Wearside and County Durham Business Executive of the Year
Winner: Anne Ganley, managing director, A Thompson & Sons, Sunderland.
One of Britain's few female builders' merchants, Anne has already chaired the merchants' northern federation, and won a national award for her "outstanding" contribution to the industry. The family firm she has led for 13 of her 32 years there (since leaving school) has celebrated its 50th anniversary ever stronger. Once a rag and bone round, it has developed under Anne as a builders' merchant and now, in DIY, an independent regional challenger to the likes of B&Q and Wickes. The £14m turnover firm employs more than 110 people at Sunderland, South Shields and Durham City. Assets include a waste management station, and further expansion is planned, especially in plumbing supplies. Anne, a grandmother, was runner-up in North-East Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2005. Her firm gives £25,000 a year to local causes. Her bank manager says of Anne, 49: "She must be one of the most decent people to work for." ********** Runners-up David Archer, co-owner and managing director, Pagebet, Durham City. Pagebet is Reuben Page reincarnated. Probably the region's oldest independent bookmaker, it will shortly have 50 shops from Ashington to Sheffield, and has an online business for racing, football, poker and other gaming. Pagebet is the UK's 10th largest operator, successful against titans like William Hill. Once a six-shop chain, it took off buying Ernie Foster's 13 shops in Sunderland area, and has used deregulation in the industry to expand further. Now in a new £1.5m HQ, it is the biggest phone betting business north of Leeds. David, former Houghton-le-Spring Grammar School pupil, graduated from Newcastle Polytechnic, and holds an MBA from Durham. He previously worked in NCB administration, then was a buyer in Birmingham before returning north to enter bookmaking with old school friends. Pagebet turns over around £60m and has almost doubled employment in two years to 245. David is a member of the Entrepreneurs Forum. Paul Callaghan, founding chairman, Leighton Group, Sunderland. Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown has described Leighton as a firm that has "increased its workforce and managed its growth by investment, showing what can be done to build a world-class company." The technology and communications group, a fastest e-50 in 2001, evolved out of conventional publishing during the e-boom. It has its UK HQ in Sunderland and a North American HQ in Ontario. Its five operations are: 4Projects, Leighton, The Data Corp, The Communicator Corp, and Business Education Publishers. Clients include British Airways, Microsoft, Sony Europe, the Australian Government and Royal Bank of Scotland. An earlier company Paul founded in 1997 became one of Europe's biggest domain name registrars before he sold it on. Paul, 53, a former Northern e-business Entrepreneur of the Year, helped found the Entrepreneurs Forum, chairs Business Link Tyne and Wear and RTC North. |
