Seven Bristol bosses from widely differing organisations are in the running for this year’s coveted Institute of Directors (IoD) South West Director Awards.
They range from a charity helping entrepreneurs in developing countries, an electronic product design specialist a
nd an IT recruitment company.
On the shortlist are:
* Vashti Seth, pictured right, founded the charity Deki in 2008, which directly connects people with entrepreneurs in the developing world through microfinance. To date Deki has provided £500,000 in loans and impacted the lives of over 12,000 people in countries including Uganda, South Sudan and Malawi.
* Tim Stringer, pictured below, is the divisional director of Integral Build, which carries out wide range of commercial interiors, construction, refurbishment and fit out projects. Despite the recession, he has led a growth in profitable turnover since the business was established in 2007 to just over £14m in 2014 and now regularly tenders alongside bigger household names for multi-million pound projects across the South of England. 
* Karl Loudon is co-founder and managing director of TRW Digital, a Clifton digital transformation agency, helping enterprise clients create digital business to change the way they work and grow. Established just two years ago, the TRW Digital now has a turnover of over £500,000 with a UK and international client base.
* Sandie Foxall-Smith is Group CEO of The Regard Group, a business that supports over 940 people with learning disabilities, mental health needs and autism through supported living, residential and day resource services at 145 sites in the UK. She oversaw the successful incorporation of ACH into The Regard Group in late 2014, creating one of the leading organisations of its kind in the country.
* Darren Ryemill, pictured below, is founder and CEO of Opus Recruitment Services, a niche IT recruitment company, headquartered in Bristol and with offices in London, Sydney and Amsterdam. Darren was named Best Leader in the Sunday Times 100 Best Small 
Companies to Work For 2015 and ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ at the Recruiter Awards for Excellence.
* Paul Mullen is founder and director of the Bristol and Bath Science Park-based company Cubik Innovation. Cubik facilitate end-to-end electronic product development, devising everything from highly important security systems for MOD approved suppliers to innovative POS devices for events like London Fashion Week. In just three years the company has achieved a turnover of almost £1m and expanded their team six-fold.
* Neil Way is managing director of Bristol-based family-owned business Jeff Way, which installs electrical systems into new build, commercial, domestic and local authority occupied properties. Since Neil took on the position in 2007, the business has enjoyed continuous year on year growth with particular strength in the highly competitive new build and residential markets.
They join other shortlisted candidates from Bath and Gloucester in the awards, which aim to celebrate achievements across the region and bring all parts of the enterprise community together and focus UK-wide attention on South West success.
IoD South West chairman Richard Ayre said: “The entries this year demonstrate the breadth of enterprise and innovation in the South West region.
“These awards showcase some of our most exciting businesses and leaders and I am continually surprised and delighted by the quality of the field.”
The regional winners will be announced at a celebration event on June 17 at Bordeaux Quay, Bristol, and will go on to compete for the national awards in the autumn.
Bristol Business News and its sister titles Bath Business News and Swindon Business News are media partners for the prestigious awards.
