(left to right) Michael Taylor, NW Editor of Business Desk, Nick Oettinger of The Furniture Recycling Group and Jack Stopforth MBE, from Taylor Stopforth Limited

(left to right) Michael Taylor, NW Editor of Business Desk, Nick Oettinger of The Furniture Recycling Group and Jack Stopforth MBE, from Taylor Stopforth Limited

North West Leadership Awards

by Jack Stopforth

North West Leadership Awards

Jack Stopforth was delighted to be invited by the influential online business journal The Business Desk.com to judge their prestigious North West Leadership Awards. Jack joined an impressive panel of business professionals, chaired by a senior business academic from Alliance Manchester Business School, to judge around seventy submissions. 

Short-lists drawn were up in more than a dozen business categories, showcasing impressive leaders from Carlisle to Crewe. Awards were made for Young Entrepreneur, and the initiative highlighted high-performing leaders from Financial Services, Marketing, Property Industry, Public and Third Sector and Green Business Leader.

Green Leader Award

In an entertaining evening in Manchester's historic Midland  Hotel, Jack Stopforth presented the Green Leader Award to Nick Oettinger, owner of The Furniture Recycling Group. Nick is an esteemed circular economist and an influential green leader. His pioneering innovations in mattress recycling and rejuvenation have led to 3.5 million mattresses diverted from landfills, earning him recognition as a Global Recycling Hero and a leading advocate for sustainability. 

Other shortlisted businesses in this category included Tom Bloor, of Evec, Asif Ghafoor, CEO of electric vehicle charging company Be.EV Limited and Phil Marsden of Muse, a leading environmental services businesses in the construction sector. 

As a bonus, Green Business Leader Nick Oettinger was also named overall North West Business Leader.