MOST INSPIRING
BUSINESS LEADERS
Top of
the Tees
14th (12th)
Steve Gibson
Gibson-O’Neill Group
Winner back in 2016 – the first year of
our poll – Steve, alongside low-profile
business partner Mike O’Neill, is the man
behind Bulkhaul, Rockliffe Hall Hotel and,
of course, Middlesbrough FC.
15th (21st)
Michael Poole
Michael Poole
Estate Agents,
Middlesbrough
Michael is the
man at the helm
of Teesside’s largest
estate agents, a firm he
has run for more than 25 years. He is also
a key figure behind influential local charity,
Teesside Family Foundation.
16th (Re-entry)
Vikki Jackson-
Smith
J&B Recycling,
Hartlepool
She began working
on the weighbridge
in her father Alan’s
solid fuels business at the age of 13 and
became the firm’s transport manager four
years later. Aged 27, she established J&B
Recycling, which continues to thrive in the
waste management industry more than 20
years on.
17th (New entry)
Nicky Jolley
HR2day, Darlington
She left school with less than
favourable exam results and took up an
apprenticeship in accountancy. When that
didn’t work out, she signed on at a local
job centre, where she duly got a job!
She moved into HR when working for
IT provider Onyx and later Petroplus
before setting up HR2day after successive
redundancies. The Darlington firm has
thrived in providing tailor-made HR
solutions.
18th (New
entry)
Jane Armitage
Jacksons Law
Firm, Stockton
Born in Kent but
now living on
Teesside, Jane
is managing
partner of leading
North-East law
firm Jacksons,
a company she
joined on a part-time and temporary
contract in 2004.
19th (New entry)
Mike Odysseas
Odyssey Systems, Stockton
Mike is MD, founder and figurehead
of telecommunications firm Odyssey
Systems. He also loves to combine
his passions for cycling and charity
fundraising.
20th (27th)
Zoe Lewis
The first female principal and chief
executive of Middlesbrough College for
the past seven years, Zoe is the dynamic
force behind a commitment to enhancing
the region’s competitive edge by directly
aligning the college’s offer
to the skills required
by employers.
She manages a
turnover of £43m
and the education
of 15,000
students.
21st (19th)
Dean Benson
Visualsoft
22nd (New Entry)
Bob Makin
SockMonkey Studios
23rd (17th)
Steve Cochrane MBE
Psyche
24th (New Entry)
Chloe Clover
Wander Films
25th (New Entry)
Mark Easby
Better
26th (13th)
Jessica Williams
Just Williams
27th (New Entry)
Lee Flanagan
Bespoke Financial
28th (24th)
Charles Clinkard
Charles Clinkard
29th (23rd)
Elaine McLaine-Wood
Punch Robson Solicitors
30th (New Entry)
Dominic Lusardi
Animmersion
MOST INSPIRING
BUSINESSWOMEN
1st Jane Turner MBE
2nd Sharon Lane
3rd Catherine Devereux
4th Yasmin Khan
5th Jane Reynolds MBE
6th Vikki Jackson-Smith
7th Nicky Jolley
8th Jane Armitage
9th Zoe Lewis
10th Chloe Clover
The voice of business in the Tees region | 29