TEES TECH AWARDS 2021
RISING STAR
SPONSORED BY MIDDLESBROUGH COLLEGE / NORTHERN SKILLS GROUP
FINALIST
MIA SIMPSON
Winner – Zoe Lewis of Middlesbrough College with OPPORTUNI ’ s Tim Ward .
WINNER
Tim Ward - OPPORTUNI
He says it ’ s been a “ pretty crazy ” year and a half – but CEO and co-founder Tim is changing the world of bids , tenders and procurement with Stocktonbased Opportuni , a platform that gives SMEs extraordinary capabilities to match and compete for public sector contracts .
Regarded as the fastest-growing company in the sector globally , winners of a regional Tech Nation Rising Stars Award and one of Theo Paphitis ’ Small Business Saturday winners , Opportuni has been entrusted by one of the UK ’ s top VC funds with £ 1m of investment to grow the business into a £ 1bn-plus entity in three-to-five years .
As a guest on numerous podcasts locally and globally , Tim always flies the flag for Teesside tech while creating high-paying jobs for aspiring people in the region .
And he says that from a “ standing start ” and a staff of two , OPPORTUNI aims to have a “ growing team of people based all over the world ”.
He said : “ I ’ m delighted to have won this award – it ’ s great . It ’ s nice to be among so many other great , inspiring businesses .
“ The last 18 months have been pretty crazy . The business has gone from a standing start to looking at expansion and very exciting times in the coming months . We have supported companies to win more than £ 400m in contracts , so the positive impact we are having on other businesses is more satisfying than anything . Our mission is to support SMEs to win government contracts , so that ’ s the focus .”
SPONSOR ’ S MESSAGE
OES Oilfield Services An IT apprentice at Stockton-based OES Oilfield Services , Mia is part of a team providing technical IT support to 450 office- and fieldbased employees .
Having joined the company in October 2019 , Mia has already completed her Level 3 Network Technician apprenticeship , is currently on her Level 4 Cyber Security Technologist course and in just three months was attending local and international training courses and providing support to people of all ethnicities from around the world .
Mia ’ s enthusiasm and talent have enabled her to prove herself in an industry that can be a difficult development ground for women .
FINALIST
CHRIS GOODYEAR
Many Cats Studios CIC Deaf games developer Chris launched Many Cats Studios to bridge the gap between disabled and neurodiverse people and the games industry .
Working closely with Ukie , Into Games and a range of SEN education providers , Chris created opportunities for young disabled people and encouraged industry professionals to advocate and support those with disabilities . He has also mentored autistic students and spoken about disabilities at industry events .
With grants from DigitalCity and Unltd to support his work and help the business grow , Chris was a finalist in the Social Impact category of the If We Can You Can challenge and made the Rising 100 list of GamesIndustry . Biz .
Middlesbrough College principal / CEO , Zoe Lewis , said : “ Middlesbrough College was delighted to sponsor this year ’ s Tees Tech Awards and be part of such an inspirational evening for our thriving tech sector . The quality of businesses and individuals this year was tremendous and it was a privilege to be involved . All those shortlisted should be immensely proud , including Salesfire who won Company of the Year and Tim Ward from Opportuni who won the Rising Star Award . An evening like this makes us proud to be working with so many amazing local companies that are all committed to nurturing local talent . It ’ s great to be back together again .”
The voice of business in the Tees region | 31