MOST INSPIRING BUSINESS LEADERS deserves much recognition for the way he has built Middlesbrough-headquartered Cleveland Cable Company into a global success story , employing 600 staff , around half of them on Teesside . Through the company he and his brother Michael have built into the UK ’ s largest cable distributor , Alastair has donated huge amounts of money to charity .
14th ( 10th ) Karl Pemberton
Active Chartered Financial Planners , Stockton Karl is not the only frontman for Active , Teesside ’ s largest financial firm , but is also a trustee of Teesside Philanthropic Foundation and the first president of the Tees Valley branch of the Institute of Directors . Through this latter role , he speaks passionately about the region and has been a key champion throughout the Covid crisis .
15th ( 12th ) Yasmin Khan
The Halo Project , Middlesbrough A former winner of the Inspiring Others category in the Tees Businesswomen Awards , Yasmin is the founder and director of a charity dedicated to helping victims of honourbased violence and forced marriage . The diversity specialist also advises the Welsh government , is a key driver of the Tees Valley BME Awards and is a former goodwill ambassador of the Assist Women ’ s Network .
16th ( 13th ) Jane Reynolds MBE
Tees Valley Business Club Chair of the Tees Valley Business Club , Jane was awarded an MBE in June last year for services to small and mediumsized enterprises and the Tees Valley economy .
17th ( re-entry ) Carla Keegans
The Ethical Housing Company , Redcar Carla is scaling up efforts
to provide decent , affordable Teesside homes after securing £ 7.5m of funding for her community interest company ( CIC ), the Ethical House Company , late last year . EHC has acquired a portfolio of more than 60 properties , with a further 20 completing soon . Sister CIC , the Ethical Lettings Agency , supports tenants to sustain their tenancies for the long term .
18th ( 17th ) 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 , Nicky signed on at a local jobcentre , where she duly got a job ! She later set up HR2day after successive redundancies , thriving in providing tailor-made HR solutions .
19th ( 26th ) Jessica Williams
Just Williams , Stockton Born in Cambridge and raised in Sheffield , Jessica didn ’ t move to our region until she was 18 but has made up for lost time . Now 35 , she founded her Stockton business six years ago , helping SMEs grow their sales , marketing and brand profile . She ’ s also a non-executive director of Darlington Building Society , sits on the Innovation Board at Teesside University Business School and the Employer Engagement board at TVCA , and is a mentor at The Girls ’ Network .
20th ( 8th ) Mike Racz
Racz Group , Wynyard Hungary-born Mike arrived in the UK with no job but he ’ s now one of the UK ’ s largest owners of franchised businesses with an unashamed ambition to grow the group into the largest company in the North-East in terms of turnover and employees . Fast forward 17 years and the risk-taking self-starter now owns 31 Domino ’ s franchises , 16 Costa Coffees , 16 Anytime Fitness gyms , a cocktail bar , a digital agency and more . He also employs more than 1,500 people from 28 different countries .
5 UNDER 40 IN OUR TOP 30 Chloe Clover ( 29 ) Phil Forster ( 33 ) Jessica Williams ( 35 ) Bob Makin ( 35 ) Mike Racz ( 39 )
21st ( 22nd )
Bob Makin
SockMonkey Studios
22nd ( re-entry )
Angela Lockwood
North Star Housing
23rd ( 16th )
Vikki Jackson-Smith
J & B Recycling
24th ( re-entry )
Duncan Bannatyne OBE
Bannatyne Group
25th ( new entry )
Phil Forster
Teesside International Airport
26th ( new entry )
Malcolm Knott
ITS
27th ( re-entry )
Lee Bramley
The Endeavour Partnership
28th ( new entry )
Shaun Woods
Teesside International Airport
29th ( 15th )
Michael Poole JP DL
Michael Poole Estate Agents
30th ( new entry )
Laura Hepburn
Greenology UK
MOST INSPIRING BUSINESSWOMEN
1st Jane Turner OBE 2nd Sharon Lane 3rd Jane Armitage 4th Chloë Clover 5th Zoe Lewis 6th Catherine Devereux 7th Yasmin Khan 8th Jane Reynolds 9th Carla Keegans 10th Nicky Jolley
The voice of business in the Tees region | 17