TEES TECH AWARDS 2025

SPONSORED BY PUNCH ROBSON SOLICITORS

Punch Robson Solicitors managing partner Elaine McLaine-Wood presents the Tech Business Leader of the Year award to Colewood Digital managing director Helen Stewart.

WINNER

The first woman to be crowned Business Leader of the Year at the Tees Tech Awards says it’ s vital to nurture staff and“ stay in your own lane”.

Colewood Digital MD Helen Stewart has overseen a 20 %-plus revenue increase at the Stockton-based full-service digital marketing firm in the past year, vindicating her supportive approach to leadership, which always involves getting the best out of her team.

She’ s been at Colewood for nearly five years, although her own digital journey started 20 years ago, working at various London and North-East agencies before coming to Colewood in 2021. And in that time, she says, there were obstacles to overcome. She said:“ Yes, there’ ve been some barriers. Sometimes as a woman, you’ re maybe not taken as seriously as you should be but you need to keep pushing, growing and doing what you do – concentrate on yourself and the business you work for, stay in your own lane and carry on.”

Admitting she was in“ complete shock” to clinch the title, Helen said she was thrilled to win the award on behalf of the firm, which is celebrating 25 years in business.

Helen said:“ Tech’ s always been a bit of a male-dominated area so I’ m over the moon. It’ s a big accolade – I’ ve been a leader for quite a few years now so it’ s nice to get recognition for what I’ ve done in the tech industry.

“ I think to be a good leader you need to support and nurture the team around you – make sure they’ re doing what they need to do but also help them grow – that’ s what makes me wake up every day, seeing them grow and seeing everything they achieve.”

With a staff of 25, Colewood specialises in pay-per-click( PPC) advertising, search engine optimisation( SEO), social media management, email marketing, website development and media services, serving more than 150 clients across the UK and in multiple industries.

Since becoming MD in 2021, Helen has led a major transformation at the company, driving ambitious growth plans, increasing staff numbers by 32 %, securing high-profile contracts worth over £ 250,000 per annum and expanding service offerings.

SPONSOR’ S MESSAGE

Elaine McLaine-Wood, managing partner, Punch Robson Solicitors: We just love the Tees Tech Awards. Being a corporate lawyer, I love supporting our businesses and it’ s brilliant to champion what’ s coming out of Teesside. And to have a female winner, I love that. You’ ve got to win it on merit, of course, and Helen absolutely deserved it.

FINALISTS

GARRY BROWN( BONDGATE IT)

Garry is MD of Bondgate IT, a multi-awardwinning managed IT services provider based in Darlington. In his role, he spearheaded the company’ s evolution from a seller of consumer computers into a thriving enterprise specialising in managed IT services, now employing a team of 26 professionals.

The sustained growth and evolution of Bondgate IT over its 27-year history, from a consumer-focused business to a prominent IT managed services provider in Darlington and the wider Tees Valley stands as a clear testament to his long-term vision and guidance in navigating the ever-changing digital landscape.

And his role as a recognised cyber expert for the North East Business Resilience Centre further solidifies Garry’ s position as a dynamic digital leader.

CHRIS WOOD( TANGLEWOOD GAMES)

Chris is co-founder and CEO of Tanglewood Games, a leading Unreal Engine codevelopment studio based in his home town, Hartlepool.

Since 2017, Chris has grown Tanglewood into a world-class engineering provider, working on such major titles as Hogwarts Legacy, Sea of Thieves and Fortnite.

With more than 20 years in the industry, Chris has driven technical innovation in Unreal Engine and, under his leadership, Tanglewood has become an Unreal Engine Gold Service Partner – one of only 23 such studios worldwide. In 2024 alone, Tanglewood worked on 18 projects for 17 studios, hiring 11 new team members and collaborating with several big name companies. He also supports the local area by working with schools and sponsoring Hartlepool United.

The voice of business in the Tees region | 143