Simon Barbato, founder and CEO of Bath-based brand, digital and marketing agency Mr B & Friends, has been named the Institute of Directors (IoD) South West regional Director of the Year.
Simon founded Mr B & Friends ten years ago and has grown the business from a bedroom start up to the city’s largest agency of its kind and one of the fastest growing in the region.
It has doubled in staff in the last three years and now employs 36 people in its Palace Yard Mews offices, looking after high profile clients ranging from SSE plc, Principality Building Society and the Intercontinental Hotel Group.
The company is closely involved in a number of charities and community activities and offer a number of paid internships every year to help young people develop their experience of the creative, marketing and digital communications industry.
The South West’s IoD Director Awards seek to highlight and celebrate outstanding business people across the region, bringing the enterprise community together and focusing UK-wide attention on South West success.
Simon has been previously highly commended in this category. The judges felt that since then, his continued entrepreneurial approach and progressive risk-taking has really paid off. They particularly admired his investment in people and process led by a passion for the brand.
Dean Bennett, Managing Director of the China Fleet Country Club in Saltash, Devon was Highly Commended while Brady George, Managing Director of Keynsham-based facilities management company Almeda, walked away with the Corporate Responsibility Award.
IoD South West chairman Nick Sturge said: “Once again we had an extremely high standard of entries demonstrating the breadth and depth of talent, enterprise and leadership across the region.
“The judges were particularly impressed by the clear leadership demonstrated by all the shortlisted entries, as well as the emphasis on values and people, which is essential to steer an organisation forward in any sector.
“Some of the categories were very close, which is always exciting, so to have been shortlisted or Highly Commended is a real achievement.”
The ceremony took place at Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol, with local entrepreneur Helena Hills, co-founder of True Start Coffee, as guest speaker and hosted by the BBC Radio Bristol presenter Laura Rawlings.
It was sponsored by Common Purpose, who awarded Simon a place on the Meridian leadership programme, and BMI who donated flights as raffle prizes. Money raised was donated to the micro loan charity Deki who support entrepreneurs in Africa.
If this year’s winners are successful in their categories, they will go forward in the Autumn for a chance to be a national award winner, judged against all the other regional finalists.
