Five Bristol bosses are in the running for the region’s most prestigious awards for boardroom excellence and enterprise.
The five – whose businesses range from the region’s largest bus operator to a family-owned recycling company – have been shortlisted in the Institute of Directors South West 2019 Director of the Year awards. 
Over recent years the awards, which champion outstanding leaders and entrepreneurs, have been won by some of Bristol’s top business figures, who have subsequently gone on to represent the region in the national IoD Director contest.
With two new categories added this year – Young Director and Director of a business with a £50m-plus turnover – the awards are more hotly contested than ever.
The Bristol area finalists are:
- James Freeman, managing director of First West of England, the bus operator that services Bristol, Bath, South Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire with a fleet of more than 600 vehicles;
- Amy Golding, CEO of recruiter Opus Talent Solutions, headquartered in Portwall Place, Bristol and with offices in Europe, Hong Kong, Australia and the US;
- Amy McCormack, commercial director at ETM Recycling, a family-run recycling company offering waste management, skip hire and contracting services;
- Chris Holland, managing director of Waste Source, the Bristol-based national waste management company which aims to help businesses reduce their waste costs and increase recycling rates
- Charmaine Vincent, owner and CEO of Baltimore Consulting, recruitment specialists in the public and third sector
The Bristol finalists will join others from around the region at the award ceremony on June 11 Bristol Zoo.
The event also marks the first visit to the region by the IoD’s new chair Charlotte Valeur, who will meet members and share her personal values surrounding leadership, the role of a director and what it means to have good governance.
The event is partnered by the UWE and sponsored by Export for Growth, the specialist programme that improves overseas marketing presence for both first time and experienced exporters. Bristol Business News is once again media partner for the awards.
IoD South West chairman and Chartered Director Muir Macdonald said: “This event is one of the highlights of our business year as it turns the spotlight on the people actually driving our economy and contributing to our society on a day to day basis.
“It’s been a challenging landscape in which to operate over the past two years and therefore leadership, good governance and flexibility has arguably never been more important. In the judges’ opinion, all our finalists have demonstrated and excelled in all of these qualities.”
The awards are open to anyone working at director level in any type of business or organisation – they do not have to be an IoD member.
While the IoD has named the shortlist, it has not revealed which category they have been selected for as judges often put forward a single individual in one category.
Tickets are now available for the event by visiting https://www.iod.com/events-community/events
