North East entrepreneur announced as Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2022 finalist

North East-based Michelle Jones has been recognised as one of the best in the business after being named as a finalist in the Great British Entrepreneur Awards.

Michelle is the founder of Kind Currency CIC, a community that rewards acts of kindness in kind, allowing consumer and business communities to come together to prevent climate change and tackle poverty.

They work with three groups: Kind Consumers, Kind Businesses, and Kind People. Ethical and sustainable businesses join our community and offer discounts and deals to our Kind Consumers: climate conscious shoppers who want to support kind businesses. The monthly consumer subscriptions and donations are added to the Kindness Fund: a charity pot providing opportunities and support to kind people and causes in our society. By removing barriers and supporting kind people in our society, they can continue doing the kind things that are so vital to our communities.

Michelle Jones is one of the shortlisted business leaders from across the nation to have been selected out of over 5,300 entrants - the most the awards has ever had.

The Great British Entrepreneur Awards, in partnership with Starling Bank, acknowledges and champions the hard work and uplifting stories of business owners across the UK, with an emphasis on their journey and resilience over financial achievements.

Twelve awards will be given out per region for categories including Disruptor of the Year, Entrepreneur for Good Award, and the Great British Entrepreneur of the Year. Notable winners from previous years include Social Chain founder Steven Bartlett, who went on to become the youngest ever investor on BBC’s Dragon’s Den.

Michelle Jones said: “being named as a finalist is a great honour, an even greater honour to be named alongside such incredibly kind people and businesses. To be a finalist, delivers confidence in our mission, compounding the need for Kind Currency and the change we are working towards creating.

The awards are a fantastic platform enabling our voice, our purpose and our community to be heard. The more people that learn how we can support them to be kind everyday, the greater the impact we will have, ensuring we protect people and the planet to sustain a better future.

As a female, non-visible disabled entrepreneur from the North East, I am grateful for the opportunity. I wish all the finalists much hope and kindness, celebrating business for good with kind people to create a kinder future is simply wonderful”.

This year’s awards will also feature a brand new award highlighting the organisations investing in the training and development of young people. The John Caudwell Blaze Your Own Trail Award looks to recognise outstanding examples of businesses offering apprenticeships, vocational training, and diversity and inclusion initiatives, all in the name of improving young people’s access to work.

The winners will be announced at a Grand Final, held at the Grosvenor Hotel in London on 21st November.

This year is the 10th anniversary of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards. The alumni has collectively generated over £30 billion in revenue and employed more than 450,000 people.

To mark the milestone year for the programme, entrants will have the chance to win over £30,000 worth of marketing support and a tree will be planted for every application submitted with the support of Ecologi.

Founder of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, Francesca James, said the quality of this year’s entrants exemplified the strength of entrepreneurship across the UK: “The quality of applications is consistently excellent year on year, but we have been especially blown away by the innovation, drive and determination demonstrated this year. Shortlisting from so many inspiring contenders has been more challenging than ever, with many deserving cases put forward and an ever-growing business community thriving across the country.

“From the pandemic to the ongoing cost of living crisis, business owners haven’t had it easy over the past few years, but it’s a testament to the tenacity and perseverance of these entrepreneurs that they have continued on their path and refused to give in.

“This year’s finalists should be so proud of what they’ve already achieved both in business and in being shortlisted for an award - we’re looking forward to seeing everyone at the Finals and unveiling the winners!”

Anne Boden MBE, Founder of Starling Bank, headline partner of the Awards, said: "Congratulations to all those businesses who have made the shortlist. It's great to see the passion, resilience and amazing ingenuity from entrepreneurs across so many categories."

To book your place at the Grand Final in London on 21st November, you can go to greatbritishentrepreneurawards.com

For the full list of finalists, visit greatbritishentrepreneurawards.com