South: Finalists named for EY Entrepreneur of the Year

Three businesses from the Thames Valley and South have been listed as finalists in the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2019 programme.

These entrepreneurs will be joined by 24 other companies across London and South at a regional awards event to be held in July.

• Edwin Bessant and Annette D’Abreo of Ceuta Healthcare Group (Bournemouth) - a global consumer brand services organisation, founded in 1994. Its mission is to deliver the most effective, innovative and creative service solutions to enable businesses to achieve their full potential.
• Nicholas Hawker of First Light Fusion (Oxford) - a fusion energy company, that researches and develops methods to generate power through inertial confinement fusion, which is the energy used to power the sun. The company believes by achieving fusion gain in a more robust and practical manner, it will enable a realistic prospect for affordable electricity generation.  
• Ali Shah of Travel Up (Reading) - an online travel agent that offers value-for-money flight and hotel deals, using bespoke deal finder technology.

Paul Etherington, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year leader for the Thames Valley and South, said: “This programme supports the enviable entrepreneurial community we have in the Thames Valley and South, recognising and connecting another three local businesses in this year’s programme. These businesses not only create jobs and generate wealth, they also contribute to the continued growth of the local economy.”

 Who will be crowned 2019 London and South winner?

The London and South finalists will be interviewed by a panel of independent judges, who will select and announce winners in July. Similar events will be held in Scotland, the North of England and the Midlands. Regional winners will then progress to the UK final held in London in November, where the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year UK will be named.

The overall winner will then represent the UK at the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year in June 2020, a forum which gathers the winning entrepreneurs from more than 50 countries.