InspiraTees 2024 champion Bill Scott pictured with event sponsors , Moonrise 24hr Recruitment .
It ’ s the second time Bill has topped the list , having previously won the award back in 2017 .
Since the poll ’ s inauguration , the Middlesbrough-born businessman has never finished outside of the top four , placing third , first , second , fourth , third , fourth , second , second and first .
The poll ’ s first table-topper was Steve Gibson in 2016 , while Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen received most votes for three successive years ( 2018-20 ) before it was decided to discount politicians from the list .
Professor Jane Turner OBE was crowned the first female winner in 2021 , 2022 table-topper Frans Calje OBE remains the only overseas-born winner and last year Catherine Devereux leaped to the top for her work leading the suicide prevention charity Headlight Project .
More than 90 different people received at least one vote in the 2024 poll , with around 240 different businesspeople placing their votes .
Tees Business turned the annual poll into the InspiraTees event for the first time last year .
And the 2024 top 30 was again revealed at the InspiraTees event on a beautiful summer afternoon in Hardwick Hall ’ s stunning Lakeside Marquee , in front of 150 guests , delivered in association with Moonrise 24hr Recruitment .
Bill , who is also a trustee and patron of The Teesside Charity , was presented with the InspiraTees trophy by Jessica and Keith Gwaringa from sponsors Moonrise .
Runner-up Sharon Lane said : “ It ’ s lovely to come second . To have your peers acknowledge what you ’ re doing , it ’ s a real privilege .
“ You look at the list and you ’ re in such good company . Quite a few of people in the top 30 , I ’ ve learned so much from . They ’ ve supported me , particularly through Covid .
“ We have a lot of heritage on Teesside and there ’ s a lot of passion among businesses to retain our heritage , retain our skills , being the best in the world at what we do , and we all support each other to try to achieve that .
“ All our businesses have their highs and lows and it ’ s just a fantastic business community that we have .”
INSPIRATEES TOP 10 2024
1 Dr Bill Scott OBE ( Wilton Engineering & The Teesside Charity )
2 Sharon Lane ( Tees Components )
3 Catherine Devereux ( The Headlight Project / Knights )
4 Frans Calje OBE ( PD Ports )
5 Steve Gibson OBE ( Gibson-O ’ Neill Group )
6 Alison McGee ( Durata )
7 Zoe Lewis CBE ( Middlesbrough College Group )
8 Mike Racz ( Racz Group & Tees Valley Business Board )
9 Karl Pemberton ( Active Chartered Financial Planners )
10 Kimberley Turner ( Double Eleven )
INSPIRATEES ROLL CALL 11-30
( in alphabetical order )
Imran Anwar ( Alt Labs , Flok & Tees Valley Business Board )
Jane Armitage ( Power of Women )
Alisdair Beveridge ( The Build Directory & The Teesside Charity )
Chloë Clover ( Wander Films )
Jo Davies ( HR Alchemy & Teesside Hospice )
Gary Dawson ( AV Dawson )
Mark Easby ( Better & High Tide Foundation )
Vikki Jackson-Smith ( J & B Recycling )
Yasmin Khan ( Halo Project )
Garry Lofthouse ( Applied Integration )
Victoria Lynch ( Additional Lengths )
John McGee ( Durata )
Bob Makin ( Behaviour Interactive UK )
Charlie Nettle ( AV Dawson )
Alastair Powell ( Cleveland Cable Company )
Claire Preston ( Halo Project & Power of Women )
Bianca Robinson ( CEO Sleepout )
Michael Shakesheff ( Casper Group )
Caroline Theobald CBE ( Bridge Club & Power of Women )
Jessica Williams ( The Just Williams Sales Academy )
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