Ford Aerospace

Founded and located in South Shields, Ford Aerospace’s heritage dates back to 1910. The company specialises in machined aerospace components, working with clients across the globe. The company has seen 15.7% growth in the current financial year, with sales rising to £10.3m and continued growth forecast. Its investment plan has included a 30% increase in headcount, along with new equipment and specialist machinery. As a long-established North East business, Ford Aerospace has always been committed to supporting its local community, raising funds for good causes as well as supporting STEM activities. The Ford Aerospace Apprenticeship Academy is operated in partnership with Gateshead College and South Tyneside College, providing young people with nationally accredited manufacturing engineering qualifications and work experience.

Laura Edgar

Laura Edgar is the managing director and owner of Aura Infection Control Ltd, a specialist infection prevention, decontamination and compliance business serving the UK dental, healthcare, education and veterinary sectors. She joined the family business in 2009 following a career in banking, and assumed leadership following the death of her mother in 2016, followed by a management buyout in 2020. Under her leadership, Aura has grown into an award-winning organisation recognised as one of the UK's Best Workplaces for Development 2026. She combines commercial performance with a strong commitment to people, sustainability and industry improvement.

BURGER-DROP

BURGER-DROP is one of the UK’s fastest-growing independent food brands, serving more than 1,000 customers every day and supporting 58 jobs across its network. The company has developed a franchise operation and says it wants to develop entrepreneurs, raise funds for humanitarian causes and create a brand that stands for far more than great food. Forecast revenues are expected to reach £5.5m in 2026 and further growth is being planned. The company’s long-term ambition is to establish BURGER-DROP as one of the UK’s leading modern food brands while maintaining its commitment to quality, customer experience, social impact and talent development.

Henrietta Newble

Henrietta Newble is the founder of AnFiTest, a North East animal health technology startup developing rapid point of care diagnostics and data analytics to prevent major equine and livestock diseases. A mechanical engineering student at Newcastle University, Henrietta first raised venture capital at 19 and has taken AnFiTest from an A-level idea into a funded company. She is building a company that combines engineering, chemistry, agriculture and software, with the ambition to transform how grazing animal health is managed in the UK and globally. She is now working on plans to take AnFiTest from prototype stage towards commercial readiness ahead of launch next year. Longer-term, she wants to build the company into a North East built animal health technology company with global potential.

OnlyCat

OnlyCat is a North East–based consumer technology company behind the world’s first AI-powered microchip cat flap with real-time prey detection. The company has developed an innovative solution to a problem affecting millions of cat owners worldwide. Founded by brothers Martin and Tomas Rosinski, OnlyCat was designed, engineered, and commercialised entirely from the North East. Following a successful crowdfunding launch raising over £750,000, the company has experienced rapid growth and secured investment from Steven Bartlett following an appearance on Dragons’ Den. Over the next 12 months, OnlyCat plans to build upon the success of its flagship product by expanding into additional smart pet technology product lines. It also hopes to continue scaling its manufacturing and international distribution operations to support growing demand in North America and Europe.

Neptune North

Neptune North is a fast-growing technology consultancy headquartered in Newcastle’s Pilgrim Quarter. A joint venture between Rokos Capital Management and Oliver Wyman, it brings together brilliant minds across financial markets, defence technology and AI to serve some of the world's most sophisticated clients. In two years the business has grown to 180 employees, with offices in Champaign, Madrid and Vilnius and teams operating across Australia and New Zealand. But it remains proudly rooted in the North East, investing in educational partnerships, graduate and degree apprenticeship programmes, and structured training to build world-class professionals. Neptune North closed its 2026 financial year with £16.7m in revenue and a team of 141 people; it is hoping to achieve £32.5m in revenue next year and reach 250 employees by the end of 2026.

William Smith Group 1832

William Smith Group 1832 is one of the UK’s leading specialist suppliers of vinyl films and materials to the sign, graphics, and building interiors industries. The business combines deep industry expertise with a forward-looking approach to support its customers and partners. The company’s family ethos runs through everything it does, and aims to treat all employees like family. It recently invested £75,000 to ensure staff were at the forefront of its business, giving them a platform to share feedback and suggest cultural improvements. The company’s employee rewards and benefits include the option to purchase additional holidays, long service awards, enhanced maternity pay and a company-wide profit share scheme that distributes 10% of pre-tax profits.

Cognitive HealthTech Ltd

Cognitive HealthTech is a clinical-stage AI health technology company that is developing a smartphone platform for the early detection and continuous monitoring of cognitive function. Co-founders Victoria Burnip and Prof Christian Morgner bring both personal and professional experience of supporting adults with neurodevelopmental and neurological conditions to this mission. They have secured £176,000 in funding across UKRI, Innovate UK and angel investment, prioritising grant income at every stage to protect equity and maintain their independence. The founders aim to take the platform from validation into deployment over the next 12 months, as well as deepening their NHS pipeline. Their vision is a world where people feel empowered through AI and technology to optimise their brain health and prevent cognitive decline.

Binding Solutions Ltd

Binding Solutions Ltd was established in Middlesbrough with the vision of using innovative materials science to enable the decarbonisation of the iron and steelmaking industries. The company’s technology has the potential to significantly reduce the emissions from the iron ore and steel industry, which is a major contributor to global CO2 emissions. It engages in wider work within the steel and iron ore industry to drive the conversation on decarbonisation. Binding Solutions also does educational outreach with the local community on Teesside, partnering with a local primary school on a STEM-focused career learning programme. It supports the Teesside Hospice through fundraising initiatives.

Transmission Dynamics

Transmission Dynamics is a Northumberland-based business with an international reputation and footprint and a story almost 30 years in the making. Founded in 1996, the company has evolved from a specialist engineering consultancy and low-volume sensor provider into a global cutting-edge technology business serving customers in more than 80 countries. It develops advanced AI-powered, edge-processing monitoring and analytics solutions for some of the world’s harshest industrial environments, working across a range of sectors. The last financial year has been the company's strongest to date, with revenue growing by around 50% and net profit tripling, driven by international demand and growing adoption of the company's technology across critical industries.

Hugh Welch

Over the years that we have been presenting the Outstanding Contribution prize, we have given it to people who have built great companies, people whose work has helped other firms, and people who have made an impact in their communities. This year’s winner does all of those things. In his day job, Hugh is a much-respected lawyer who has been involved in some of the biggest business deals the North East has seen in recent years. His work over four decades has been recognised by a number of legal guides. But Hugh is also known as one of the true good guys of the North East business community, who works individually and with his company to continuously make a difference in this region. A trustee to two local Christian charities, Hugh has also been instrumental in ensuring that the company where he works uses its success to be a force for good in the wider North East community. That means charitable giving, an award-winning Environmental, Social and Governance programme, and recognition as one of the North East’s best employers.