SoGlos strives to celebrate Gloucestershire's thriving business sector. With such a wealth of talent and passion, the harder we looked across the county, the greater the number of individuals we found whose actions make a positive impact.
Aiming to demonstrate the spread of talent of all ages, the diversity of sectors and types of influence, our 2024 hot list celebrates a range of inspiring individuals, in no particular order.
Leading hard-working teams; collectively they all help make Gloucestershire a fantastic place to work, live and play.
In partnership with:
Offering A Levels, T Levels, diplomas, undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses, Hartpury University and Hartpury College's specialist 360-hectare campus is designed to equip students with the skills, knowledge and experience needed to move into a dream career. The Gloucestershire institution is among the UK's leading specialist education providers in animal, agriculture, sports, business, equine, veterinary nursing and biological sciences.
Hartpury University and Hartpury College hartpury.ac.uk
WSP Solicitors is an independent legal practice, with offices in Stroud and Gloucester. The firm has been offering straightforward legal advice and support for over 260 years and provides a wide range of legal services for personal and business matters – from family law to residential and commercial conveyancing.
WSP Solicitors wspsolicitors.com
Mark FitzPatrick
Overseeing the management of a record £181.9 billion in client funds at the end of June 2024, CEO of Cotswolds-based wealth management firm St James's Place, Mark FitzPatrick has grown the partnership and its client base in 2024.
Helped by strong investment returns for clients, the UK's leading wealth management firm St James's Place has achieved record funds under his oversight.
Mark's goal is to drive growth over the long-term with plans to make savings of £100 million over the next three years.
Sir David McMurtry
A globally recognised innovator in aerospace and the wider engineering field, billionaire Sir David McMurtry has a number of patents for inventions in his name — running to at least 200.
One need only look at the county-based global engineering giant that is Renishaw to see his biggest legacy (he co-invented more than 150 of the firm's products alone).
Though no longer executive chairman of the Wotton-under-Edge engineering business he co-founded with Renishaw deputy chairman, John Deer, McMurtry's influence on the Gloucestershire business community is still undeniable — further solidified with a placement of fourth position in the south west in this year's Sunday Times Rich List, with a net worth of £1.25 billion.
Daniel O'Neill
When Daniel O'Neill founded kitchenware retailer ProCook as a mail order business in 1996, little did he know he would create the UK's leading direct-to-consumer specialist kitchenware brand, but he clearly saw potential and continues to realise it.
Having opened its 60th UK store in November 2023, the brand saw the successful opening of 10 more stores across the country in 2024, as well as a nine per cent rise in revenue reaching over £17 million in just the second quarter of this fiscal year with the most recent filed figures standing at £62.6 million as of March 2024.
O’Neill’s firm flourishes from its recently built Gloucester headquarters and proudly calls itself a B Corp business.
Jeremy Clarkson
With 8.7 million followers on Instagram, Cotswold farmer and brewer Jeremy Clarkson is certainly influential. He's also doing a lot to influence the public and Government's views on farming through his popular Netflix series, Clarkson's Farm.
At 64-years-old, he's showing no signs of slowing down. This year alone he's opened a Cotswolds pub, The Farmer's Dog, won best lager in England at the World Beer Awards 2024 for his Hawkstone Premium lager and his new book Diddly Squat: Home to Roost zoomed straight to the top of bestsellers' list in November 2024.
While farming may be hard graft, his labours are paying off. He's just signed a deal for his Bourton-on-the-Water brewed lager to be stocked in more than 300 Waitrose stores across the UK.
Nicola Bird
The new chief operating officer of KW Bell Group is hot on excellence, innovation, and dedication in construction.
Her family's initiative, AccXel, in the Forest of Dean, is an industry heavyweight and a testament to three generations of construction expertise, pioneering the UK's first and only industry-led construction school.
Operating with an ethos that a deep understanding of the industry is crucial for success, she remains hands-on and actively engaged at the coalface as she positively influences the next generation of construction workers.
