Tag Archives: business leader

Awards, News, North of England

Great British Entrepreneur Awards finalist – Sam White – continues to disrupt insurance industry

Samantha (Sam) White, founder & Chair of Cheshire-based insurance company, Freedom Services Group, has been recognised as one of the best in the business after being named as a finalist in the 2022 Great British Entrepreneur Awards.

Sam has been shortlisted in the ‘Disruptor of the Year’ category for her strongly principled approach to business and people-driven leadership style as she pioneers change within the insurance industry through her ever-expanding group of MGA, broker and claims businesses operating across the UK and a female-centric motor insurance business called Stella, which operates in Australia.

Here are three reasons why Sam White is an entrepreneurial ‘disruptor’ of the insurance industry:

Vocal Advocate for More Women in Insurance

Sam is a vocal advocate for levelling the playing field for women and championing female leaders within the insurance industry. Recognising that there is a lack of insurance products designed with women in mind, Sam launched Stella Insurance in Australia in July 2020 and will be launching into the UK markets later this year. Stella is an unapologetically female-first insurance brand led by women and focuses on designing products for women with a simplified customer journey.

Overcoming Pandemic Challenges

The pandemic caused a decrease of £10m in turnover across Freedom Services Group, as people stopped using their cars for a long period. During this time, Sam launched competitive black box insurance policies where monitors were fitted to cars to help better tailor to individual customer driving habits. This supported a steady recovery of the business with turnover increasing to £14.5m in 2021.

Human-first Approach to Leadership 

The cultural shift in a post-pandemic era has led Freedom to place more focus on employee wellbeing than ever before. The business has introduced schemes including: a 4-day work week; flexible working location; national living wage salaries; annual leave flexibility;  support for parents. All staff are offered a hybrid working regime with no requirement to work from the office, encouraging and enabling them to have the best work-life balance possible.

Commenting on the award: “I am honoured to be shortlisted for the awards this year. I am a passionate believer that building the right kind of businesses has the power to change the world for the better. Over the years, I have always aimed to build the businesses that sit within the Freedom Group to work for everyone – the people we employ, the communities we operate in and the customers we serve.” – Sam White, founder & Chair of Freedom Services Group

Sam is one of the business leaders to have been shortlisted from over 5,300 entrants across the nation – the most the awards has ever had. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the highly coveted accolade, which acknowledges and champions the hard work and uplifting stories of business owners across the UK, with an emphasis on their journey and resilience over financial achievements.

This year’s event in partnership with Starling Bank, will be held at the Grosvenor Hotel in London on 21st November 2022.

Sam has also been shortlisted as a finalist in two categories in the British Business Awards 2022 with SmallBusiness.co.uk – ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ and ‘Insurance Provider of the Year’ – in addition to also being named as a finalist in the Enterprise Vision Awards 2022, North West’s premier leading business awards for women.

Awards, News

Unispace shortlisted for three Mixology2022 awards

Global workplace creation expert, Unispace, has been shortlisted for three Mixology2022 awards.

Hosted by Mix Interiors, the Mixology Awards celebrate the very best projects, products and people in commercial interior design. Unispace has been shortlisted in three categories for both its client projects and its own workplace designs, which include:

  • Project of the Year – Workplace Interiors, 15,000 to 30,000 sq ft: The firm’s development of Astellas Pharma’s Madrid workplace made the shortlist for this category. The multinational pharmaceutical company reached out to Unispace to develop a new workplace to suit the post-Covid needs of its business. The bespoke workplace was designed to provide a range of agile environments and create a more human-centric environment stepping away from a traditional hierarchical corporate structure.
  • Project of the Year – Workplace Interiors, Sub 5,000 sq ft: Unispace’s own Amsterdam Studio has been shortlisted for this award. The space has been designed to embrace ‘gezellig’, a Dutch term which emphasises open, inviting, and diverse spaces including a Library, Wintergarden, Social Kitchen and Karaoke Booth, all arranged around our dedicated learning and collaboration space: The Hive. The studio has been planned to take best advantage of the canal-side views and is a showcase for progressive local design culture and heritage, with the use of bold textiles, recycled materials, and iconic Dutch furniture selections.
  • Project of the Year – Workplace Interiors, 5,000 to 15,000 sq ft: The experts new Zurich studio wraps up the triple shortlist for Unispace. The studio was developed with people in mind. An experiential design has delivered a sense of calm and serenity that is influenced by its natural surroundings with material selection as natural as it is minimal, with a bias towards refined detailing. As a major hub in the EMEA portfolio, the studio design focuses on open, flexible spaces that foster connectivity, collaboration, innovation and wellbeing. The project was also delivered sustainably and was accredited with the highest possible LEED rating (Platinum).

Winners of the awards will be announced in June.

Lawrence Mohiuddine, CEO EMEA at Unispace, commented:

“We are delighted to have been shortlisted for not one, but three Mixology2022 awards, especially following our exciting with for Workplace Interiors, Project of the Year, 5,000 and to 15,000 sq ft last year with Boston Scientific and their remarkable workplace in Clonmel.”

“This prestigious accolade celebrates the best in the world of workplace interior design and to be shortlisted for not only the projects we deliver for our clients, but also our own office designs is an honour.”