James Villareal Is First From Entrepreneurial Category To Win Birmingham Young Professional Of The Year

James Villarreal, Chief Executive Officer of Glide Utilities, became the first contender from the Entrepreneurial category to win Birmingham Young Professional of the Year (BYPY) at the event’s 10th anniversary awards ceremony. James Villarreal, 24, won the Entrepreneurial category despite stiff competition from Moo Moo Youth Marketing Director Tim Nutbeam, who received a special commendation from the judges. He went on to beat fellow category winners from the Financial Services, Legal, Recruitment and Training, Property and Construction, and Communications sectors to receive the coveted BYPY crown. A panel of judges, chaired by Michelin starred chef Glynn Purnell, chose James Villarreal, who founded Glide Utilities in 2006 with business partner Sandeep Krishan. The pair offered a solution to splitting bills in shared accommodation by billing each tenant individually. The other winners on the night were Katie Banks of Town Hall and Symphony Hall Birmingham, who came out on top in the Communications category; Simon O’Neill of Ernst & Young, who triumphed in the Financial category; Pinsent Masons’ Matthew Heaton, who beat off contenders in the Legal category; Paul Dalton from Mace Group who led the pack in the Property and Construction category; and Joel Graham-Blake from Cultiv8 Solutions who took the title for the Recruitment and Training category. The event, which took place at the ICC, also saw Bernard Shepherd, consultant at law firm HBJ Gateley Wareing, accept his award for Inspiring Leader 2010. Amanda Porter, chairman of Birmingham Future and senior solicitor at Mills & Reeve, said: “All of the judges were really impressed with James’s drive and his enthusiasm for enterprise. “He is a great role model for young people in the region and I’m looking forward to seeing what he does during his year as BYPY 2010. “There were some really talented finalists this year and the Entrepreneurial category was particularly impressive, which is why we decided to publicly commend a finalist who hadn’t won, for the first time in the awards’ history.” Darren Walker, chairman of the BYPY committee and an associate at law firm Cobbetts, said: “It is fitting that as BYPY celebrates its tenth anniversary we are also celebrating the first ever winner to come from the Entrepreneurial category. “The awards this year really were a night to remember and I’m excited about what could be in store for BYPY during the next ten years.”

BYPY raises £5,500 for Future Foundation

Thanks to all those who entered the raffle at the 10^th Birmingham Young Professional of the Year Awards (BYPY).  The total raised for the Future Foundation on the night was in excess of £4,500.

This was topped up with another £1,000 pledged by the BYPY judges’ table after David Neale of JNJ Financial Management offered to add an extra leg onto his epic bike ride to Geneva.  David Neale is completing the ride for SENSE, but has dedicated the Birmingham to London leg of the journey to the Future Foundation.

The winners of the raffle were:

Jackie Hendley, KPMG;

Hilary Chilton, Realise Innovation Consulting;

Tracey O’Neill, Ernst & Young;

Colette Gregory, Glide Utilities;

Tony Kwok, NHS;

Morag Jackson, UHB;

Amy Griffiths, HBJ Gateley Wareing;

Ian Burrows, Brewin Dolphin;

Mike McMahon, Harvey Ingram;

Shirley Wilson, Deloitte;

Susan Cameron, BDD LLP; and

Gurpreet Jagpal, University of Birmingham.

Prizes were kindly donated by: jewellery designer KC; Cornish holiday provider Atlantic Reach; Birmingham’s Itihaas restaurant; City Nites; video and design company Red Box; Town Hall Symphony Hall; Cadbury’s World; Benjamin Ryan; Aston Villa; and Women in Property.

Suzie Branch, Client Services Director BHMG Marketing

Who / what is your inspiration?

My answer is probably the same that everyone gives – my inspiration really is to give something back. Throughout the whole of my school and university education I was taught how important it is to society as a whole to try wherever possible to give up some of our own time to help others and I think that’s just stuck with me throughout my life.

What prompted you to get involved in volunteering?

I have always been involved in volunteering in some way from my school days and it has now just stayed with me. I think once you become involved in volunteering it just becomes part of your life and even if you find yourself moving away to a new town or city it tends to be something that you seek out straight away as it is just part of your life.

Which / what type of organisation are you involved in?

I am involved in several of volunteering roles including:

• Helping raise funds for Elmhurst School of Dance in Birmingham
• A member of St Basils North Worcestershire Development Committee
• A member of the Birmingham Future Community Development Committee
• Mentoring at Moreton Hall School in Shropshire
• Acting as a “tutor” for Business Days at Malvern St James School
• Acting as a mentor as part of the Birmingham Future and Birmingham City University scheme

What’s the best thing about volunteering?

The buzz and friendships!
There is a real buzz from knowing that you can use one of your skills to really help others in your own way. Secondly the friendships that you forge and the people that you meet become so special – sometimes I can have had a really bad day at work and be all worked up and full of stress – then I go off to a volunteering activity and within half an hour usually find myself laughing, the stress goes away and in fact I come away from volunteering looking at problems I may be trying to tackle at work in a completely new light.

Who have you met while volunteering?

I’ve made so many new friends and for that I feel so lucky! Last December at one fundraising event I was privileged enough to meet HRH The Duchess of Cornwall and Alan Tic marsh!

