Charlie Dalton, Steven Pearce, Alex Till and Ian White honoured at IoD regional awards

Four business leaders from Suffolk have been named among the winners in the Institute of Director’s 2017 Director of the Year Awards for the East of England.

Among them are Charlie Dalton, managing director of Smart Garden Offices, based at Thurston, near Bury St Edmunds, who picked up the Director of the Year title in a small company category, for businesses with turnover of less than £10m, and Steven Pearce, managing director of Omega Ingredients, from Great Blakenham, near Ipswich, who won the International Director of the Year title.

Mr Dalton said: “Winning this award shows that doing things the right way, the long way and the hard way isn’t just about the bottom line, it’s about creating jaw-droppingly good products, committed customers and livelihoods for my colleagues so they may thrive, grow and excel.”

Mr Pearce added: “As well as being a great recognition of the work I’ve personally put into the business and in growing the industry here in the UK, it is also, most importantly, recognition of the diligent work of the wider Omega Ingredients team.”

The other Suffolk winners were Alex Till, chief executive of Bury St Edmunds-based enterprise agency Menta, who was named Public/Third Sector Director of the Year, and Ian White, managing director of Beckett Investment Management, also based in Bury, who received the Corporate Social Responsibility Director of the Year honour.

Mr Till said: “To be recognised for my continuous effort to develop, maintain and sustain Menta, in the not for profit industry is brilliant. Having been established for more than 33 years, we continue to be innovative in our approach to business development and growth.”

Mr White added: “I am delighted to have won a Director of the Year Award. From a personal perspective, it confirms to me that investing time in building a ‘best in class’ team can bring extraordinary results.”

The overall Director of the Year title for the region went to Jacyn Heavens, chief executive of Norwich-based Epos Now.

David Sales, regional chairman for IoD East of England, said: “Congratulations to all of the winners and those who were highly commended for their contributions to business and their communities.

“It is important that we celebrate the exemplary leaders who are doing great work, often unheeded, across the East of England.

“Through these awards, the IoD aims to champion both commercial success and responsible leadership, and reward individuals who display the qualities of professionalism, diligence and creativity that we think inspire employees and get results.”