Go for glory, says Exeter business chief

An Exeter business leader has urged other bosses from the city to go for glory in an award scheme that thrust him into the spotlight last year.

Rob Varley, Exeter-based operations and services director of the Met Office, was a winner in the 2012 IoD South West Director of the Year Awards – and nominations are now open for the 2013 programme.

The awards highlight the best in South West leadership and some winners go on fly the flag for their country at the UK-wide IoD Awards.

Rob said: “The IoD Awards are a celebration of boardroom excellence, and in such a strong field of shortlisted organisations it was a real honour to be selected as a director of the year.
“The award meant a great deal both as an acknowledgement of my own professional standing and as a strong endorsement of the Met Office as a whole.

“As an organisation that is well known to the British public external recognition such as this is key to our ongoing mission to deliver maximum benefit to the UK through our world class science and technology, which can help keep people safe and well and drive economic growth.”

Richard Ayre, chairman of the IoD in the South West, said: “There are brilliantly successful enterprise leaders right across our region; by building top class businesses of all sizes they will help in driving the UK economy back into growth.

“Our IoD awards profile these leading innovators and entrepreneurs, and they illustrate that the South West can be truly proud of its enterprise sector.

“We urge companies and individuals to nominate leaders who are shining beacons in their own fields.”

Awards nominations are open to anyone working at director level at any type of business – they don’t have to be an IoD member.

Categories include: SME director, large company director, young director, global director, public sector director, family business director, corporate responsibility.

Regional winners will then go forward for to compete in the IoD national Director of the Year Awards in the autumn.

South West winners will be announced at a prestigious dinner on Thursday, 6 June, at Bristol’s Marriott Royal Hotel.

For entry form and more details see www.iod.com/southwest. Entry deadline is 28 March.