The Véyaon Awards

For entrepreneurs in the creative sector who are making waves in their industry. 

Celebrating entrepreneurs in the creative sector whose business demonstrates economic and/or social impact through creative output.  Including an innovative new product, service or way of working in the industry.  

This category saw the most entries of all of the awards, and they were whittled down to a shortlist of 5, but the winning entrepreneur was someone who demonstrated creativity and innovation in their work and a clear mission to take it further.

The judges said: “​​We were very impressed by the innovative product offering, build and development; a terrific way to draw attention to Guernsey's natural sites and create new experiences for locals and visitors that are truly looking to the future.”

The winner is: Aaron Smillie, Founder of Digital Motion Workshop

An award to recognise exemplary leadership within an organisation where evolving technology is embraced.

Celebrating individuals who can demonstrate driving positive digital transformation through exceptional leadership. For example, successful intrapreneurial activity, digital transformation and/or culture change.  

As the owner of a small business, the winner of this award wears a number of hats, but as a passionate developer by trade, he makes a point of leading with and driving change through the use of technology to collaborate with his staff and clients. 

The judges said that they were impressed with this individual’s ability to overcome adversity and how it has enabled the company to exploit knockbacks and pivot into new areas.

The winner is: Patrick Cunningham, Director of Indulge

An award that advocates those willing to take on risks in order to bring about radical change. 

Entrants can be either entrepreneurs, or an individual or a team within an organisation. They should be pioneers for change, demonstrating innovation in their business or industry sector, having a measurable impact and positively disrupting the status quo.

The winner of Disrupter of the Year is a software platform radically disrupting crew management in their sector. They are building the tools to enable the maritime sector to digitalise crew data processes. Their platform is made up of innovative products, the vital one being a digital wallet acting as a single source of truth for crew data, pulling together data stored in disparate and siloed systems.

The judge's comments included: “Truly disrupting an industry by designing and implementing a technology solution that solves the challenges (and associated risks) of onboarding and recruiting boat crew.”

The winner is: Crewdentials

An award to celebrate social entrepreneurship and positive action in mission-based businesses. 

Entrants should be entrepreneurs whose business contributes to public good or someone who runs a nonprofit that can demonstrate a sustainable business model. Including founders of organisations with a mission to create and sustain social value, with a measurable impact for good.

The winners of Entrepreneur for Good demonstrated a clear mission: to provide a reliable, affordable tool to support executive function skills, which helps individuals and their support network.  The winning business has implemented research-proven methods, through a feature-rich software platform to help with routine, managing change, and tracking and understanding emotions. 

The judges were impressed by their clear vision and sustainable growth business model, enabling exponential impact for people on a global scale. 

The winners are: Trevor & Catherine Nicholls, Founders of EaseeDo

An award to promote organisations that are leading by example in technology-driven innovation projects.  

An award to promote organisations that are leading by example in technology-driven innovation projects.  

Recognising a product or service that demonstrates the use of technology to deliver a creative business solution.  Including innovative business launches, improvements to existing business infrastructure, increased organisational productivity and opening up a new market.  

The winner of this award has already been on stage tonight, but the judges of this category were really impressed by the level of innovation being demonstrated by this company.  Not only in the current application of the software but also it's potential to pivot into other high-value industries.

The judge's comments included: “This company has identified an existing way of working that's in need of transformation.  They've grasped the need for people to be in control of their own data, and built tech around that to capture and verify certificates that are necessary for safe crewing.  Plus they've done this using a progressive web app, and recognised the value of early release of an API.” 

The winner is: Crewdentials

An award to champion learning, underpinned by the importance of upskilling for the future of work.   

Entrants can be individuals of any age (14+) who are extending their knowledge for the future of work, including those studying STEM subjects. 

The winner of Learner of the Year goes to a chartered management accountant working in the Civil Service, not where you would expect to necessarily see upskilling to drive change!  This individual recognised the need for digital and innovative skills training to enable them to take their team forward in a changing environment, completing the High Potentials Programme through the Digital Greenhouse.   

The judges were particularly impressed with the winner’s application of learning in their own context and knowledge sharing with his wider team, taking on responsibility for running internal sessions.  Showing leadership and a team-focused approach to driving change in their organisation. 

The winner is: Michael Creber

An award to recognise growing business success.  

Entrants should be entrepreneurs with established businesses that have demonstrated success through strong and sustainable growth. For example, job creation, increased revenue and extended market reach. 

