Member Article

Manchester’s newest awards set to champion ‘Northern Gamechangers’

Nominations are now open for the Northern Gamechangers – a brand new awards programme that celebrates the force for good when it comes to business.

Designed to champion purpose driven business in the region, Northern Gamechangers, which will take place on 14th September, is the brainchild of Manchester-based business consultancy, Elevate.

After noticing the little recognition available for those making a real difference in similar programmes, Elevate decided to launch its own: “We are constantly inspired by people that prove that businesses can, and should, be a force for good – we’ve launched Northern Gamechangers to celebrate these individual and organisations and spread the word to others”, explains Katie Robson, Co-Founder and Director.

In a twist that sets the awards apart from most, there are no formal nomination categories. Instead, Gamechangers may excel in a number of areas, including sustainability, decarbonisation, social mobility, diversity and inclusion, and charitable partnerships.

Further rejecting tradition, the ceremony will forgo white tablecloths and stuffy dress codes in favour of a more relaxed, fun evening of celebration and networking – with a much more accessible ticket price for the region’s business community.

Confirmed judges include Anna Gledson, Managing Director of The Manc Group; Sharon Amesu, Founder of SA Consulting; Amer Gaffar, Director of Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre and Tim Heatley, Co-Founder of Capital&Centric.

Sponsors the programme include: leading independent PR agency, The PHA Group, which last year launched its Manchester base and has since added a Leeds office to the roster; Manchester Central, the city’s thriving exhibition and conference centre; and Appleyard Lees, Intellectual Property specialists.

Speaking further on the awards, Katie added: “We’ve been immersed in Manchester’s thriving business community for some time now, and what really makes the region stand out is just how many people are willing to step outside the box with new ideas and game changing attitudes.

“Through Northern Gamechangers, we want to make noise about Manchester’s pioneering spirit and those using their influence for good. We can’t wait to see the nominations – we already know there are a lot of Gamechangers in the region.”

Anna Gledson, Marketing Director at The Manc and Northern Gamechangers judge, is encouraging nominations across the region: “Here at The Manc Group, we’re big champions of the north and it’s a real honour to be involved with Northern Gamechangers’ inaugural year.

“We know that there are so many wonderful business leaders in the north of England doing brilliant things, and this new awards ceremony is such a great opportunity to shine a light on those who are going the extra mile in their communities - be it through charitable partnerships, sustainability, diversity and/or inclusion.

“We’re delighted to be supporting the initiative with our regional publications and I can’t wait to see who gets involved.”

Nominations for Northern Gamechangers are open to organisations, businesses and individuals, and will close on 10th June, with a shortlist of 50 nominees announced in July. The final 10 award winners will be announced at the event on Wednesday 14th September.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Margaret Jones .