Winners of franchisee awards announced

Franchisee of the year is Gerald Thompson of McDonald’s in Manchester and Oldham.

Gerald Thompson, of McDonald’s in Manchester and Oldham, has scooped this year’s bfaHSBC Franchisee of the Year award.
Gerald scooped the gold award, after judges praised the outstanding success of his franchise combined with his support and dedication to local community projects.
He is involved with a number of local youth football teams through sponsorship, contributes to local prison programmes and proactively engages with youngsters by working with activities such as the Midnight Basketball Initiative.
”I feel extremely proud to be named the 2010 bfaHSBC Franchisee of the Year,” he said.  ”It’s a great honour and one which I couldn’t have achieved without the great support of my team.
”I’m dedicated to the community activity I do, not just because it helps me in my day-to-day job, but because it helps the local community get something more from life.  It gives me tremendous satisfaction to see some of the kids I’ve met on the street become respectful and respected individuals with some becoming valued employees at my restaurants.”
Silver went to Frank Sutherland, from Autosmart, Aberdeenshire, and bronze went to Peter Morrison, of Granite Transformations, Cambridge.
Cathryn Hayes, head of franchising, HSBC, said: ”There were some truly inspirational franchisee nominations this year so choosing the winners was very challenging.
”It demonstrates to me that British enterprise is alive and well, even in these tough times.  All 16 finalists should be very proud of what they have achieved through their endeavour and hard work.  On behalf of HSBC, I congratulate each of the winners and look forward to hearing about their continued success.”
Gold, silver and bronze award winners were selected from the five regional winners who the judges said ”all demonstrated unique qualities in their field”.
Last year’s winner was Sandra Redmond, of Molly Maid.

Regional winners
London and the South East – Guy Whittaker, Dairy Crest.
Scotland – Frank Sutherland, Autosmart.
The Midlands – Peter Morrison, Granite Transformations.
The North – Gerald Thompson, McDonald’s
The South West and South Wales – Nick Bourne, Cash Generator

Brian Smart, director general of the British Franchise Association (bfa) said: ”The winners have excelled in so many ways and are a credit to themselves and the franchise industry.  They have shown innovation, creativity and a relentless pursuit of excellence making them all inspirational examples of best practice.
”Gerald is an exceptional individual showing unbelievable character and belief throughout his career and is deserving of the prestigious title.
Ben Nealon, classified advertising manager, Express Newspapers, who supported the awards, said: ”The calibre of franchisees in the UK for this year’s awards was once again tremendous.
”Every winner has used their initiative and broadened their marketing strategies as part of a successful franchise.  I’d like to congratulate them all for their dedication to their franchise and wish them every success in the future.”

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