Julian Dunkerton
2024 has been a year of big decisions and hard fights fought for Julian Dunkerton — but this business heavyweight often comes out on top.
With a business portfolio made up of plenty of success stories, including Japanese-style restaurant YOKU, and Dunkertons Organic Cider site, last year saw his major fashion brand, Superdry, an internationally renowned business headquartered in Cheltenham report losses in the year to April 2023 amounting to £148 million — but this year it got the go ahead for a massive restructuring plan which includes taking cost-saving measures such as rent reductions at 39 UK stores and delisting from the London Stock Exchange.
The controversial marquees at No.131 were also a big topic in Cheltenham's hospitality sector, and after coming toe-to-toe with Cheltenham Borough Council, in October 2024, Julian revealed bold new plans to replace them with a permanent terrace. As for whether this will go ahead, watch this space...
Richard Cook
This fishmonger with a savvy head for business has seen profits at his globally renowned firm Severn & Wye Smokery leap to £67.5 million.
Ambitious plans from the chairman to build a huge new fish farm, restaurant and visitor centre at Lydney Harbour have recently been given the go ahead, too.
The smokery, restaurant, chef's larder, fish counter and cookery school, just off the A48 at Chaxhill, was founded in 1989 and under Richard's watchful eye employs more than 240 people.
Dave Merrett
Winner of Family Business of the Year 2024 in the Gloucestershire Business Awards, D.C. Merrett & Company impressed judges with the firm's integrity and ethics.
Founder and managing director Dave manages the firm alongside his wife Kate and employs all four of his daughters as well as his son-in-law.
The heavy haulage and waste services provider, based in Epney near Gloucester, provides services for Severn Trent and a variety of hardworking clients covering everything from essential septic tank emptying to industrious JCB servicing.
Mark Hews
If we listed every Gloucestershire business that influenced its community through charitable deeds and governance, you could be reading for some time — there are so many generous firms of all sizes out there giving back.
Mark Hews is group CEO of Ecclesiastical Insurance, a Brockworth-headquartered business that does all of the above, but on a quite incredible scale.
Ecclesiastical is an insurance firm aiming to not just deliver for customers, but as a charitable trust ploughing any profit it makes into good causes in the UK and beyond. Each year, it aims to give £1 million away to a number of charities as part of its Movement for Good Awards — with the Hollie Gazzard Trust, The Orchard Trust and The Friends of Gloucestershire Cathedral all past recipients.
Bridget Redmond
Managing partner at Cheltenham law firm Willans, Bridget Redmond joined the team 15 years ago, now leading it in its 76th year.
From its headquarters in Imperial Square, the firm sets the bar high, but otherwise modestly and quietly goes about its business working with clients from across the globe (including international household names and Fortune 500 businesses), as well as supporting causes across Gloucestershire.
Redmond became a partner at the firm in 2004 and climbed the ladder to be appointed as a managing partner in 2016, taking over from Margaret Austen at the Legal 500 and Chambers-rated firm. This year, Willans partnered with Hazlewoods to make the Gloucestershire Business Awards 2024 possible.
Dale Vince
It’s hard to ignore Dale Vince; the high-profile founder of Stroud electricity company Ecotricity has made an asset of his ability to garner publicity to spread a message in favour of green power, grown a significant business, and transformed from New Age traveller to high-profile business leader.
In 2024, Ecotricity partnered with BAFTA albert in a quest to decarbonise Britain's TV and film industry by helping production companies switch to green energy. Hopes are soaring for Ecojet, too — a world-leading brand-new venture working towards zero emission flying — as Dale signed a deal for 70 hydrogen-electric aircraft engines in November 2023.
He also claims ownership of Forest Green Rovers Football Club — a club he's helped raise both the league position and profile of, with grand plans for a new all-wooden stadium at Ebley, near the M5.
