The winners of the 2017 West Midlands Finance Awards were announced during a prestigious ceremony and gala dinner, organised by the awards executive partners - Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, ICAEW, Robert Walters and RSM.
For the second year running, the West Midlands Finance Awards celebrated the best finance professionals and businesses in the region, setting the benchmark for excellence within the finance community.
More than 500 finance professionals came together on Thursday, November 16 to help celebrate the achievements of the shortlisted nominees and winners. The evening took place at the ICC in Birmingham and was hosted by Dave Bryon, former managing director of Bmibaby.
The West Midlands Finance Awards are proud supporters of the Birmingham Children's Hospital charity and they were excited to announce that the awards ceremony raised almost £5,000 for the charity.
Habiba Khatoon, associate director at Robert Walters, said: "The awards recognise and celebrate the incredibly talented finance community in the Midlands.
"The outstanding level of competition for all award categories made the judging process exceptionally difficult and making it onto the shortlist is a huge achievement in itself."
This year's nominees were assessed by a panel of up to four judges, including the executive partners and an industry expert guest judge.
Full list of winners:
Congratulations to all shortlisted nominees and category winners from across the West Midlands.
Finance Director of the Year
Winner: Mark Wilson, Aston Martin
Rising Star of the Year – Non/Part-Qualified
Winner: Sarah Russell, Halfords Group
Highly commended: Rob Wilson, Tarmac
Rising Star of the Year – Qualified
Winner: James Credicott, VFS Financial Services
Business of the Year – Large
Winner: Rentokil Initial
Business of the Year – SME
Winner: Hawthorn Leisure
Finance Team of the Year – Over 20 people
Winner: DPD Group UK
Finance Team of the Year – 20 people or less
Winner: Hawthorn Leisure
Highly commended: Saint-Gobain
Finance Team of the Year – Not-For-Profit
Winner: West Midlands Combined Authority
Mentor of the Year
Winner: Ben Herrings, Aston Martin
Shared Service of the Year
Winner: Interserve
Highly commended: Mitchells & Butlers
Shared Service Centre with Outstanding People & Development
Winner: Sanctuary Group
Highly Commended: Jurys Inn
Full details about the awards can be found at www.robertwalters.co.uk/finance-awards
For more information about the West Midlands Finance Awards contact Stuart Wiggins at stuart.wiggins@robertwalters.com.