Three bosses of Bristol area firms have been selected to compete at national level in the coveted Institute of Directors (IoD) 2016 Director of the Year Awards.
The three – Mark Crutchley of Circadian Trust, James Piper from Ecosurety and Almeda Facilities’ Brady George – were winners in last month’s regional IoD Director of the Year awards staged in Bristol.
They will now go head-to-head against other regional winners in their categories for the national titles at an awards ceremony in London on October 21. 
Competing in the Third Sector category will be Mark Crutchley, director of Circadian Trust, a social enterprise that delivers sport and leisure facilities in partnership with South Gloucestershire Council.
James Piper, commercial director of Aztec West-based Ecosurety, a company enabling its members to meet UK and EU waste obligations, is in the running for the Young Director title.
And Brady George, managing director of Keynsham-based facilities management company Almeda Facilities, will be challenging other hopefuls for the Corporate Responsibility award.
Also representing the South West will be Simon Barbato, founder and CEO of Bath-based brand digital and marketing agency Mr B & Friends, (Director of the Year) and Andrew Robinson, managing director of Arc Energy Resources, near Gloucester (Family Business Director).
The IoD Director Awards seek to highlight and celebrate outstanding business people across the country, bringing the enterprise community together and focusing UK-wide attention on the regions. 
IoD South West chairman Nick Sturge said: “In these times of political and economic upheaval – locally and globally – strong, entrepreneurial, resilient and informed leadership is essential to any organisation and the calibre of our awards winners demonstrates the strength of the region and should give us optimism for a positive future.
“Once again we had an extremely high standard of entries demonstrating the breadth and depth of talent, enterprise and leadership across the South West.
“The fact that all our regional winners have been shortlisted is testament to the quality of those entries and although it is always a highly fought contest, we hope we see a national award being brought back here.”
James Piper, 28, started at resource efficiency specialist Ecosurety as a graduate trainee, in 2009 and has worked in every department of the business, including marketing, sales and IT. 
He said: “I am bowled to have made it to the final of such a prestigious award. To be among some of the leaders the biggest names in business in the UK is extremely humbling. The fantastic Ecosurety team has supported me every step of the way.”
Pictured top: Brady George with his Corporate Responsibility award surrounded by colleagues from Almeda
Centre: Mark Crutchley receives the Third Sector Award from IoD South West chairman Nick Sturge, right
Bottom: James Piper, right, from Ecosurety receives the Young Director of the Year award from Bristol Business News editor Robert Buckland
All photos by Clint Randall of Pixel Photography Ltd.