Jade Holland Cooper
The chic mind behind the eponymous Holland Cooper fashion brand, her confidence in her own ability, vision and ideas saw her leave the Royal Agricultural University to pursue her dreams of owning her own label.
It has proved to be the right choice again and again, and Jade Holland Cooper remains inspirational to other aspiring entrepreneurs.
With a loyal following garnered through mastering online sales via social media — and a solid relationship with Cheltenham Racecourse as its official fashion partner — future plans for the brand include expanding to the USA.
Matthew Burgess
Those who are familiar only with the modern Gloucestershire College are familiar with the work of principal and chief executive Matthew Burgess and his team, who picked up the baton from Greg Smith in 2013 on a mission to transform an institution crying out for investment and inspiration.
Burgess now steers a business spread over three enviable campuses, which remains ahead of the curve, not just in the county but beyond.
It was Gloucestershire College that was the first to commit attention to Gloucester Docks (then, near derelict), invest heavily in a stunning campus in Cinderford, and facilities including a cyber suite and degree-level courses in the cyber security field, cultivating strong links to the powerful threads that lead out of GCHQ into the cyber sector. Most recently, it has unveiled its new £5m construction training centre located in Cheltenham's Golden Valley.
Henry Herbert
The fabulous Hobbs House baker introduced monthly seasonal feast nights in Nailsworth in 2024, celebrating local producers and also shining a spotlight on the liberating impact of cryptocurrency Bitcoin as a form of payment for the meals.
As a result, the floral-filled, candlelit feasts he runs with his wife Jess, have attracted business from as far afield as Nashville in America — all because he's on the global Bitcoin payment map.
Meanwhile his company Hobbs House continues to go from strength to strength with four shops across the Cotswolds and a thriving bakery in Chipping Sodbury.
Jilly Cooper
The popular new Disney+ series of Rivals has put iconic Stroud-based author Jilly Cooper back on the map and, with it, the Cotswolds as a dreamy destination for tourists to visit too.
Recent statistics suggest a 60 per cent boost in travel searches for visits to the area since the rave reviews started piling in for Rivals, making Gloucestershire's top filly Jilly a woman of great influence.
Named Harper's Bazaar's writer of the year for 2024, for 'her extraordinary half-century contribution to literature' she's now making an extraordinary impact on county tourism, earning the area a sassy new nickname of 'the Hotswolds' thanks to her colourful and alluring characters.
Steve Mason
Founder and CEO of Nova Blue Technologies, Steve Mason, is the proud winner of the prestigious Business of the Year 2024 at Gloucestershire Business Awards.
Offering cyber security assessments, cyber education and professional protection services for business across Gloucestershire from its headquarters in Cheltenham, Steve's team is made up of cyber and risk experts with past positions working within the centre of governments in Canada and the UK — meaning there's decades of global experience within the team.
His ambition is to enrich lives and empower living through technology, with the belief government-grade cyber security technology should be available to all.
Nimesh Patel
Nimesh Patel took the reigns as group chief executive at global firm, Spirax Sarco Engineering, in January 2024, replacing Nicholas Anderson, who retired after 10 successful years in the role.
Spirax Sarco, which is headquartered in Cheltenham, is a leader in steam systems and electric thermal solutions in both commercial and industrial industries. Its last set of published accounts, for 2023, shows a turnover for Spirax-Sarco Limited at an exceptionally influential £132.2 million.
Patel oversees the daily undertakings of the group that acts as an umbrella firm for three world-leading businesses and multiple brands, including Spirax Sarco, Gestra and Watson-Marlow.
Professor Andy Collop
CEO, vice chancellor and principal of Hartpury University and Hartpury College, Professor Andy Collop continues to lead the inexorable rise of Hartpury, adding new degree courses and adopting an outward facing and collaborative approach to his leadership.
