Scottish leaders win duo of titles at EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards

Two Scottish business leaders have been crowned winners at the UK-wide EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 awards.

Poonam Gupta, founder and CEO of PG Paper, took home the Scale-Up award. Picture: Contributed

Poonam Gupta, who was previously named overall victor for Scotland in October, won the Scale-Up award, while Jean-Christophe Granier scooped the Transformational Leader title at a ceremony in London last night.

Gupta is founder and chief executive of Greenock-based PG Paper, which has grown from a “kitchen table” start-up with £1,000 in capital to a paper supplier with a £56 million turnover exporting to 55 countries.

Granier, who is joint-MD of Angus textile manufacturer J&D Wilkie, led the 150-year-old, family-owned business to revenue growth of more than 30 per cent last year.

The Scottish contingent took home two of the six gongs available on the night.

EY Entrepreneur of the Year Scotland leader Mike Timmins said: “All our winners and finalists have displayed excellence in their field and are role models of the exceptional entrepreneurial talent we have in Scotland – we celebrate each and every one of them.

“Great vision and strategy have been central to the success of these inspirational leaders, and despite the wider uncertainty in our local and global economy, Scotland’s business leaders have proven resilient, ambitious and determined.”

Steven Jackson, founder of Recycling Lives, a commercial metal and waste recycling business in Preston, won overall UK Entrepreneur of the Year.