The winning Scale Up Business helps brands to tell their story, share their message and build their reputation.  They connect companies to consumers and change-makers to the community using a tailor-made mix of social media, PR, events and creative content.  This business demonstrated growth through an impressive staffing and scaling plan which has proven successful.

The judges thought that the winning business demonstrated a real sense of drive and ambition with well attuned to revenue models and product development, but also attention to staff's development and well-being.   

The winner is: Black Vanilla

For entrepreneurs in the creative sector who are making waves in their industry. 

Celebrating entrepreneurs in the creative sector whose business demonstrates economic and/or social impact through creative output.  Including an innovative new product, service or way of working in the industry.  

"The creative industries have always played a key part in helping communities to thrive, with ideas that both unite and inspire change. Sponsoring this award helps us to shine a light on creativity, which we hope will encourage more islanders to develop great ideas on and for our island." - Victoria Falla, Strategy Director at TPA

Shortlisted businesses:

Aaron Smillie - Digital Motion Workshop Ltd

Digital Motion Workshop Ltd started with a simple goal: create work that was in equal measure innovative and creative. Over the past 3 years it’s been extremely rewarding to see that mission come to life, attracting a client base of passionate disrupters. They’ve included Guernsey based clients in cyber security, business modelling and corporate governance as well as global clients in the UK and US including UK Gov and Marvel.

Alex Bates - White Rock Productions

White Rock Productions is an independent film production company founded in 2020 and operating in Guernsey. Our goal is to create unique short films highlighting the beauty of our island, its incredible number of talented creatives and its potential as a hub for filmmakers. We also provide opportunities for aspiring filmmakers to express their passion since there are few filmmaking opportunities on the island.

Ben Parish - AYAYAY Studio

AYAYAY Studio is a partnership of global creatives led by Ben Parish and Steven Mzar established in 2018ish. They work together with innovative start ups to define their story and establish a visual identity that makes an impact with both investors and customers. AYAYAY’s aim is to help them raise the funds that will bring their vision or product to life.

Brooke Kenyon - Orchard

MD Brooke Kenyon leads client service at the Crown Dependencies’ go-to communications agency Orchard. Since a 2017 MBO she has focused on adapting the 12-strong agency to changing industry landscapes. Brooke introduced an agency development framework to progress the business and, with co-owner and MD - operations Chris Chilton, restructured Orchard to create three new ‘branches’: digital, social, PR, with three experienced practitioners working with Brooke to lead each branch under Orchard’s new vision: “We believe in communications as a force for good”.

Warren Mauger - Spike Productions

I am Warren Mauger, owner of Spike Productions which was set up in 2004. The aim was to build a film production business as good as those found in London (the main benchmark for European production) but based in the Channel Islands. We operate in both the broadcast and corporate markets, more weighted to corporate than broadcast. Our services break down into the following areas - Video and Animation production, Live streaming, Virtual Tours and 3D Laser Scanning.

An award to recognise exemplary leadership within an organisation where evolving technology is embraced.

Celebrating individuals who can demonstrate driving positive digital transformation through exceptional leadership. For example, successful intrapreneurial activity, digital transformation and/or culture change.  

“The Véyaon Awards are a fantastic way of recognising those who have excelled in digital business throughout the year. At Sure innovative solutions are at the heart of our mission to transform how people and businesses connect with each other, so we’re pleased to sponsor the award for Digital Leader of the Year. We know there are some individuals who are leading the way in the digital space, and look forward to learning more about them, and recognising them at the awards.” - Justin Bellinger, Chief Executive of Sure Guernsey

Shortlisted individuals:

Chris Ash - C5 Alliance

C5 Alliance is a Channel Island based IT consultancy firm with a history in Guernsey dating back 40 years. They specialise in Managed Services, Data and AI, Cloud and Infrastructure, Application Development, Transformation and Change and Training. Chris Ash is the Managing Director of C5 Guernsey, and joined the firm in 2018 following the acquisition of the C5 Alliance Group by BDO Jersey.  His experience in change management helped guide the business through the post-acquisition process, through our internal digital transformation phase, then covid (and the positive and negative impacts that had on their technology services), and through a property rationalisation programme resulting in C5 moving to a flagship office in Guernsey later this year.

Patrick Cunningham - Indulge Media Ltd

Patrick is a director of Indulge, a Guernsey and Oxford based firm that develops digital technology and marketing solutions for the global financial services sector. He founded the business in 2009 with his business partner, Russell Isabelle, then in 2016 they launched their UK office and brought their third member, Paul Wood onto the board.  As the owner of a small business Patrick wears a number of hats, but his role can generally be summed up as “CTO, CFO and CCO (Chief Customer Officer)”.  A passionate developer by trade, he makes a point of staying on the tools as much as he can. “The thrill of identifying, analysing and solving problems using technology is one of the main driving factors behind why I started Indulge, and remains my primary motivation to this day.”