More than two years on, Andy is continuing to make his mark at one of the county’s key anchor institutions ensuring Hartpury’s profile and reputation continues to soar. There is further investment in world-class facilities alongside delivering specialist courses ranging from postgraduate degrees to A-Levels and BTECs, in animal, agriculture, sports, business, equine, biological science and veterinary nursing. The icing on the cake this year was Hartpury College securing another Ofsted ‘outstanding’ grade, complementing the university’s Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Triple Gold award last year.
With nine outstanding sports academies, Hartpury’s sporting prowess is renowned and is also home to the outstanding Gloucester-Hartpury women’s RFC, a collaborative venture with Gloucester Rugby, which won its second Allianz Premiere 15s tournament in 2024.
Mark Goucher
It was 2017 when producer Mark Goucher was appointed chief executive of Cheltenham's beloved Everyman Theatre, in a move we were told would lead to more productions opening in the town ahead of the West End — and it has proved the case.
Mark’s challenge was to keep the Everyman in its position at the heart of Cheltenham and to continue delivering shows that its eclectic and loyal audience, of all ages, can enjoy. An able board of directors helps, as does running his own London-based production company.
The latter has helped give him the connections and confidence to bring the likes of the London City Ballet back to Cheltenham for the first time in 30 years, as well as the longest running American musical in Broadway and West End history, Chicago — ensuring the very best shows for Gloucestershire theatregoers.
Bruce Gregory
Anyone who has followed the ongoing story of the cyber sector in Gloucestershire will know the name Bruce Gregory. Alongside Richard Yorke, Gregory is a co-director of CyNam as well as the managing director of the impressive Hub8 network of cyber business workplaces.
Starting in The Brewery Quarter and now including the Cheltenham campus of Gloucestershire College he's had a hand in helping to create a platform to a cyber sector that presents as a major economic driver for the county.
In collaboration with Plexal and Cheltenham Borough Council, Bruce helped to open the brand-new Minster Exchange in Cheltenham in July 2024. With more than 60 businesses already using the innovative co-working space as a base, the MX is also the new home to Cheltenham's Growth Hub — supporting business development in and around the town.
Clare Marchant
Clare Marchant is vice chancellor at the University of Gloucestershire, with a goal to strengthen every aspect of the institution, placing it not just on a firm footing but on the front foot, giving it direction and purpose to make it stand out to students and businesses in Gloucestershire and beyond.
Succeeding Stephen Marston and taking charge of the projects he brought forward, such as steps to transform the old Debenhams in Gloucester into a brand-new campus, Marchant hopes to work to further build the university's reputation in educating students — and it's working, as the university was one of the highest climbers in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025, rising 22 places to number 90.
As further proof, 95 per cent of graduates are in employment or further study after leaving the university and the numbers of students staying in the county are also increasing annually.
Lucy Beresford
Miles Dunkley’s Cheltenham design-led international beauty firm SLG Brands seems perpetually ahead of the curve. It was placing products it helped its clientele develop on social media via influencers and big names before it was commonplace to do so.
Lucy Beresford has been crucial in shaping the modern SLG. The University of Gloucestershire business and marketing graduate started working with the firm in 2005, becoming joint managing director in 2019. In October 2023, she was on stage at the Gloucestershire Business Awards with her co-managing director, Richard Buckland, collecting the Business Leader award.
And most recently in July 2024, the company's haircare brand Rhyme & Reason won the title of Best Natural Shampoo in the 2024 Marie Claire Skin and Hair Awards.
Ruth Dooley
Ruth Dooley, a partner at leading accountants and business advisors Hazlewoods, also chaired GFirst LEP — a business-led venture created to transform Gloucestershire's local enterprise through partnerships and investment, that attracted more than £113 million in funding for the county before government funding ceased and the majority of GFirst's current staff and its initiatives and activities transferred to Gloucestershire County Council.
Ruth's next venture was announced in August 2024, with her appointment confirmed on the new Economic Growth Board, which oversees the running of key initiatives and provides independent representation for businesses in the county.
She joins the board alongside other influential figures mentioned in this very list, including Nicola Bird, Clare Marchant and Matthew Burgess.
