The Devon & Plymouth Chamber of Commerce held a glittering awards ceremony at beautiful Buckfast Abbey to honour the region’s rising young business stars.
Our ‘30 Under 30’ campaign – inspired by Forbes’ long-running feature – recognises and celebrates young talent across Devon.
Check out our gallery below to see pictures from the ceremony, courtesy of Amy Stanford Photography.
Throughout the nominations process, the Chamber was seeking individuals under 30 in the county who have made a significant impact in the working world.
The judging day was held in the boardroom at our Derriford Business Park HQ, where we were joined by Debbie Joce, Gareth Kenward and David Tytherleigh from Babcock International Group; Andy Stuart, Jenny Bishop and Sarah Carroll from Real Ideas, and Alison Jenkins and Colin Jolliffe from SW Business Support Solutions Ltd, with Emily Davies from SETsquared Exeter Student Startups linking up via Zoom.
Entries were judged using the following criteria:
- The speed in which the candidate has progressed in the working world
- Does the candidate have any outstanding accomplishments?
- What is the candidate’s contribution to the sustainability of our planet?
- Do they have exceptional abilities as an entrepreneur?
- What are they doing to benefit the local community?
- How do they influence other members of the team?
- Potential to become a future leader
Our expert panel certainly had their work cut out as they ran through more than 60 nominations, before selecting the final 30 worthy winners.
Stuart Elford, Chamber CEO, said: “It was really exciting to be able to tell our first-ever ‘30 Under 30’ that they had been chosen for this truly talented list, and were thrilled they were able to join us at Schiller Hall, together with special guests and sponsors, for a truly unforgettable evening.
“The theme for our spring event was ‘Blooming Careers’, which offered the perfect opportunity to reward Devon’s best and brightest young business stars at this unique venue.
“Huge thanks to our lead partner Babcock International Group, our transport sponsor Go South West, and fellow sponsors Real Ideas, SW Business Support Solutions Ltd and SETsquared Exeter Student Startups, without whom this wonderful event would not have been possible.”
Our ‘30 Under 30’ were each awarded a certificate and recognised for their outstanding achievements, before dancing the night away in front of the perfect Buckfast Abbey backdrop.
We were also joined on the night by Amber Leach, business and strategy coach and owner of Audacious Lives, who talked us through her journey as an entrepreneur, creative, photographer, speaker, mentor, wife and mother.
