The Winners were:

  • Director of the Year, up to £4.99m: Howard Wilder Managing Director and founder of Genitrix, Billingshurst, Sussex, which provides treatments for pets.
  • Director of the Year, £5m to £24.99m: Dr Nasser Siabi, Chief Executive of Mircolink PLC, Chandlers Ford, Hampshire, which develops IT system and technology designed to help people with disabilities.
  • Director of the Year, £25m to £99.99m: Simon Biltcliffe, Managing Director of Webmart Ltd, Bicester. The judges said: “Webmart had no debt, has saved its customers between ten and 40 per cent on its print costs and has donated £54,900 to charity over the past year.”
  • Director of the Year over £100m: Paul Drechsler, Chairman and Chief Executive of the construction company Wates Group based in Leatherhead, Surrey.
  • International Director of the Year up to £4.99m: Paul Winter, Managing Director of Wire Belt, Sittingbourne, Kent, manufacturers of wire conveyor belting and conveyors predominantly for the food processing sector.
  • International Director of the Year over £5m: David Price, Chief Executive of Chemring Group PLC, Fareham, Hampshire. Current projects include the production of mine detectors used by NATO in Afghanistan.
  • New Business Director of the Year: James Woollard of Polythene UK, Witney, Oxfordshire, which specialises in own-branded industrial packaging.

In a break from previous years, IoD South Regional Chairman, Chris Dodson, also made two special awards for leaders combining business acumen with helping good causes.

  • Chairman’s Award: Duncan Goose, founder of not-for-profit Global Ethics based in Camden, which gives away 100 per cent of its net profits to charity and has given more than £3m to fund charitable projects in Africa over recent years.
  • Special Chairman’s Award: Anna Kennedy, of Hillingdon, Middlesex. When Anna could not find suitable education for her sons when they were diagnosed with autism she set up Hillingdon Manor School. It now caters for youngsters aged 3 to 19 and supports a vocational college for teenagers and a residential home for eight adults.