What project are you working on at the moment / would like to highlight?

The St Basils Cotswold Challenge walk is taking place on Saturday June 5th – an excellent way to keep fit, see some of Britain’s beautiful countryside , raise money for charity and network http://www.stbasils.org.uk/fundraising/events/walk
If you would like to find out more how you could help with the Elmhurst School of Dance Endowment Fund please just contact me.

Why should others get involved?

Many people would give anything to have the opportunity to play a role where they can really have an input in changing and improving the society therefore we should take every opportunity we are given to give something back, grasp it with both hands and throw ourselves into it.
And finally in the words of Winston Churchill: “You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give.”
If you are interested in getting involved with any other these initiatives, please contact me on: suzie@hmgmarketing.co.uk

Tickets for BYPY 10 Selling Fast

Tickets for BYPY’s 10th anniversary are selling quickly and the committee behind the event is hoping that there will be more guests there than ever before.

The organisers are encouraging anyone who wishes to attend to book their place as soon as possible and have promised that this year’s awards ceremony will be more lavish than ever.

Darren Walker, chairman of the BYPY committee and associate in the corporate team at Cobbetts, said: “We’re thrilled with our ticket sales so far, particularly as it is BYPY’s 10th anniversary and we’re determined to have more people at the event than ever before to enjoy what will be the most spectacular BYPY to date.

“There are still some tickets remaining and we hope that those who haven’t yet bought theirs will join us in celebrating ten years of rewarding the region’s most talented young professionals.

“BYPY is always a fun event and a great networking opportunity. This year it should be bigger and better than ever before, with Suzi Perry from Five’s the Gadget Show compering and luxury goody bags from Brindleyplace for every guest.

“It will be a night to celebrate the fantastic achievements of Birmingham’s young professionals and to show how far the city has come in the past ten years.

The 18 BYPY finalists will battle it out on 27 May at the ICC, competing in the Communications, Financial Services, Legal, Recruitment and Training, Property and Construction, and Entrepreneurial categories.

This year’s overall BYPY winner will be chosen from the winners of each of the six categories.

The Inspiring Leader award, which recognises individuals who have inspired and mentored the city’s young professionals over the years, will also be presented on the night.

Tickets for BYPY are on sale priced £850 + VAT per table (or £85 + VAT per person for single tickets). To reserve your place please contact Claire Hawkins at the Birmingham Future office on 0121 632 2204 or via email claire@birminghamforward.co.uk.

Finalists in Tenth Battle for BYPY Crown

Eighteen of the city’s top young professionals are locked in a fierce battle to become the tenth Birmingham Young Professional of Year.

A panel of judges, chaired by Michelin starred chef Glynn Purnell, has interviewed three finalists for each of the six categories, which include Communications, Financial, Legal, Recruitment and Training, Property and Construction, and Entrepreneurial.

The 18 candidates endured a tough grilling from the panel, which also included Alun Thorne, editor of the Birmingham Post, Paul Thandi, chief executive of the NEC group, last year’s BYPY winner Suzie Branch of BHMG, Trevor Foster of Lockton, Birmingham Forward chairman Sue Lewis of Eversheds and Birmingham Future chairman, Amanda Porter of Mills & Reeve.

The overall BYPY winner will be chosen from the winners of each of the six categories, all of which will be announced at the 10th anniversary awards ceremony on Thursday 27 May at the ICC.

The short listed candidates include creative brains Mark Scourse of Birmingham International Airport, second time finalist Rob Langley-Swain of the NEC Group and Katie Banks from the Town Hall and Symphony Hall Birmingham in the Communications category.

In the Financial Services category Heather Griffin of Yorkshire Bank, Simon O’Neill of Ernst & Young and David Neale of JNJ Financial Management have made it through to the final stages of the competition.

Ruth Creed of Mills & Reeve, Matthew Heaton of Pinsent Masons and Lisa Clark of HBJ Gateley Wareing are the contenders for the Legal category, while Joel Graham-Blake of Cultiv8 Solutions, Kaye Thumpston of eNL Legal Recruitment and Kam Vara of Katie Bard are going head to head in the Recruitment and Training sector.

Paul Daulton of MACE Group, Damien Byrne of MCD Developments and Gareth Poole of Turner & Townsend will fight it out in the Property and Construction category, and Chris Unitt of Meshed Media will take on James Villarreal of Glide Utilities and Tim Nutbeam of Moo Moo Youth Marketing in the Entrepreneurial category.

Darren Walker, associate at law firm Cobbetts and chairman of the BYPY committee, said: “This year more than ever we wanted to find the very best professional talent Birmingham has to offer to make the tenth BYPY the most competitive yet.

“Becoming BYPY is a fantastic opportunity to act as an ambassador for the city and we hope the previous nine winners will join us on the night when we will announce the tenth professional to join their ranks.

“Just being short-listed is a great achievement and all of the finalists, past and present, should feel very proud of their accomplishments.”

Tickets for BYPY are now on sale priced £850 + VAT per table (or £85 + VAT per person for single tickets). To reserve your place please contact Claire Hawkins at the Birmingham Future office on 0121 632 2204 or via email claire@birminghamforward.co.uk.

The BYPY judging panel deliberates after an interview with one of the finalists.