Jason Kalwa
Thriving in the cyber hub of the UK, Jason Kalwa's cyber company Salus Cyber came to be in 2017 — using his 15 years of cyber security experience to drive the company forward, experiencing 427 per cent growth in revenue from 2019 to 2020.
A keen hirer in the cyber sector, Salus Cyber formed a relationship with the University of Gloucestershire to begin recruiting apprentices. In recent news, Salus announced a partnership with Premier League football club West Ham United, becoming the team's official cyber security partner for 2024 onwards.
Further adding to his influence Gloucestershire, Jason also sits on the board of Cheltenham Chamber of Commerce.
Richard Lawson
The CEO of Polo Commercial Insurance Services, an arm of PoloWorks, saw the Bishop's Cleeve firm crowned one of the leading large organisations in the 2024 UK’s Best Workplaces in Financial Services & Insurance list.
Seizing new opportunities for growth, Richard Lawson is on a mission to retain and attract top talent at the aspirational firm that was also named a Best Workplace for Women this year.
Richard's ambitious goals include expanding the depth and capabilities of his teams, expanding PoloWorks' range of services and expanding overseas, solidifying the firm's position as leaders in creating insurance platforms and third-party servicing.
Neill Ricketts
Neill Ricketts may have resigned as CEO of graphene business Versarian in 2023, but he remains influential in the Gloucestershire business community.
He continues to champion the county, in particular the Forest of Dean, working towards even more success within his role as chairman of the Forest Economic Partnership.
The business organisation was launched in January 2018 to connect businesses and organisations within the public sector to the people of the Forest of Dean district, creating a united voice in the economic conversations driving the county forward.
Wayne Organ
Architectural firm Roberts Limbrick continues to change our built environment for the better, both in the county and beyond.
Wayne Organ is the director of its commercial sector operations, mostly working on industrial projects, and has long-running relationships with people across industry, especially in Gloucestershire.
He has led the firm’s input into projects including St Modwen Business Park (home to ProCook, Gardiner Bros, Downton), Renishaw's headquarters at Wotton-under-Edge, plus his team are on track with delivering the highly anticipated Cotswolds Designer Outlet, which is set to open in spring 2025.
Anthony Murphy
When it comes to Cheltenham's food and drink sector, a few names pop up, but perhaps none with such national and international notoriety as The Beefy Boys.
Anthony Murphy, affectionately known as Murf, is the CEO of the independent burger franchise that has taken the culinary world by storm — with numerous appearances on the BBC's Saturday Kitchen, a special one-hour programme with celebrity chef, Tom Kerridge and the release of The Beefy Boys cookbook.
The burger experts also reached new heights this year as they travelled to the USA to compete in the World Food Championships for a second time, leaving with the moniker of their Oklahoma Onion Boy being named the fourth best burger in the world — flipping awesome!
Sam Carter
When talking about hands-on influence in the building sector in Gloucestershire — and there are many with influence — few have quite the profile and history of EG Carter.
The Gloucester-based family business is part of the transformational Gloucester city centre development The Forum, it delivered the brand-new MKM Building Supplies Gloucester branch in Quedegely, has constructed schools and so much more throughout the county.
Sam Carter and brother Joshua became joint managing directors of the business in 2022, the fourth generation to lead the successful construction firm. Its published accounts showed an enormous increase in turnover for the year to the end of June 2024, from £69.4 million to over £90 million.
Jonathan White
A native of Northern Ireland, Jonathan White came to Gloucestershire to forge a career in architecture, starting with Roberts Limbrick, before moving to Gloucester Quays headquartered Quattro Design Architects in 2019, where he now acts as director.
Projects at the firm range from education healthcare, housing and later-living care, to defence, leisure and hospitality, commercial, mixed use and heritage.
Jonathan is also the chairman of Constructing Excellence Gloucestershire, the sector body that exists to champion all that is good about the industry in the county, authenticate trainees in the construction sector, and encourage partnership and growth.
