Alumni Success: Astonishing Achievements

This week we celebrate four alumni who have all been accredited incredible awards. Congratulations to Johnathan, Paul, Tricia and Shab.

Johnathan Sanderson, Corecom Consulting, Leeds | Leeds Regional Cohort 7
Managing director, Johnathan Sanderson is delighted to share that the IT recruitment company Corecom Consulting have been accredited the ‘We invest in people’ Platinum status by Investors in People. The accolade recognises excellence in leadership, culture and people management. Johnathan said, “It is a true testament to the amazing work, dedication and commitment that our entire team puts into empowering, developing and prioritising the wellbeing, not only of the business but also of each other as individuals, embodying our culture and values”. Despite setbacks due to the pandemic, Corecom Consulting has expanded into Europe and smashed their turnover target three-fold over.

Paul Griffiths, Aspire Sports Health and Fitness, Birmingham | Aston Regional Cohort 7
Activity education and training provider, Aspire Sports Health and Fitness, has won the National Business Award from Lloyds Bank. The Group now works with almost 200 schools across the country, providing PE, sport, and physical activity support to primary schools to get more children moving. It also delivers apprenticeships through its training arm and supports around 40 children’s physical activity providers with Aspire Active Partnerships. Director Paul Griffiths said: “We exist to combat inactivity among children. When the pandemic hit and schools closed, we pivoted operations to offer more business support to our Aspire Active Partnerships network. This involved webinars, resources, peer support group sessions and weekly huddles, and creating an online forum where the owners of these like-minded organisations could share challenges and good practice. Running a small business can be a lonely place at times and that was especially true during the first lockdown. But the network has become a close-knit community and we have now evolved that side of the business into an ongoing support system, all aiming to get more children engaged and active”.

Tricia Fox, Cunningly Good Group, Perth | National Cohort 6
Cunningly Good Group, an independent PR and marketing agency, has won a trio of gold and silver awards at this year’s Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) PRide Scotland Awards. They took home a Silver Award for Integrated Campaign, for their work marketing the 2019 GWCT Scottish Game Fair at Scone Palace, a Gold Award for Best Publication, producing The Wood and the Trees: Forestry Induction Pack for Lantra Scotland, and the Gold Award for Small PR Consultancy. The judges noted, “We applaud the actions taken to keep the agency going, not just with a concerted new business push but with a keen focus on staff welfare and training”. Tricia Fox, founder and CEO commented, “while the last 18 months have been a real rollercoaster ride for us, it’s days like this that make it all worthwhile. Our team are genuinely delighted to be recognised as Scotland’s Small PR Consultancy of the Year and have celebrated these hard-won trophies. Their determination, resilience and professionalism is a credit to each and every one of the team and these awards are a real boost to morale. I am so proud.”

Shab Djakiodine, Euro Accounting Ltd, Birmingham | National Cohort 13
Founder Shab Djakiodine is delighted to share that the chartered accountancy practice Euro Accounting made the final shortlist for both the Investors in People Awards and the Business Culture Awards. Shab shares, “this is an outstanding achievement and one that everyone at Euro Accounting is proud of”. The company has been recognised in the Employer of the Year category at the Investors in People Awards 2021, In a record-breaking year for entries, with nearly three hundred organisations involved. Whilst also being recognised in both the Best Small Organisation for Business and Best International Organisation for Business Culture categories at the Business Culture Awards.
________________________________________

If you have your own good news or insights to share, please let us know via our Alumni Story Portal.