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NextGen Awards


Celebrating Britain’s fast-growth businesses – and the leaders at their helm.

Management Today is on a powerful mission to champion British business. The NextGen Awards aim to shine a spotlight on the next generation of ground-breaking, high-growth businesses. These companies are creating new opportunities, driving change and making a difference.

2020 NextGen Winners


Congratulations to our inaugural Management Today NextGen Award winners. This year's judges commented on the quality of entries. You can find the full writeup on the Management Today site by clicking here.

NextGen Innovator

WINNER

M Squared

Dr Graeme Malcolm OBE and Dr Gareth Maker met at the University of Strathclyde while completing their PhDs. After selling their university spin-out Microlase to Nasdaq-listed Coherent for £2m, the pair teamed up again in 2006 to start M Squared. Claiming to produce “the world's purest light”, this Glasgow-based company designs and ...
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Highly Commended: Trailar

As part of a DHL management development programme, Aaron Thomas and Denny Hulme were paired up and tasked with thinking of products that could potentially disrupt the transportation industry in the UK. Their idea: to generate extra energy for trucks through solar panels on their roofs. They worked with UK trailer manufacturer Don-Bur and a sol...
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NextGen Culture

WINNER

Punter Southall Aspire

Since launching in 2016, workplace pensions and savings firm Punter Southall Aspire has acquired four businesses, adding five regional offices and almost doubling its workforce from 75 to 144. To make sure all employees at the £15m-turnover company felt included, respected and able to fulfil their potential, CEO Steve Butler set ab...
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NextGen Leaders

WINNER

Tamara Littleton, The Social Element

Tamara Littleton started The Social Element from her garage in 2002 using a £10,000 loan from her parents. It was one of the country’s first social media agencies. Her first big project was the "Picture a Healthy World" campaign for GE – the first digital "take over" of Times Square. Clients including PlayStation, Disney, Toyota an...
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NextGen People Champion

WINNER

Code Worldwide

Started in 2003, Code Worldwide is a digital strategy and technology consultancy with 172 employees and clients ranging from Peugeot to the Post Office. To make sure its workforce is reflective of “Real Britain”, the firm has ramped up its diversity and inclusion efforts over the past year. Driven by Code’s managing director Carolyn S...
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NextGen Impact

WINNER

Kura (Transport2)

Mathew Hassell started Maidenhead-based Transport2 in 2011, creating a range of apps that deliver safer, greener, lower cost travel for the corporate, education and leisure sectors. Now, with his latest service Kura, he’s revolutionising the daily school run. The app allows parents to track their children’s school journe...
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Highly Commended: School Lettings Solutions (SLS)

Spotting an opportunity to help schools rent their facilities after hours, former colleagues Scott Warrington and Paul Andrews started School Lettings Solutions in 2012. Working with more than 300 schools across the country, they take the keys to the school gates and hire out the athletics tracks, tennis courts, sports halls, sw...
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NextGen Business of the Year

WINNER

Kura (Transport2)

Mathew Hassell started Maidenhead-based Transport2 in 2011, creating a range of apps that deliver safer, greener, lower cost travel for the corporate, education and leisure sectors. Now, with his latest service Kura, he’s revolutionising the daily school run. The app allows parents to track their children’s school journe...
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NEXTGEN SECTOR AWARDS

Manufacturing

WINNER

Oliver Valves

Working from his garage, Michael Oliver developed an innovative high-pressure valve in 1979 to control the flow of oil and gas. Today his Cheshire-based business, comprising Oliver Valves, Oliver Valvetek and Oliver Twinsafe, offers a range of more than 8,000 different valves to some of the world’s largest oil and gas operator...
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Business Services

WINNER

Escalate Law

Most businesses avoid commercial disputes like the plague: they’re risky, lengthy and legal bills can spiral out of control. Rather than going through the hassle of a dispute, SMEs reluctantly write off what they’re owed - and lose an estimated £40bn a year. Mark Osgood, Nick Harvey and Chris Clay (pictured left to right) decided t...
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Marketing, Communications & Media

WINNER

Croud

Realising that most agency teams are under-resourced and overstretched, Luke Smith and Ben Knight (pictured) decided to create an entirely new kind of digital marketing agency, Croud. They’ve developed proprietary technology and built a remote network of more than 2,000 on-demand digital marketing specialists (known as “Croudies”)...
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Technology

WINNER

Content Guru

In the last two weeks of March, NHS 111 responded to more than 1.7 million inquiries from people concerned they might have symptoms of coronavirus. NHS 111 London managed this huge spike in calls using a technology platform developed by Berkshire-based Content Guru. The cloud-based system, called “Storm”, automatically decides (base...
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Education

WINNER

WhiteHat

Euan Blair grew up in Downing Street. But instead of following his father into politics, the eldest son of the former Prime Minister became a tech entrepreneur. He launched White Hat in 2016 with business partner Sophie Adelaman. Believing that university is “broken as a route for delivering the talent businesses need”, White Hat matche...
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Meet our 2020 panel


Launched  in 1966, Management Today is one of Britain’s most established business titles, curating practical advice and brilliant thinking that will help UK leaders build or sustain world-class businesses. We will be profiling the winning NextGen businesses – and their leaders on Management Today online in March 2020. This is a chance to boost your national coverage, stand out amongst the competition, get noticed by the country’s top business leaders, investors and commentators, and be recognised for your work. 

Strengthen your company profile
Entering the NextGen Awards means you will be promoted to Management Today’s audience including 135,000 monthly users and 13,000 online bulletin subscribers.

Demonstrate your quality
Entering these awards will boost your place within the market, making your company stand out from competitors.

Industry leading judges
Put your best work in front of prestigious executives from some of Britain’s most successful companies.

Recognition
The NextGen Awards offer the opportunity to credit your employees on a public scale. Enter to help retain the talent you have and attract potential new employees.



Contact us


Tamsin Ballantyne
General Enquiries

E: [email protected]
P: 020 8267 4125

Ross Banford
Sponsorship Enquiries

E: [email protected]
P: 020 8267 8010