Eve Jardine-Young
Cheltenham educational institution, Cheltenham Ladies' College continues to raise the profile of Gloucestershire in the educational sector — being named The Sunday Times' best independent school in the south west for 2024.
Consistently pushing for success, principal Eve Jardine-Young took on the post in 2011 and in the time since has proven herself to be a role model for the young women who attend. She's held in high esteem and is regarded as highly influential to those going on to shape the future of Gloucestershire's business community.
Cheltenham Ladies' College's achievements extend to its Ofsted rating, in which it attained an excellent standard in all areas after its latest inspection in February 2023.
Philip Martin
Philip Martin worked for a number of national surveying practices in both Leeds and Birmingham and has sector-wide experience in commercial asset management, investment and development. In 2010, he jointly founded Martin Commercial Properties with his late father, Bob.
That business manages The Brewery Quarter in Cheltenham, which has transformed the town centre site into a hugely successful leisure, dining and business destination, home also to the likes of cyber-focused workspace Hub8 and brand specialists SLG.
Philip’s focus is assisting landlords, investors and developers in maximising potential from their real estate — and clients hail from across the UK, including Bounce at Battersea Power Station in London and F1 Arcade in Birmingham.
Adam Henson
If influential came down to simply how many followers you have on social media and this list was in any kind of order, Adam Henson would be near the top, with 92,200 Instagram followers.
Adam has not sat back and basked in the profile he has developed as a presenter of television’s Countryfile, he has used it to help enhance and drive forward the work started by his father at the Guiting Power Farm.
He is a vocal champion of farming, the countryside and agriculture and its value to Britain, and together with his team has created a family attraction in Cotswold Farm Park that sets standards, fascinates young and old alike and enhances life in Gloucestershire — among his achievements in 2024, the release of his second children's book, Curious Questions from Adam's Farm.
Oliver Bruce
Named 'one to watch' in The LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders programme for 2024, Oliver is a big champion of the benefits that neurodiversity can bring to business.
Oliver, who has ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia, is the founder and energetic CEO of Cheltenham's PinPoint Media.
His data-driven content and performance agency now has offices in London and Cape Town, as well as Cheltenham, continuously increasing his global influence.
Simon Thomas
Montpellier Legal took the Gloucestershire Business Awards honour of Growth Business of the Year 2024, as one of the fastest-growing success stories in the county.
Under the leadership of CEO Simon Thomas, the firm has gone from strength-to-strength over the last 12 months, opening three new offices in Gloucester, Stroud and Cirencester with plans to open more in the pipeline — becoming the largest conveyancing firm in Gloucestershire in just four years.
As well as its impressive turnover despite a fairly static market, Simon has also grown the team, hiring more than 20 new staff, and is taking on double the amount of new transactions each month compared to last year.
Ali Mawle
Those who follow the fortunes of Cheltenham Festivals closely will know just how important they are to Gloucestershire, for cultural nourishment, education and as a significant catalyst for the economy too, bringing thousands of visitors annually and inviting scores of headlines nationally and abroad. Not to mention the sheer joy they bring to thousands annually.
Ali acts as co-chief executive officer and has long been part of the management team at the business and registered charity, and was part of the team that steered it clear of near financial ruin, courtesy of the Covid-19 pandemic, towards ongoing success.
Together with Ian George (see below), the pair’s experience and continuity in their roles is a huge asset — and 2025 is set to feature another excellent line up for the annual Jazz Festival, including Jools Holland, Corinne Bailey Rae and Nubya Garcia.
Ian George
Ian George’s experience as part of the Cheltenham Festivals team goes back to 2005, when he joined as head of marketing, before becoming a director of its jazz festival in 2009.
He was part of the team that saw the business through the challenges of the pandemic to come out the other side with plaudits and, importantly, the festivals remained intact.
