UWE Bristol pro vice-chancellor Donna Whitehead is among a group of business leaders from across the country competing to gain national recognition as one of the UK’s top board-level entrepreneurs.
Donna, pictured, who is also executive dean of the university’s Faculty of Business and Law, will line up alongside other regional winners of Director of the Year Awards next Thursday at the national final in London. 
The awards, staged by the Institute of Directors (IoD), recognise business excellence across the private and public sectors.
Following on from the South West final earlier in the year – when Donna came first in the New Director category – the national final brings together the best of the regional award winners from across the UK.
The New Director category was introduced this year for directors who have been in the role for less than two years. Donna manages a budget of £55m and leads a team of nearly 300 staff with more than 6,000 students and also leads the work on enterprise across the university.
She was singled out by the South West judges for achieving transformational change for the organisation in an impressively short period of time. The judges described her as a “passionate leader who has clearly engaged well with staff and stakeholders”.
Among the other six South West award winners competing at the national final will be Rob Vivian, CEO of Clevedon and Cornwall telecoms provider Pure Comms. Rob won the Corporate Responsibility category for his consistent commitment to CSR from both an employee and community perspective.
The high-profile national final at the Royal Horticultural Halls, Westminster, will be attended by entrepreneurs, business leaders and members of government.
The other South West finalists are:
- Oliver Bruce, founder of Cheltenham filmmakers Pinpoint Media, (Start-Up category)
- Alison Jordan of Devon and Cornwall bereavement support service Pete’s Dragons (Public/Third Sector)
- Anil Ohri, founder and chief executive of Downton, Wiltshire-based managed cardiac services provider Regents Park Healthcare (Innovation)
- Rebecca Scarlett, co-founder and MD of Devon-based global entertainment agency Scarlett Entertainment
IoD South West chair and chartered director Nick Sturge said: “The South West has a well-deserved reputation for creativity and entrepreneurship and the diversity of the entries really showcases this fact.
“The awards recognise individuals who have made a significant difference in their field, be they start-ups or established organisations across both the private and public sectors. I wish them all the very best of luck on the 18th and hopefully we will be bringing one of the national awards back to the region.”
