MD announced as IoD Director of the Year awards finalist

We are delighted to announce that our Managing Director, Barry Leahey MBE has been shortlisted for the Director of the Year award in the global category at the finals of the IoD Director of the Year Awards.

Barry, who lives in Samlesbury, began working for Playdale in 2004 as Sales and Marketing Director and progressed more recently to Managing Director in 2015. Barry’s drive and passion to ensure that we’re the best we can be at export have been relentless in the last seven years, having started and led our export mission to ensure we’re now a growing global business covering 48 countries.

Speaking about this shortlist, Barry said “To be announced winner of the Global Director Of The Year Award in the recent North West heat was an incredible honour but to now have been shortlisted for the finalists’ final is something else! None of it would have happened without my team at Playdale and all their hard work and support in helping us achieve our export goals.”

The finalists were chosen from the hundreds of directors that entered into the 13 heats across the UK, in 10 different categories. The expert judging panel will now convene to decide the overall winners to be announced at the awards ceremony on Thursday 18th October this year at the Royal Horticultural Halls.

Stephen Martin, Director General of the Institute of Directors, said:
“The winners from our regions and nations present fantastic examples of business leadership, and it’s heartening to be able to bring their stories to the attention of a wider audience at the finals. I am looking forward to celebrating their success at this year’s event.”

Attended by business leaders, entrepreneurs, government and media representatives, the awards ceremony is a unique opportunity to network, exchange ideas and celebrate with some of the very ‘best of the best’ in British business.

On a similar ‘global’ note, we’re also delighted to announce that we are official ‘Export Champions’ of the North West. This has been recognised by the Department of International Trade and highlighted via our Exporting is the GREAT campaign. A campaign that has created a movement to inspire companies to sell overseas. We’ve actively shared our export success stories, challenges we’ve faced and provided tips on how to overcome them or where to go for help. This inspiration helps other businesses achieve growth and become more productive. Basically, it’s about us letting them know that Exporting is GREAT!

Click here to visit our Awards and Press webpage.