A new awards ceremony is being launched to celebrate people across the north making a difference in their local community.
Called Northern Gamechangers, it has been designed to celebrate business leaders creating positive changes in their fields.
Set to debut this autumn, it will honour regional leaders from the north of England – and organisers are now on the hunt for nominations.
The brainchild of Manchester-based business consultancy Elevate, the awards ceremony has been designed to champion purpose-driven businesses – after noticing the little recognition available for those making a real difference in similar programmes, reports The Manc.
However, in a twist that sets the awards apart from most, there will not be any formal nomination categories. Rather, nominated ‘Gamechangers’ are able to excel in a number of areas – including sustainability, decarbonisation, social mobility, diversity and inclusion, and charitable partnerships.
It will take place with a cool and contemporary awards ceremony held in Manchester on 14 September 2022, with nominations open to organisations, businesses and individuals until 17 June.
Read more: Leeds to bathe in ‘well above average’ temperatures this week – but the pollen count is spiking too
Forgoing the traditional glitzy ceremony, the awards will do away with the white tablecloths and stuffy dress codes of old in favour of something altogether more relaxed and fun – as well as a much more accessible ticket price.
Speaking on the new awards, Katie Robson, Co-Founder and Director, said: “We are constantly inspired by people that prove that businesses can, and should, be a force for good – we’ve launched Northern Gamechangers to celebrate these individual and organisations and spread the word to others.”
Confirmed judges include Anna Gledson, Managing Director at The Manc; Sharon
Amesu, Founder of SA Consulting, and North-West Business Leadership Team; Amer
Gaffar, Director of Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre and Tim Heatley, Co-Founder of Capital&Centric.
Sponsors of the programme include a leading independent PR agency, The PHA Group,
which last year launched its Manchester base and has since added a Leeds office to the roster; Manchester Central, the city’s thriving exhibition and conference centre; and
Appleyard Lees, Intellectual Property specialists.
Nominations are now open for the Northern Gamechangers, which will take place on 14 September at an as-yet-undisclosed venue in Manchester.
Speaking further on the Northern Gamechanger awards, Katie added: “We’ve been immersed in Manchester’s thriving business community for some time now, and what really makes the region stand out is just how many people are willing to step outside the box with new ideas and game changing attitudes.
Read more: UK’s Best 50 Gastropubs announced and two are only an hour from Leeds
“Through Northern Gamechangers, we want to make noise about Manchester’s
pioneering spirit and those using their influence for good. We can’t wait to see the
nominations – we already know there are a lot of Gamechangers in the region.”
Speaking on the upcoming awards, Anna Gledson, Managing Director at The Manc and Northern Gamechangers judge, added: “Here at The Manc Group, we’re big champions of the north and it’s a real honour to be involved with Northern Gamechangers’ inaugural year.
“We know that there are so many wonderful business leaders in the north of England doing brilliant things, and this new awards ceremony is such a great opportunity to shine a light on those who are going the extra mile in their communities – be it through charitable partnerships, sustainability, diversity and/or inclusion.
“We’re delighted to be supporting the initiative with our regional publications and I can’t wait to see who gets involved.”
Read more: Debate rages as ‘giant willy’ wood carving appears in West Yorkshire park
A shortlist of 50 nominees will be announced for Northern Gamechangers in July, followed by the final 10 award winners who will be revealed at the event on Wednesday 14 September.
Further information and nominations for the Northern Gamechangers can be found here.
Feature image – Geograph
