Search for a business star
Aug 27 2008 by Iain Laing, The Journal
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THE search is on to find the stars of the North East business world in our prestigious North East Business Executive of the Year Awards 2008.
Last year the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award was Robert Dickinson, who was recognised not just for a career which saw him rise to become one of the region’s best-known lawyers but a respected figure at many of the region’s biggest companies.
He is a notable addition to the distinguished list of names honoured by the title at the awards organised by The Journal and its Teesside sister paper the Evening Gazette.
He is credited largely with bringing about the Northern Rock Foundation which benefits thousands of people in community activities throughout the area. The same foundation also served as a ringfence against any early takeover when Northern Rock converted from a building society to a public company listed on the Stock Exchange.
And whatever the problems recently faced by the Newcastle-based bank, there has been widespread admiration for the good that the foundation has achieved in helping people from many walks of life.
Mr Dickinson reached the peak of his legal career as senior partner of Newcastle law firm Dickinson Dees (1987-97), where he was a fifth-generation member of his family.
The awards also honour the achievements of executives from three sub-regions, Durham and Wearside, Tyneside and Northumberland and Tees Valley with the illustrious title of North East Business Executive of the Year 2008 given to one of the winners of those awards.
It is 25 years since the awards were launched and to mark a quarter century of success this year, we are launching a new category. The inaugural North East Non-Executive Director of the Year Award aims to recognise the key contribution that non-executive directors play in businesses across the North East. The winner of the inaugural award would be someone who had made a significant difference to their organisation, or who had, perhaps, helped overcome a major issue or problem. In any event, their contribution would be clearly recognised by the chairman or managing director of the organisation concerned.
There is also a trophy for the North East Young Business Person of the Year, who must be aged 30 or under on Thursday, November 1. Judges will reward excellence shown by executives from any sector, whose success is seen through published results and who show promise of even greater things.
The judging panel includes One NorthEast director of business and industry Ian Williams; North East Chamber of Commerce chief executive James Ramsbotham; CBI North East regional chairman Bob Davies; Storeys SSP director John Irwin; Brewin Dolphin divisional director Vinay Bedi; Bank of England regional agent David Buffham; Trinity Mirror North East managing director Steve Brown; Journal assistant editor (business) Andrew Hebden; North East business journalist Brian Nicholls; and Journal business editor Iain Laing.
The accolades have attracted the backing of major sponsors, including Dickinson Dees, CBI, Miller, Baker Tilly, North Star, Newcastle University Business School, Royal Bank of Scotland, UBS, University of Teesside Business School, University of Newcastle Business School, Knight Frank and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