Ralf Meijer - PwC Channel Islands

A qualified school teacher, Ralf joined PwC in Guernsey almost two years ago. He was appointed to deliver PwC's Hive Hackers Programme to schoolchildren in the Bailiwick. The aim of this Programme is to develop and build trust in the local community in a sustained manner, by inspiring, encouraging and preparing children for a world of technology through exposure to innovative digital education.  Ralf has always had a great interest in digital upskilling and loves to teach.  So to have the opportunity to combine both, as he leads creative days for the school children, “teaching them invaluable yet fun lessons on programming, sequencing, looping, debugging, conditionals and everything in between, is such an enjoyable role for me and I thrive on it.”

An award that advocates those willing to take on risk in order to bring about radical change. 

Entrants can be either entrepreneurs, or an individual or a team within an organisation. They should be pioneers for change, demonstrating innovation in their business or industry sector, having measurable impact and positively disrupting the status quo.

"We are delighted to be sponsoring the ‘Disrupter of the Year’ Award at The Véyaon Awards. We believe that innovative thinking creates purpose driven, pioneering change. We are excited to recognise those who have gone against the status quo to find new solutions to existing challenges, and in doing so they improve our experiences by making things simpler, quicker or better." - Chris Ash, Managing Director of C5 Alliance

Shortlisted businesses:

Aaron Smillie - Digital Motion Workshop Ltd

Digital Motion Workshop Ltd started with a simple goal: create work that was in equal measure innovative and creative. Over the past 3 years it’s been extremely rewarding to see that mission come to life, attracting a client base of passionate disrupters. They’ve included Guernsey based clients in cyber security, business modelling and corporate governance as well as global clients in the UK and US including UK Gov and Marvel.

Ellen Armsden - Crewdentials Limited

Crewdentials is a software platform tipping seafarer credential management on its head. They are building the tools to enable the maritime sector to digitalise crew data processes. Their platform is made up of innovative products, the vital one being a digital wallet acting as a single source of truth for crew data, pulling together data stored in disparate and siloed systems.

Matt Thornton - Cortex Technologies

Cortex is a Guernsey-based software company. Their mission is to create a place where creative technical minds can flourish and make the most of modern technology. Their small team spans experience ranging fresh-from-college juniors to 20-year veterans; all united but their love of technology. "We're nominating Simultaneous Electronic Voting (in the States of Guernsey) for this award: it's a high-risk attempt to revolutionise and modernise the way States Members' meetings are recorded; for the potential benefit of the whole of Guernsey."

Perrin Carey - CoSteer Limited

CoSteer was founded in 2021 by Perrin Carey with the sole purpose to disrupt corporate governance. The CoSteer Directors, Perrin Carey and Jim Nicholls, with over 50 years’ experience are specialists in governance, compliance, improving business performance and shaping organisational culture, are purposefully driven to do good in the world through living the CoSteer values of compassion, wisdom and ingenuity. Ultimately their ambition is to improve society by improving business.

Rollo de Sausmarez, Mike Ozanne, Charlotte Dunsterville & Colin Woodcock - UN1TY

UN1TY has been formed from the merger of four independent consultancies bringing together executive level expertise to provide strategic advisory in several critical fields. It provides an on-demand service so that clients can benefit from the hard-earned experience of our advisors to tackle their business challenges. The UN1TY model allows businesses to have access to truly board level-expertise only when required. UN1TY currently has 7 main areas of expertise that its four partners can deliver in a no-fuss, no hassle, low commitment way that is a breath of fresh air in the sector.

An award to celebrate social entrepreneurship and positive action in mission-based businesses. 

Entrants should be entrepreneurs whose business contributes to public good or someone who runs a nonprofit that can demonstrate a sustainable business model. Including founders of organisations with a mission to create and sustain social value, with a measurable impact for good.

"A vital part of our strategy for growth at Islands is to aspire to best practice in everything we do. This extends both to our core and non-core business activities, and for this very reason we are proud to sponsor the Entrepreneur for Good award, as this award recognises efforts of those individuals whose values run parallel to our own.” - Will Woodford, Sales Director at Islands Insurance

Shortlisted businesses:

Alison Vine - The Guernsey Weigh

The Guernsey Weigh Ltd is a small environmentally conscious shop in the beautiful surroundings of the Inner Market. Established in 2018 by proprietor Alison Vine her aim is to offer sustainable planet friendly zero-waste shopping. The Guernsey Weigh is Guernsey’s first zero-waste market helping islanders to minimise their household and food waste.

