This blog comes to you from the library of Hampton Manor, a Victorian mansion deep in the woods somewhere south of Birmingham. And if that sounds like the setting for a game of Cluedo, it isn’t: I’m here to meet three of the Midlands regional finalists for this year’s Economic Disruptor Awards.
Our host is Mark Embley, regional manager for the Awards sponsor Julius Baer; with us as guest judges are Juliet Barratt, co-founder of the Grenade brand of ‘healthy snacks’, now a multimillion pound business, and Clive Bawden, a corporate financier who coaches entrepreneurs, has interests in sports administration, and is part-time COO of last year’s regional winner Warwick Music.
We heard first from Phil Smith, co-founder of ReBound, a ‘reverse logistics’ business that provides a UK market-leading returns service for major online retailers such as Asos — it manages 35 million returns per year, with turnover heading towards £28 million in the current year and opportunities in Europe, Hong Kong and Australia.
Britain’s best politics newsletters
You get two free articles each week when you sign up to The Spectator’s emails.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in