Pioneer head the keynote speaker at awards

The Channel 4 series which followed life inside Mr Mitchell’s school – Thornhill Community Academy in Dewsbury – attracted millions of viewers and won a clutch of television awards.

It showed that an inspirational group of teachers really can make a difference. Mr Mitchell will take centre stage as the keynote speaker at this year’s Variety’s Yorkshire Business Awards, an event which has raised more than £3m for disadvantaged children since it was launched more than a quarter of a century ago.

Hundreds of leading business figures from around Yorkshire will hear Mr Mitchell’s story at the prestigious business awards lunch, which is being held at The Queens hotel in Leeds on Friday, December 12. During the lunchtime event, which has The Yorkshire Post and Howgate Sable as its headline sponsors, awards will be presented to individuals who epitomise all that is great about Yorkshire’s business community.

This year, the event has a new chairman, Chris Kelly, the group finance director of Redhall Group, who has also held senior roles at Town Centre Securities and Ernst & Young. Mr Kelly takes over from corporate lawyer Martin Shaw, who has stepped down after a long and successful period in the role.

Mr Kelly said: “I strongly believe it is important for Yorkshire businesses and their leaders to be recognised for their contribution to the local, national and international economies.

“Our businesses are major contributors in so many ways to the prosperity of the region, providing employment, products and services across the world. So I am looking for Yorkshire businesses and readers of The Yorkshire Post to think hard about the businesses that they feel have made a great contribution during 2014 and to nominate them. It is a great opportunity to network and kick off the festive celebrations. It is also a great opportunity to contribute, through Variety, to improving the lives of disabled and under privileged children in Yorkshire.”

Martin Boyle, a partner at Howgate Sable, the executive search consultancy, said: “The business awards lunch will be an outstanding opportunity for the business community in Yorkshire to show its collective support for Variety.”

Other sponsors include: Design Portfolio, EY, DLA Piper, Pace, Hendersons, Rothschild, Yorkshire Bank, Yorkshire Building Society and Leeds Beckett University.

Entries are being sought for the following categories: The business leader of the year, the board of the year, the SME of the year and a new Yorkshire CSR (corporate social responsibility) award, which is presented by Leeds Beckett University.

The judging panel will also present a special lifetime achievement award.

Entries should be emailed to Bernard Ginns, The Yorkshire Post’s Business Editor, and must contain a statement outlining why the nominated company or individual should win.

Entrants can be nominated in a number of categories. Please send entries to [email protected] by October 24.