30 UNDER 30
Emily Port , 27
RESEARCH SCIENTIST , CPI
In just three years at CPI , Emily has made a major impact through her influence and leadership in building a new capability to support and deliver research and development projects for the pharmaceutical sector . This is of national importance just now , supporting the scaleup process for an MRNA vaccine being developed by Imperial College . Without Emily , it would not have been operational yet .
Simon Walton , 26
TRAINING MANAGER AND PROTECTION ADVISOR , BESPOKE FINANCIAL GROUP AND SAVE ME TODAY
Simon was brought up in a deprived family that suffered bankruptcy in an underprivileged area of Middlesbrough . However , his hard work and bubbly personality helped make him Land Rover ’ s youngest employee . He moved into the financial industry , becoming a selfemployed protection advisor for Stocktonbased Bespoke Financial , before being promoted to training manager . During the pandemic , he created Save Me Today , a website and YouTube channel teaching people how and where to save money and help with their mental health .
Chris Latham , 29
SENIOR PROCESS ENGINEER PD PORTS
Chris plays an integral role in the development and implementation of innovative technologies at PD Ports . He led the development on the EDI interfaces for Tees Port ’ s ground-breaking new gate operating system and vehicle booking system . He single-handedly devised the IT infrastructure while ensuring that the management of the system was successful . He was also instrumental in the provision of the firm ’ s gate automation project .
Jordan Nixon , 26
MANAGING DIRECTOR , NIXON SAFETY
Jordan and older brother Liam run Nixon Safety , nationwide distributors of safety supplies and site consumables , which has achieved an astonishing turnover of £ 9m since the start of January 2020 . Jordan was an offshore welding inspector when they decided to utilise their contacts within the oil and gas industry to start their own company in 2014 . Initially based in a garage , they are now at the forefront of the Tees Advanced Manufacturing Park ..
Beth Hughes , 24
DIRECTOR , CBSOCIAL
Beth has combined growing her Ingleby Barwickbased social advertising business with partner Callum Devine while raising their son , Archie , who was born in September 2019 , a month before the pair launched cbsocial . Having graduated from Teesside University with first class honours in Multimedia Journalism , she cut her teeth at Greggs and Visualsoft . Since lockdown , she ’ s helped lead the firm from a three-figure monthly turnover to five figures , managing the social advertising activity for global clients .
Maria Inam , 28
RESEARCH SCIENTIST , CPI
In the three years that Maria has been with CPI , she has demonstrated enthusiasm , commitment and achievement . In her role , she interprets chemistry and formulation research challenges in the development of new products for a range of companies , delivering projects in consumer goods , health care and pharmaceuticals . As team
lead , she supports colleagues to deliver against challenging targets .
Nathan Steel , 27
BRAND LEADER , BESPOKE FINANCIAL HEALTH
Nathan is the epitome of a young , inspirational leader able to instil positivity and motivation , who it ’ s said leaves his team feeling “ like they can conquer the world ”. He leads his team with the drive and enthusiasm of an experienced leader after only a few years of being in his position by using his own experiences as a successful financial adviser to help and support others .
Jason West , 27
MANAGING DIRECTOR , LUSSO FOOTWEAR
Jason started his first e-commerce business aged just 15 and then secured his first role as the e-commerce manager of a luxury car dealership . He then formed an e-commerce venture aimed at the limited edition and luxury trainer market , achieving a £ 50,000 turnover within 12 months , forecast to triple in its second year . Lusso specialise in sold out and high-end trainers . He also supports other retailers with his technical knowledge .
24 | Tees Business