Yorkshire's Tim Bresnan set for Yorkshire Post's Excellence in Business Awards

The fast bowler is officially confirmed to appear at The Yorkshire Post’s Excellence in Business Awards on November 6 at the Emerald Stadium Headingley.

Mr Bresnan will participate in a live Q&A session on the stage prior to dinner commencing and will no doubt regale the audience with tales of his successful career which has seen him be part of an Ashes-winning team among other accolades.

He joins with Channel 4 broadcaster, Cathy Newman, as part of the line-up for this year’s event which is already looking set to be the biggest in its history.

Bresnan playing for his beloved Yorkshire.

Buy your tickets for this year's event here Mr Bresnan said: “I am very much looking forward to speaking at this year’s Yorkshire Post event.

“Headingley is a second home for me so I will be very much on familiar territory.

“The shortlisted businesses look to be very impressive and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top on the night.”

The big event will see an array of more than 50 businesses compete for 15 awards.

Cathy Newman will present this year;s awards

The shortlist, which was revealed in September, was drawn up following a six-hour intensive judging session at the offices of The Yorkshire Post.

The panel, featuring representatives of headline sponsors Grant Thornton, Yorkshire Bank and LDC, as well as Bank of England Yorkshire agent Juliette Healey and the paper’s business editor Mark Casci, selected the shortlist which sees Sewtec, Wren Kitchens, CPP Group and Essential Healthcare lead the way with shortlistings in more than one category.

->Read the full shortlist here Mr Casci said: “We are thrilled to welcome Tim to this year’s event.

“We have broadcasting excellence in the form of Cathy Newman as our presenter and now sporting excellence in the shape of Tim.

The Shadow Brexit Secretary was guest speaker last year.

“Given our host venue for 2019, we were keen to have a top sports person joining us for the evening and in Tim we have got just that.

“Headingley was home to one of the most dramatic days in recent cricketing history during the Ashes series and it is a venue which is known throughout the world as a stage for first-class sport.

“The big night is almost upon us and we are all really excited to announce our winners and celebrate the absolute cream of Yorkshire business.”

Additional sponsorship comes from associate backers OpenReach, LNER, Spaces, City Fibre and Associated British Ports.

The 2019 event features additional categories to previous formats, including awards for Manufacturer of the Year and a newly-create Social Mobility Award.

They will join categories for companies turning over more than £50m, companies turning over between £10m and £50m, companies turning over up to £10m, Entrepreneur of the Year, Apprenticeship Award, Business Leader of the Year, Commercial Development, Exporter of the Year, Innovation Award, Outstanding Employer, Technology and Digital, Turnaround, Young Business of the Year and the Community Award.

There will also be a special Lifetime Achievement Award on the night, with the winner being kept under wraps until the ceremony on November 6.

Last year saw big awards for Willerby Homes, Twinkl and Production Park and was presented by Sky News broadcaster Dermot Murnaghan.

Tickets are almost sold out but there is some still available from www.yorkshirebusinessexcellence.co.uk.