
In her citation, Jane Morris, Leicester branch manager for category sponsor Handelsbanken, said: “For half a century he has played a key role in the organisation he is still associated with – from a young lad keen to get on, right the way through to its management team and eventually as its first chief executive.
“Because of that you could not find a captain of industry who sums up better the can-do spirit of our city and county.”
Mr Wheeler made 349 appearances in a Leicester shirt and captained Tigers to a hat-trick of John Player Cup triumphs at Twickenham.
He played 41 times for England – including as captain in 1983/84 – as well as in seven Tests with the British & Irish Lions. He was club coach when they won the first league championship in 1987/88 and was its first chief executive.
Ms Morris said: “He was one of the greatest players of his era.”
The awards' headline sponsors are the University of Leicester, and category sponsors are Cambridge and Counties Bank, Handelsbanke, Pattersons Commercial Law, De Montfort University, BE Recruitment and Global Payments
Howes Percival and Leicester City Football Club are the event sponsors.
