Towergate Underwriting Group hits new heights

The Chairman of Towergate Underwriting Group Ltd is UK Entrepreneur Of The Year

Keith Mills, Loyalty Management awarded Master Entrepreneur of the Year

London 3 October 2005: Peter Cullum, Chairman and founder of Towergate Underwriting Group Ltd was tonight awarded the title of Ernst & Young’s UK Entrepreneur Of The Year.

In 1997 Peter Cullum spotted a gap in the market for an underwriting business serving niche markets, and founded Towergate Underwriting Group Ltd. In 2002 Peter established a separate company, Folgate to acquire regional insurance brokers. Today, having grown from three staff to 2,700 in just eight years Towergate is one of the UK’s leading providers of specialist insurance solutions.

This is the seventh year of the awards in the UK and Peter, who also won Business Products & Services Entrepreneur Of The Year award, follows in the footsteps of Bill Gammell, Cairn Energy, Robert Wiseman of Wiseman Dairies, and Robert Braithwaite of Sunseeker International. Other past award recipients include Stelios, Charles Dunstone and Linda Bennett. Peter goes on to the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year awards in June next year in Monte Carlo, with 40 National EOY winners from around the Globe.

Amongst other award recipients recognised for their exceptional entrepreneurial skills tonight were Keith Mills of Loyalty Management UK Ltd, who’s innovative approach created Air Miles and the Nectar card, collecting the award for Master Entrepreneur Of The Year and Martin Penny, Jemella Ltd trading, the largest provider of hair straighteners, who was awarded Consumer Products Entrepreneur Of The Year.

Richard Hall, UK Entrepreneurial and Growth Markets Leader of Ernst & Young commented: “Peter’s success tonight recognises his outstanding long-term commitment to an innovative financial service business. He is a hugely impressive individual who is changing the way business is done in his sector. Energetic and passionate, there is no end in sight to Peter’s achievements. I wish him the best of luck in the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards in June next year.”

The awards are a culmination of ten months of interviews, regional heats and a national judging session last month in London. In front of nearly 800 entrepreneurs and their guests, 43 finalists battled it out in nine different categories ranging from Young Entrepreneur Of The Year, awarded to James Murray of Alternative Networks plc to Social Entrepreneur Of The Year presented to Camila Batmanghelidjh of Kids Company.

Adrian Chiles, of the BBC’s Working Lunch, hosted the evening. A full list of award recipients follows.

Richard Hall, Middle Market Services Leader at Ernst & Young added, “The EoY programme recognises the determination, hard work and passion of entrepreneurs in over 40 countries on six continents. Our finalists this evening are shining examples of how entrepreneurial spirit can create world class businesses that make an enormous contribution to the UK economy.”

The category award recipients:

• Overall UK Entrepreneur Of The Year: Peter Cullum of Towergate Underwriting Group Ltd
• Master Entrepreneur Of The Year: Keith Mills of Loyalty Management UK Ltd
• Emerging Entrepreneur Of The Year: Frank Rodriguez and David Steventon of Covion Limited
• Young Entrepreneur Of The Year: James Murray of Alternative Networks PLC
• Business Products and Services Entrepreneur Of The Year: Peter Cullum of Towergate Underwriting Group Ltd
• Consumer Products Entrepreneur Of The Year: Martin Penny of Jemella Ltd (trading as ghd)
• Consumer Services Entrepreneur Of The Year: Keith Rogers of Goals Soccer Centres plc
• Science and Technology Entrepreneur Of The Year: Professor Andy Porter and Jim Reid of Haptogen Limited
• Technology & Communication Entrepreneur Of The Year: Terry Burt and Mark McVeigh of 2e2 Group plc
• Social Entrepreneur Of The Year: Camila Batmanghelidjh of Kids Company

Notes for editors

• The 2005 awards national judging panel was chaired by Rt. Hon Lord Young of Graffham PC DL, Chairman (Young Associates), Adam Balon, Co-Founder (innocent drinks), Barbara Cassani, Founder (3x + y Ventures), Marek Gumienny, Managing Director (Candover), Jim McColl OBE, Chairman and Chief Executive (Clyder Blowers), Vijay Patel, Chief Executive Officer (Waymade Healthcare), Simon Nixon, Chief Executive (moneysupermarket.com ltd), Mark Read, Director of Strategy (WPP).
• The Entrepreneur of The Year (EoY) awards programme was founded by Ernst & Young in 1986 in the US. The annual awards now take place in 40 countries across the globe, with over 10,000 entrepreneurs competing each year. Earlier this year Wayne Huizenga of Huizenga Holdings was named Ernst & Young’s World Entrepreneur Of The Year at the fourth annual awards ceremony in Monte Carlo.
• Entrepreneur Of The Year in the UK operates in five regions (Scotland, the North, Central and South regions, and London) and regional award recipients progress to a national final each year. National co-sponsors of EoY 2005 are Coutts & Co Bank, the London Stock Exchange and The Times Newspaper.
• The awards are endorsed by the Department of Trade and Industry, the British Chamber of Commerce, the Design Council, the Institute of Directors, the Young Presidents Organisation and the Community Action Network.