Daniel White - Sleep Better Live Better

Sleep Better Live Better was founded by Daniel White in 2020. At the heart of this organisation is a core belief that everybody should be able to access practical, science-based advice, information and products that improve the way that we sleep, enabling all of us to get the most out of every day of our waking lives.

Jack Fletcher & Paul Fletcher - Renew Guernsey

Renew Guernsey is a renewable energy company formed seven years ago by Paul Fletcher, his son Jack joined in 2020 to make Renew the small, passionate team focused on one big goal, to decarbonise Guernsey. Their business is focused on solar photovoltaic and battery storage solutions, enabling homeowners and businesses to reduce their running costs and decarbonise their buildings.

Megan Seward - Isle Health Ltd

Isle Health is an Exercise Referral Company, founded in 2020 by Megan Seward - originating in Guernsey for Guernsey. They use movement as medicine to improve the quality of life for clients they work with, to remove medical barriers clients face in day-to-day life. Individuals can self-refer or be referred by a medical professional (GP or other). They’re a unique service to Guernsey and are looking forward to benefiting many more islanders.

Rollo de Sausmarez - UN1TY Ltd

UN1TY has been formed from the merger of four independent consultancies bringing together executive level expertise to provide strategic advisory in several critical fields. UN1TY provides an on-demand service so that clients can benefit from the hard-earned experience of our advisors to tackle their business challenges.

Trevor & Catherine Nicholls - EaseeDo

Their mission is to provide a reliable, affordable tool to support executive function skills, which helps individuals and their support network. Executive dysfunction affects a person’s cognitive functions, behaviour, and emotions. EaseeDo helps with routine, managing change, and tracking and understanding emotions. It does this by implementing research-proven methods through a feature-rich software platform.

An award to promote organisations that are leading by example in technology-driven innovation projects.  

Shortlisted businesses:

Diane de Garis - DNA LTD

DNA LTD are a Xero Platinum Partner firm (the only platinum partner in the Channel Islands which also puts them in the top 2% of worldwide Xero firms). DNA are pioneers for change, using cloud technologies in an innovative, people-first approach, empowering businesses to work more efficiently, more sustainably and with greater impact. DNA is the product of a recent merger between Diane’s de garis accounting and Danielle Bennett’s Nimbus. The duo realised that by joining forces, they could really offer the SME market what it needed – the virtual finance team. We love to introduce businesses to the world of cloud accounting and show them there is a better way. 

Matt Thornton - Cortex Technologies

Cortex is a Guernsey-based software company. Their mission is to create a place where creative technical minds can flourish and make the most of modern technology. Their small team spans experience ranging from fresh-from-college juniors to 20-year veterans; all united but their love of technology. "We're nominating Simultaneous Electronic Voting (in the States of Guernsey) for this award: it's a high-risk attempt to revolutionise and modernise the way States Members' meetings are recorded; for the potential benefit of the whole of Guernsey."

Chiara Beebe - MJ Hudson Quantitative Solutions

Ellen Armsden - Crewdentials Limited

Crewdentials is a software platform tipping seafarer credential management on its head. They are building the tools to enable the maritime sector to digitalise crew data processes. Their platform is made up of innovative products, the vital one being a digital wallet acting as a single source of truth for crew data, pulling together data stored in disparate and siloed systems.

An award to champion learning, underpinned by the importance of upskilling for the future of work.   

Entrants can be individuals of any age (14+) who are extending their knowledge for the future of work, including those studying STEM subjects. 

"As a business, our people and our local talent are our greatest assets and critical to our success. At JT, we have a culture of continuous learning, and we continue to train and invest in the future of our people.

We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn, grow and be inspired to innovate and this is why we are so proud to sponsor the 'Learner of the Year' award at the Véyaon Awards 2022.

Good luck to all the nominees this evening and thank you to all you do for our business community." - Daragh McDermott, CEO of JT Group.

Shortlisted individuals:

Rebecca Baines - Digital Greenhouse Guernsey

Coming from a creative background, I hold the position of Marketing and Communications Assistant at the Digital Greenhouse. I particularly like writing business support articles, where I can lean into the copywriting voice I have been developing over the last four years. I have a CIM qualification in Digital Marketing and Communications and thanks to the SMART Guernsey Programme, recently completed Avado’s Squared online digital marketing course with an additional award of ‘Inspirational Square’. This accolade is given by fellow students to those who display growth and leadership, supporting others in developing their skills and confidence in team projects. This empowering programme shapes individuals into leaders and change-makers, combining personal growth with practical solutions to digital marketing challenges. I particularly felt that this programme helped me realise my capabilities and step into a new chapter of my career.

