Autosmart franchisee Keith Ellword has been named as the bfa HSBC Franchisee of the Year.
The Edinburgh-based businessman was chosen for the £5,000 gold prize above 14 other finalists at last night’s Franchisee of the Year Awards, co-hosted by the British Franchise Association (bfa) and HSBC.
The £3,000 Silver Award went to McDonald’s franchisee Ron Mounsey, who also took the South West and Wales regional award, while Jo Jingles franchisee Eve Kay, was awarded the £2,000 Bronze prize, along with the North regional award.
Recognised for implementing innovative new systems to boost productivity at his Edinburgh Autosave franchise, overall winner Ellword also took the regional award for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The annual bfa HSBC event, now in its 23rd year, also recognised Gurpreet Bains of Driver Hire as the London and the South East regional winner and Esquires franchisee Stephen Prime as the regional winner for the Midlands and North Wales.
Ellword, who this year beat a record number of shortlisted candidates commented, “Winning this award and receiving the recognition from the industry is a fantastic feeling.
“I love running my franchise, servicing customers throughout the automotive sector. I'm looking forward to building on this success, continuing to offer great customer service and driving my business still further forward.”
Image from left to right: Sean Hammond (Express Newspapers), Keith Ellwood (Autosmart), Cathryn Hayes (HSBC) and Brian Smart (bfa)