Since December 2021, he has been co-chief executive officer alongside Ali Mawle (see above), delivering the 75th edition of the Cheltenham Literature Festival in 2024, which brought the likes of Dame Judi Dench, Sir Trevor McDonald and Jacqueline Wilson to the town to talk about their latest projects.
Moreton Cullimore
Moreton Cullimore was once spoken of as the successor to his father, who was the successor to his father as well, at the well-known and proudly Gloucestershire-based haulage and gravel extraction business, the Cullimore Group.
These days, he has as much of his own history laid down for that to be a thing of the past — though he continues a proud family legacy. This year, he spoke to SoGlos about the planning permission finally being granted to transform farmland in Tewkesbury into a quarry, with the Cullimore Group heading up operations.
He holds the position of national chairman and director of the Road Haulage Association and continues to lead a business whose green trucks, each named after a Dickens character, are a regular sight on the county’s roads.
Judi Bonham
Judi Bonham, managing director of WSP Solicitors, qualified as a solicitor in 1996 and her 28 year career has been dedicated to all aspects of family law. As a member of Resolution she helps families and individuals to resolve issues constructively and as a member of the Law Society’s Children Panel she works closely with children, young people and parents.
As managing director, she encourages everyone at WSP Solicitors to meet and exceed client expectations and deliver a first-class service for clients to best meet their needs by providing the support they need. Bonham advocates for self-development professionally and personally through mentoring, training and coaching; creating a place where colleagues can bring out the very best of themselves.
She's renowned among her clients for delivering clear, pragmatic advice, coupled with an innate ability to understand and prioritise their needs. Drawing on her extensive background in family law, she shapes Gloucestershire's legal landscape, earning respect and trust through her unwavering dedication to her clients and colleagues.
Ian Renton
With the Christmas Meeting and New Year's Day racing on the horizon, Ian Renton will be not just be his usual busy self, but rolling up his sleeves to be fully energised to take on the season's big celebrations. For the last decade, he has been regional director for the south west region of The Jockey Club, which means he’s also the man in charge of the world-famous Cheltenham Racecourse.
The famous Festival in March brings an estimated 250,000 to Cheltenham Racecourse, National Hunt racing of the very highest calibre and prize money second only to the Grand National.
Its impact is felt further afield, of course, with an estimated £100 million boost to the county as a whole — and the racecourse recently announced it would be freezing its ticket prices for next year, along with a host of other changes being implemented to make the pinnacle of jump racing the best it can possibly be.
Greg Pilley
Greg Pilley is an entrepreneur, pioneer and icon for those who believe businesses can actually be kinder to the planet, fun, imaginative, community-focused and successful to boot.
Greg, who in now distant days worked for the Soil Association, started Stroud Brewery before micro-breweries were considered a sensible career move, stubbornly raising the flag from day one for what he believed was ethical and environmentally sound.
Customer loyalty, community support through the pandemic and respect speak volumes for what his team is achieving — including TV features, an official B Corp certification and setting up taps in the Houses of Parliament.
Martin St Quinton
Martin St Quinton’s commitment and steady hand has proved to be just what the beloved Gloucester Rugby club needed after uncertain financial times, with the club recording a record level of commercial revenue in 2023.
Reported to have a net worth of around £20 million, his influence also extends to South Africa, where his support for a children’s home gives vulnerable youngsters a solid foundation in education.
Closer to home, he is also chairman of Cheltenham Racecourse, which he helped guide through the difficulties post-Covid and which, like Gloucester Rugby, lifts the hearts of thousands.
Alice Violet
Challenging the misconception that cyber security is complex, scary, and dull, Cheltenham businesswoman Alice Violet is a champion of accessible and compelling cyber education.
Her podcast, Cyber Made Human, has a diverse listenership of techies and those who have never thought about cyber security.
By breaking down complex cyber security topics into relatable discussions, her engaging influence helps educate business owners and the public — empowering them to make smarter decisions, protect themselves and hold companies accountable for the data they collect and use in the digital world.
