INSPIRATEES
THE REMAINING TOP 30 , IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER …
Success - Mike Racz on his way up to receive his InspiraTees certificate .
New entry - Imran Anwar ( left ) with Moonrise man Keith Gwaringa .
8th ( 12th ) Mike Racz Racz Group Mike famously came to the UK with nothing 20 years ago when he made ends meet as a pizza delivery driver .
He now owns countless Dominos pizza outlets , Costa Coffee shops and Anytime Fitness gyms . He also employs more than 2,000 people , the majority of them right here in our region .
Asked for his secret to success , the member of Tees Valley Business Board said : “ There is no secret . Be authentic , stay real , work your arse off . It ’ s hard , you take a lot of risks . Have a dream , go for it , never give up , pursue it with all your might and you ’ ll get there .”
MY TOP 3 by Lyndsey Hogg ( Hogg Global Logistics )
1 . Mike Racz 2 . Vikki Jackson-Smith 3 . Alisdair Beveridge aid to Ukraine .
Karl , who started his career with Yorkshire Bank and RBS , was also the first president of the Tees Valley branch of the Institute of Directors .
MY TOP 3
by Peter Turner ( Cocoon & Bauer ) |
1 . |
Karl Pemberton |
2 . |
Imran Anwar |
3 . |
Alastair Powell |
Top 10 - Keith Gwaringa presents to Kimberley Turner .
Imran Anwar
Alt Labs & Flok A new entry in this prestigious list , Imran ’ s Alt Labs won the Tech for Good category at the 2023 Tees Tech Awards . The Middlesbrough firm creates humanpowered answers to solve society ’ s problems – from transport to policing .
As well as being a Middlesbrough College trustee , Imran is also a key figure behind Albert Road ’ s exciting co-working space , Flok , as well as representing the region ’ s digital economy as a member of the Tees Valley Business Board .
MY TOP 3
by Maxine Freer ( OOK ) |
1 . |
Imran Anwar |
2 . |
Shak Asghar |
3 . |
Peter Turner |
Inspiring - Karl Pemberton ( left ) with Moonrise ’ s Keith Gwaringa .
9th ( 6th ) Karl Pemberton Active Chartered Financial Planners A mainstay of this list , Karl is not only managing partner for Thornaby-based Active , Teesside ’ s largest financial firm , but is also a long-time trustee of The Teesside Charity . Having formerly trekked to the summit of Kilimanjaro in aid of mental health charity MIND , the past year saw him join forces with Mike Racz to deliver vital
10th ( 22nd ) Kimberley Turner Double Eleven Similar to Alison McGee , Kimberley ’ s star is rising fast . The 2023 Tees Businesswoman of the Year crashes into the InspiraTees top 10 a year after making her first appearance in the top 30 .
Commercial and finance director for games developer Double Eleven , she ’ s helped older brother Lee – the firm ’ s founder – put Middlesbrough on the global map for computer games , managing a £ 50m turnover within a team that ’ s grown from 60 to 360 in recent years .
MY TOP 3 by Theresa Carling ( Endeavour Partnership )
1 . Kimberley Turner 2 . Claire Preston 3 . Alison McGee
Top 30 regular - Jane Armitage .
Jane Armitage
Power of Women Highly respected Jane was crowned the third Tees Businesswoman of the Year in 2020 and was the natural choice to chair the Power of Women campaign following the passing of its founder , 2021 poll-topper Professor Jane Turner MBE .
Born in Kent but long settled on Teesside , Jane was previously managing partner of leading North-East law firm Jacksons , a company she joined on an initially temporary basis in 2004 .
The voice of business in the Tees region | 23