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With a hectic awards season having made way for frenetic festive cheer, Fred PR and media director David Laister sat down with Simon Jones to reflect on a remarkable 2024, and what he has achieved while helping others to hit new heights in our home region.
Few bang the drum louder than Simon Jones when it comes to celebrating success in these parts.
His work championing endeavour in the private sector took a giant leap this year as he not only widened the reach of the well established and hugely respected Top 30 Under 30 programme, but took on the running of the Hull and East Yorkshire Business Awards too.
Inspiring and equipping the next generation of business leaders was a passion stirred from his own experience of the early career ladder, and now the wider celebration feeds off a gradual awareness of the area’s huge potential - and a need to drive confidence to make it a reality.
When first thoughts of a foray into the awards business were acted upon, he was still in the age bracket that would have allowed him to enter, and less than three years into running his own recruitment operation, Identify.
Having returned to his home city from university, he’d worked for an agency before taking the plunge and going solo at 27, with his specialist search and selection offer giving him additional insight into some key requirements. Confidence and clarity on the skills needed were at the fore in his thinking,
“Top 30 was created when I was 30 years old,” Simon recalled. “It was at a time I reflected on the experience I had up to that point.
“For me, young people are often the engine room, doing the doing, and working long hours and working hard, being innovative and creative and all those things, but they don't necessarily get the same level of praise and recognition that maybe some senior leaders within their organisations do. There wasn't an award for young people at that time.
“I felt it was important to set something up that would deliver on that. The recognition piece for younger people does more than just recognise their work. Fundamentally, it gives them a boost of confidence, which if you think about it from a business perspective, you want your talented young people to feel confident enough to approach their boss with new ideas, to flag up issues, to be innovative and creative. And confidence can hold a lot of young people back, there can be a sense of imposter syndrome. That recognition and reassurance that they get through the awards probably delivers more for a younger person than, I would suggest, it does for somebody who's more established in their field.”
The model is well versed. A call for entries, companies nominate their rising stars, and a panel of judges consider those that flow through. A big reveal brings the plaudits, but then the professional development kicks in, and for Simon, it is all about the latter. “This is about how to be a leader, and feeds from all the mistakes I made at 27, 28, 29, trying to work out what leadership is because no-one ever teaches you. That’s where Top 30 comes into its own.
“The common experience is the ‘overnight manager’ effect. You are good at doing a job, relatively ambitious with your career, and because you are good and ambitious, you then get given the opportunity to supervise, manage or lead. No-one ever tells you the skills you have developed - albeit helpful when it comes to understanding problems and issues within your department - are actually now your minor skills. Your major skills need to be communication, the ability to influence, the questioning and understanding of what is going on around you, yourself, how to inspire and motivate. No-one ever tells you that’s the transition that’s actually taking place, but that’s the reality.
“Top 30 was an attempt to change the experience for young people so that they don’t just get thrust into leadership and go through the pain of that, they can start to understand what that transition actually means, and give them a skillset to flourish.”
It was a leap of faith for Simon, with a key target to hit purely living up to the name.
“When you say ‘30 Under 30’, you can't suddenly change it to ‘24 Under 30’. It was a bit of a stamp in the ground to say ‘we're going to recognise 30 people’. The concept was slightly different to previous awards too. We wanted that recognition, but we also wanted to train and development young people. It was probably more challenging a sell in that regard. As time has gone on, the concept has been proven, the award has now become the minor part of it, and the programme has become the major part, which shows the decision was the right one.”
Year one brought 42 nominations, and now it attracts between 80 and 100. West Yorkshire has just had its first Top 30 Under 30 year, with Simon now introducing it to South Yorkshire too, with entries actively being sought. He also lays on a cracking night of celebration as the year closes. Of the 210 that have passed through the Hull and Humber alone, 35 are now working at director-level, with 60 per cent in managerial positions. “That’s the legacy, that’s what we are looking to do, and we’re seeing great stories coming out with success attributed to the programme,” he said.
So, was the plan always to expand?
“Top 30 was genuinely philanthropic to begin with,” he said. “It was during Covid, when I was at home and I was sat there thinking about what I wanted to do, what I was really focused on, it became apparent. First off, it was getting Top 30 to work, which we did. We still delivered the programme in person, we just had to operate within the guidelines. And it was a genuine joy, it wasn’t a stress. It was then that I realised I wanted more of it in my life.”
This year was seen as the first opportunity. He’d changed the programme in 2020 but only really been able to fulfil it in the way he envisioned in 2022 as pandemic restrictions played out. Some further minor tweaks and he was happy to press on.
And press on he certainly did, but not just in new territories. Opportunity knocked late last year as time appeared to be called on the biggest business event of the East Yorkshire calendar as Hull Daily Mail parent company Reach restructured. Dedicated business coverage in the region was canned, and with it went the awards.
“I’d attended for a number of years, I’d always held it high esteem, it had always been the pinnacle awards night,” he said. Partnering with the publication to drive forward Top 30 saw him invited on to the judging panel in 2023. “I was honoured, it was a real privilege, and then when the news came out, I felt very sad about the fact that it could be the last one. I remember saying to Jane (Smallwood – event organiser) on the night ‘this can't be it’ - and then I went on my merry way. Two weeks later Jane called and asked whether, if there was a way of securing the awards, if I would be interested in running them. I took it as a massive compliment to be entrusted with it.
“This was the 24th year, it is the leading business awards in the region, so for people, and sponsors, to say ‘we've got confidence in you to take this on’ that was a real compliment.”
It led to a “frantic eight weeks of conversations with sponsors and partners” ahead of launch. Culminating in a magical November night at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel. Jane, who had delivered for Reach for decade, joined him to put on a superb show.
“There’s so much going on around here that I never really understood as a kid,” he said. “It was only when I went into the business world that I actually realised.”
“We seemingly have a bit of a culture of we don’t shout about our successes, but we don’t allow anyone to knock us either, especially those from outside of the region.
“Culturally there’s a lot of change that needs to take place if truth be told, and I think one of those changes is to celebrate the things we do, and do well round here, maximising opportunities we have.”
Devolution and the potential of the freeport agenda are passions, and he’d also like to see a little bit of swagger find its way down this end of the M62 too.
“My question to the community is, are we confident about our future or are we not confident? If we are confident, we have to project confidence to get investment, for young people to want to become entrepreneurial and start businesses. We have to outwardly showcase a confidence and a belief that we can take advantage of the significant opportunities that are presented to us, and as such we need to change a little bit of that culture so we are a little more vocal about our successes, our achievements and what it is we have done, so that it starts to self-perpetuate and breed a little more success and confidence.
“That’s the intention. Top 30 is about giving confidence to young people so they can go off and be even better at what they do. With the business awards my aim is to put the region on the map with what is actually happening, and the big successes that take place in this region. I want to champion this region in a way that will hopefully benefit all that are involved in it.”
Subtle changes saw a Hull-born host in Debra Stephenson invited in, with desktop judging of nominations supplemented by site visits and face-to-face interviews. Having launched a creative operation in Hype3 to initially facilitate Top 30, it excelled in delivery to raise profile across the digital landscape – including headline sponsor Connexin’s huge city screens. There will also be development packages as part of the prizes.
“Shining a spotlight on the region’s businesses, entrepreneurs and successes has been a real joy. I’m absolutely buzzing from the feedback from the night, and I'm excited to see what we can do in 2025,” he added.
Many in the region will also be keen to see what more is to come.
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