Entrepreneur of the Year 2026
Category criteria
- This award will recognise someone who has had a big impact with their own business or innovation and is open to people at any stage of their entrepreneurial journey.
- The judges will reward enterprising behaviour such as innovation, calculated risk-taking, management, leadership, vision and originality.
- The judges will also look for a positive impact on the wider economy and community.
Tim Howarth
Entrepreneur of the Year entrant
Less than two years after it was set up as a one-man business Astro Education has expanded across two counties with a team of four staff and has ambitious plans to grow further.
The Stoke-on-Trent based business specialises in recruitment and retention for the education sector including connecting schools with high-quality teaching and support staff.
It works with primary schools, secondary schools, colleges and specialist SEN provisions across Staffordshire and Cheshire.
It provides both day-to-day supply staff and long-term placements covering a wide range of roles including qualified teachers, teaching assistants, SEN specialists, pastoral staff, cover supervisors and administrative professionals.
Founder Tim Howarth, who worked in the insurance industry before moving into recruitment, has added a former headteacher and teaching assistant into his team. They currently have a workforce of around 100 educational professionals.
Tim said: “From the outset, our mission has been to build a recruitment business that prioritises relationships, reliability and fairness. Schools rely heavily on agency support to maintain continuity for their pupils yet many report challenges around cost, inconsistent candidate quality and poor service from traditional recruitment providers.
“Astro Education was established specifically to address these issues. Our approach focuses on transparent pricing, high compliance standards and careful candidate matching to ensure that both schools and staff benefit from a supportive and professional recruitment experience.
“Although we are still a young business, our growth since launching has been significant. Within less than two years we have developed a strong and expanding client base across Staffordshire and have begun extending our reach into Cheshire.”
Wherever possible Tim tries to put back into the communities his business serves including sponsoring football kits for Excel Academy and sponsoring an early years practitioners event.
“I want people to want to work with us,” he said. "I’m creating a brand that is a transparent, responsive and ethical alternative that genuinely supports the education community.”
Astro Education has entered the Small Business of the Year, Start-up Business of the Year and Growth categories of University of Staffordshire Business Awards and Tim Howarth has entered the Entrepreneur of the Year category.
Adam Swierk
Entrepreneur of the Year nominee
Adam Swierk founded V.S.S. Maintenance Ltd in 2022 with a simple but clear goal - to build a construction company people could genuinely trust.
Four years later the business is thriving, on track to double its turnover year on year and Adam’s wife, Maria, has been able to leave her previous job to join the family firm.
The couple now have one permanent member of staff and four contractors who work on the likes of extensions, garage conversions and full-house renovations as well as routine maintenance around Staffordshire.
Maria said: “Starting from nothing, Adam took on every responsibility himself. He secured the work, managed the finances, built relationships with suppliers and delivered projects on site.
“In the early days it meant long hours, personal risk and complete accountability — but it also laid strong foundations.
“Through determination, consistency and a hands-on approach he has grown the business into a respected contractor across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent that is on track to more than double its turnover year on year.”
Adam has more than 20 years of experience in the construction industry, a Level 7 Diploma in Construction and Senior Management and an understanding of both the practical and commercial sides of the sector.
The 39-year-old has built the company steadily and sustainably, expanding from a sole founder to a structured team supported by trusted contractors.
Adam believes success should also benefit others. He actively encourages and supports other tradespeople who are considering starting their own businesses, sharing advice from his own journey and leading by example.
He is also committed to supporting the local community, working closely with local suppliers and tradespeople and donating Christmas presents each year to the children’s ward at Royal Stoke University Hospital.
Adam has been nominated for the Entrepreneur of the Year and Young Business Person of the Year categories of University of Staffordshire Business Awards.
Tomasz Putynkowski
Entrepreneur of the Year entrant
It’s been a successful year for University of Staffordshire alumnus Tomasz Putynkowski, including reaching the finals of the LUCA Awards — the highest national award in the UK for bookkeeping and accountancy professionals.
Tomasz is the founder of Fenton-based JMT, an accountancy and business advisory firm that has now supported more than 170 small and medium-sized enterprises across Staffordshire and beyond.
He is also the CEO of a supported living non-profit organisation dedicated to providing quality housing and support for less fortunate adults in the Staffordshire area.
Over the past two years he has collaborated with University of Staffordshire, where he studied for a number of professional qualifications, and Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce to mentor aspiring entrepreneurs, share real-world business insight and bridge the gap between academic learning and practical application.
His involvement helps equip students with financial literacy, entrepreneurial confidence and a clearer understanding of the challenges and rewards of running a business.
Over the past three years alone, Tomasz has helped raise and donate more than £7,000 for local charities and community initiatives. He has organised and supported numerous fundraising events and continuously promotes civic engagement within the business sector.
Previously serving as Treasurer of the Staffordshire Autistic Society, he has contributed financial governance and strategic oversight within the charity sector, demonstrating responsibility and accountability beyond his own enterprise.
“I love my job and what I do,” Tomasz said. “It gives me the opportunity to be involved in so many positive things and to help as many people as possible. Everything is going in the right direction.”
Tomasz has entered the Entrepreneur of the Year and Alumni Business Person of the Year categories of University of Staffordshire Business Awards.
Emma Cartlich
Entrepreneur of the Year entrant
Former NHS Educator of the Year winner Emma Cartlich now uses her teaching skills to run two pet businesses including founding and scaling a training academy.
Emma, from Weston Coyney, runs wedding dog chaperone service Precious Pets Weddings with her husband Adrian alongside Ultra Clean Canines, where she has created a one-of-a-kind training platform and works with colleges around the UK.
She is constantly innovating within both businesses including creating a training arm to Precious Pets Weddings to upskill other people looking to enter the profession rather than seeing them as a threat to her business.
She said: “Everything we do with both businesses is about being professional and ethical.
“I was a teacher and a trainer in colleges and in the NHS where I used to teach doctors and nurses how to use clinical hospital systems and would help GP surgeries to use new clinical IT systems. I spent 14 years in the NHS and before that I worked in colleges and prisons.”
She says it was a natural progression to launch the businesses after her husband trained as a dog groomer.
She was initially still working full-time as Research and Development Training Lead at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, leaving her job in 2018 to work full-time on the businesses.
“We never anticipated Ultra Clean Canines becoming such a successful training academy and when we took Precious Pets Weddings to wedding shows we had people queueing around the corner to speak to us.
“I took a risk and left my job with the NHS to get our businesses off the ground. Then the pandemic hit and dog grooming businesses were shutting down, so I had the idea of running emmi®-pet seminars on Zoom and the rest is history.
“Adrian is like the dog whisperer and doesn’t even go on a laptop whereas I’m the entrepreneurial one with a background in IT.”
Emma added: “I get real job satisfaction from what I do. It really can feel like I’m making people’s dreams come true. We do our job because we have a genuine passion for what we do.”
Emma Cartlich has entered the Entrepreneur of the Year category of University of Staffordshire Business Awards.