Shortlist for the 2017 NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards Announced

Two Mancuanian entrepreneurial brothers and Co-founders of D-ENERGi Shak & Zico Ahmed have been shortlisted for the 2017 NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards in the category of family business Entrepreneur of the Year award.

D-ENERGi beat off some tough competition in order to make the regional shortlist, with over 1000 businesses entering the awards nationally across the wide range of categories.

Now in its fifth year, the NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards has celebrated some amazing entrepreneurs over the years, many of whom are now household names. Past winners include David Buttress of Just Eat, Julie Deane of The Cambridge Satchel Company, James Watt of BrewDog and Alexander Solomou of TheLADBible Group.

Co-founder Zico Ahmed “Stated we are delighted to be shortlisted for such a prestigious award. We have just celebrated a significant milestone with our 15 years trading anniversary as an energy company and naturally delighted to make the Shortlist. We are hopeful we can go one step further and win this award. Winning the award would be such great recognition for the tremendous collective effort and hard work the team has put in over the last 15 years.”

Creator of the Awards, Francesca James, said: “We have been inundated with some incredible entries this year, and all shortlisted applicants should be extremely proud of themselves! This year has seen a record number of entrants and we’ve been absolutely blown away by the strength and diversity of applications.”

“We cannot wait to celebrate entrepreneurship across Great Britain with them, and put a spotlight on the incredible talent within the British entrepreneur ecosystem.”

Gordon Merrylees, Head of Entrepreneurship at NatWest said: “I want to thank all of the entrepreneurs who entered this year and congratulate those who have been shortlisted, I look forward to seeing them at the regional finals.”

“It is clear that entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well and NatWest is thrilled to be able to support these awards to celebrate success with the businesses that are the lifeblood of the UK Economy as they start, scale and succeed.”

The NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards will celebrate entrepreneurship across a number of categories at 5 gala finals across the UK, including; Cardiff, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester & London. You can find more information about the awards and the ceremonies here: www.greatbritishentrepreneurawards.com.