City A.M. Awards 2022: Entrepreneur of the Year
The City is back, and so are the City A.M. Awards, recognising the best of the Square Mile, Canary Wharf and London’s business community – which has shown shown resilience, innovation and adaptability like never before over the past year. We’re delighted to host what will be a wonderful celebration of the capital’s rebound, but we need your nominations to do it. After months of uncertainty, it’s time to look forward – and say well done to those who came to the fore in the most difficult of circumstances.
Celebrating the UK’s movers and shakers
In times of disruption, entrepreneurs come into their own rolling up their sleeves and getting on with it, regardless of the level of uncertainty. From first-timers to seasoned risktakers, the pace of business creation continues to reflect the ambition of people throughout Britain to think big and take on the world. London has always been willing to take a punt- but in 2021, these five entrepreneurs saw growth in the very toughest of circumstances.
Rooney Anand, Chief Executive Officer, RedCat
Longtime pub boss Rooney Anand hasn’t been scared of the damage wrought on the hospitality industry, but even the bravest business brain might have blanched at launching a pub company in the middle of 2021’s lockdown. Anand has built RedCat into a real player on the market in just more than 12 months, and his commitment to the capital’s pubs – and the risk to take plenty of them on – is a vote of confidence in Londoners’ desire to come together over food and a drink.
Euan Blair, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Multiverse
Solving Britain’s skills shortage has been one of the country’s biggest challenges for decades. Multiverse, founded by Blair in 2016, has seen huge growth over the past year as it connects apprentices with valuable work experience – a winwin for employer and employee alike. The firm is heading towards unicorn territory after another sizable raise in 2021 and is partnering with businesses across the economy, including in professional services, to match talented youngsters with valuable career paths.
Alex Chesterman OBE, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Cazoo
Serial start-up founder Alex Chesterman could have been forgiven for enjoying an easy life after selling Zoopla in 2018. But he’s back with Cazoo, the used-car marketplace which has become one of Britain’s biggest tech success stories. Last year saw Cazoo list on the New York Stock Exchange as part of expansion plans. And Chesterman continues to invest in the next disruptive British businesses, with investment in identity checking firm Thirdfort.
Natasha Guerra, Chief Executive Officer, Runway East
Natasha Guerra has always been at the forefront of the ‘new’ office, with Runway East co-working hubs playing host to hundreds of fast-growing businesses. Amid predictions of the office’s demise, however, Guerra doubled down on the value of collaboration and connectivity with a new all-singing, all-dancing space just across the river in London Bridge, giving a whole new raft of post-pandemic businesses the space to grow and develop.
Eccie and Gini Newton, Co-Founders, Karma Cans & Karma Kitchen
Eight years ago Gini and Eccie Newton founded Karma Cans bringing fresh healthy salads to offices in London. But their next venture, Karma Kitchens, has seen disused industrial spaces across the capital turned into commercial kitchens for the next generation of star British chefs and high-street staples. Whilst not a City business, nobody lives in the capital just for the office – and these innovative spaces have done their bit to ensure London remains a culinary and cultural hub for the most talented people around the world.
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