Matthew Champion - Cortex Technologies

Since joining Cortex, Matthew has shown a passion and enthusiasm for technology and has surpassed Cortex's expectations this year. He has embraced Cortex's ethos of working together and collaboratively advancing our collective knowledge. He brings a whole new level of expertise to the team through his diligence and approach.

Trevor Nicholls - EaseeDo Limited

I have been developing EaseeDo, software to support executive dysfunction, for some years. Initially, this was in my ‘spare’ time whilst working full time, and since October last year, it has become my full-time occupation. I have always had a passion for technology, my first role after education was database design and management, self-employed and all my skills self-taught. After Y2K saturated the industry, I left IT to pursue a lifelong dream; I qualified as an airline pilot with the idea of living wherever the jobs took us. After our three wonderful neuro-diverse daughters arrived and it became apparent that routine and stability were very important to their mental well-being, so plans changed again. It was in trying to support their needs that the idea for EaseeDo was born - we couldn’t find any digital solutions, and the physical tools we did have were not portable and took far too long to set up each day.

Michael Creber - States of Guernsey

I am a chartered management accountant working in the Civil Service. I joined as a school leaver and gained experience across a wide range of service areas, progressing to my current role of Senior Finance Manager. My goal in the short to medium term is to progress to the level of Finance Business Partner. In the longer term, I recognised that I would need skills training to complement my experience at work – this is where the High Potentials Programme came in. The 12-week programme covered a range of topics including personnel management, project management and change management. The programme culminated in a group activity to present an action plan for change relating to a fictional scenario.

Laura Halford - Healthspan

I currently work as a Direct Marketing Manager at Healthspan. I have worked in marketing for the last 6 years and have continually undertaken training and learning during this period in order to enhance my personal and professional growth. I recently undertook the Squared Online Digital Marketing course to develop my skills in this area. For me, learning isn’t just about the certificate at the end or necessarily receiving the highest marks; it’s about a sense of achievement, gaining confidence and enhancing teamwork. It’s also about immersing myself in challenging situations and meeting other people with different skill sets to bring to the table. I love learning and will continue to do so throughout my marketing career, particularly working on areas where I need a challenge or to upskill. I am currently on maternity leave but will keep learning when I return to the world of work!

An award to recognise growing business success.  

Entrants should be entrepreneurs with established businesses that have demonstrated success through strong and sustainable growth. For example, job creation, increased revenue and extended market reach. 

Shortlisted individuals:

Nichole Culverwell - Black Vanilla

Black Vanilla helps brands to tell their story, share their message and build their reputation. We connect companies to consumers and change-makers to the community using a tailor-made mix of social media, PR, events and creative content. We give our clients a voice and a platform to create meaningful connections with their customers, stakeholders and communities. Our vision is that reputation management and corporate purpose is a strategic consideration for every organisation.

Trevor & Catherine Nicholls - EaseeDo

Our mission is to provide a reliable, affordable tool to support executive function skills, which helps individuals and their support network. Executive dysfunction affects a person’s cognitive functions, behaviour, and emotions. It can have a huge impact on their quality of life and their level of independence; and is often related to other conditions, such as ADHD, autism, or a traumatic brain injury. Our EaseeDo software was developed after searching for a solution to support our three neuro-diverse daughters and finding that existing solutions were seriously lacking or far too expensive. EaseeDo helps with routine, managing change, and tracking and understanding emotions. It does this by implementing research-proven methods through a feature-rich software platform. Key features are its customisable, visual timetable with integrated emotion tracking.

Brooke Kenyon - Orchard PR

MD Brooke Kenyon leads client service at the Crown Dependencies’ go-to communications agency Orchard. Since a 2017 MBO she has focused on adapting the 12-strong agency to changing industry landscapes. Brooke introduced an agency development framework to progress the business and, with operations director Chris Chilton, restructured Orchard to create three new ‘branches’: digital, social, and PR, with three experienced practitioners working with Brooke to lead each branch under Orchard’s new vision: “We believe in communications as a force for good.”

Orchard sells ideas and people. And has the most influential communications practitioners in the region and a bucketload of ambition. Led by Brooke they are on an unstoppable march to keep exceeding a high bar – for their agency, team, clients, and the greater good.