Adam Vines
Adam Vines' day-job is running his business, Lounge Design. But he's also a member of the Cirencester Chamber of Commerce committee, which is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his influence...
Together Gloucestershire, is working hard to establish a better awareness of how big companies can do business with the many small and medium-sized firms across Gloucestershire with project partners including St James’s Place, Publica, Renishaw, Spirax Sarco and Gloucestershire Constabulary as well as Gloucestershire County Council, Cheltenham Borough Council and Cotswold District Council.
Adam also prides himself on working as director and trustee of Age UK Gloucestershire as well as chief operating officer of Join in China — a multi-service agency formed to help UK businesses crack the thriving Chinese market.
Roger Workman
Started in 1938 by Harry Workman with a single Morris 8 van, Cotteswold Dairy has been a constant in Tewkesbury ever since, and today processes more than 100 million litres of milk each year.
It employs 400-plus staff and is a bastion of the farming and agricultural sector it describes as a community, and one it defends through a passion for what it does.
Joining the business in 1962, and at the helm of the firm started by his father since 1982, Roger Workman has been quietly making sure all of the above continues, driving success — evident in its £84.5 million turnover published in its year to December 2023 accounts.
Mark Price
Many business-related building projects have caught the eye this year, not least the considerable ongoing transformational investment at Hartpury College and Hartpury University, Gloucestershire Airport and Cotteswold Dairy.
Significant for all of them is the need for each to continue to operate in a ‘business as usual’ manner, while the perceived chaos of a major building project continues around them.
Managing that complex game of chess for all of the above with a steady hand, is Mark Price and the team at Vitruvius Management Services.
Ciara McGurk
The founder of innovative Gloucester-based laundry brand Tallow + Ash was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the south west in the UK StartUp Awards for 2024.
She's also seen interest in her products grow enormously and quickly, following the launch of the firm in June 2023.
In February 2024, Tallow + Ash was revealed as the most Googled laundry brand in the UK, beating the likes of Persil and Ariel as well as more eco-friendly companies like Ecover.
Stuart Emmerson
Stuart Emmerson, director of business development at Hartpury University and Hartpury College, continues to forge a reputation for delivering positive partnerships.
During his time in the role, Stuart led Hartpury's successful bid as part of a £20 million UK Government Levelling Up Fund investment, alongside driving a wide range of other commercial, philanthropic and regional partnerships. A strong advocate for the county, he also sits as a director on the Forest of Dean Economic Partnership board.
Drawing on more than 25 years of public, private and third sector experience, he has built a formidable team who have raised the profile of Hartpury and provide outstanding support to the businesses community — all while fast becoming one of the most connected individuals in the county.
Michael Etheridge
An influential figure in the Forest of Dean community, Michael Etheridge is a name familiar to locals from Newent to Tidenham.
Having founded Mike Etheridge Construction Ltd in 1982 as a sole trader, the company continues to deliver residential, commercial, industrial and educational projects across the Forest of Dean and has gone from strength to strength, turning over £16.8 million annually according to accounts up to December 2023.
Further strengthening his business portfolio in the district, Michael purchased Forest Hills Golf Club in 2021 — with planning permission granted to add eight hotel rooms on the site and plans submitted for a further five. His development company partnered with Two Rivers Housing in 2024 to deliver a new affordable housing scheme for 17 new homes in Berry Hill, with work set for completion in 2025.
Warren Thomas
If you work in engineering, especially if you run a business committed to training (think giants like aerospace firm Safran and engineering giant Renishaw, to umpteen SMEs in the county), the name Gloucestershire Engineering Training (GET) will not just mean something, but be on speed dial.
Leading the Gloucester-based centre and its able team is Warren Thomas, operations director for GET from December 2017 to September 2021, when he became chief executive.
In 2024, the organisation returned to the county with another accolade for its mantlepiece, having won the Training Partner Skills Champion award at the Enginuity Awards held in June.
