Stelios recognises his Knighthood tomorrow by announcing his sponsorship of the 'Disabled Entrepreneur of the Year Award'
posted: Nov 28, 2006

In recognition of his knighthood for services to entrepreneurship Stelios today announced that he has created the 'Disabled Entrepreneur of the Year Award' in partnership with Leonard Cheshire.

Stelios the serial entrepreneur has created an annual award for disabled entrepreneurs worth £50,000 in cash as a prize to the winner. The award will be in partnership with disability charity Leonard Cheshire which manages a program that assists disabled people to start their own businesses. The first year's competition and award will take place in mid 2007 and Stelios pledges to fund the prize for at least for 10 years.

Leonard Cheshire will promote the award among disabled entrepreneurs in their network and among the disabled community at large to encourage aspiring entrepreneurs to start their own business. A third party independent from Stelios, still to be announced, will provide business analysis skills in order to draw up a shortlist of disabled entrepreneurs who will then be judged by a committee to include Stelios, Leonard Cheshire and the third party company and potentially other independent members. This third party company will probably be a management consultancy, accountancy, bank or similar institution skilled in selecting businesses deemed worthy of this award for entrepreneurship.

"In line with my policy of repaying my debt to society I have decided to set up this annual award," said Stelios the serial entrepreneur and easyGroup chairman. "I know first hand how difficult it is to succeed in running your own business and to do this while being disabled is a feat which I admire and support. Since the UK has been so kind as to recognise my own efforts as an entrepreneur I wish to try to contribute to fostering entrepreneurship in the UK," he continued. "Moreover, both my contacts at Leonard Cheshire and some disabled entrepreneurs to whom I was introduced told me that the desire to be your own boss and run your own business is arguably greater amongst the disabled. This is because they see it as a way of avoiding potential prejudice in the workplace and also as a way of gaining the freedom to work from their own space in their own time."