Preston wellbeing entrepreneur celebrates win at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards

Lee Chambers, founder of Preston-based business Essentialise Workplace Wellbeing, has triumphed at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2021, taking home the trophy for Service Entrepreneur of the Year for the North West Region. Despite being up against highly regarded and well-established competitors, they were selected by the judges to win on the evening, much to the surprise of both Lee and his supporters.

Chambers, who has recently won awards regionally for his work with Essentialise, was commended for his resilience through challenges, ferocious entrepreneurial spirit, and desire to create social impact through every business interaction.

The Great British Entrepreneur Awards launched in 2012 to celebrate the best of British enterprise, inviting founders from across the UK to apply with their entrepreneurial success stories.

This year, after having to hold the awards virtually in 2020, the organisers brought together all eight of their regional shortlists for the first time, with a guest list of 1,200 entrepreneurs, judges, mentors, investors and partners invited to the London celebration.

Over the last decade, the Awards has celebrated some household names including Julie Deane OBE of Cambridge Satchel Co, Alan and Juliet Barratt of Grenade and Shaun Pulfrey of Tangle Teezer. Its most recent headline-grabbing success story is its previous winner, and speaker at this year’s event, Steven Bartlett, who in May was announced as the youngest ever Dragon on BBC’s Dragons Den.

The awards were judged by a panel of industry experts and leaders of influential UK businesses, including some of the prize winners from previous years.

Francesca James, founder of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, spoke highly of the entrepreneurial talent coming out of this year’s cohort: “It was fantastic to hear so many inspiring business stories after a difficult few years, and even better to have been able to invite all of our finalists to the in-person ceremony and celebrate together.

“With more than 1,200 attending, the evening was a real snapshot of the UK economy. The winners were thoroughly deserving, overcoming some stiff competition from their fellow finalists, and we look forward to welcoming them into our alumni community and seeing what they do next. It’s always exciting to watch our previous winners go on to achieve amazing things and I don’t expect any less from this year’s award recipients, who we will support all the way.”

When asked about winning his category, Lee Chambers said, “I’m still struggling to find the words to explain how I feel about being recognised on such a big stage. I know it’s the awards, from an entrepreneurs perspective, that is the gold standard in the UK, so I’m overjoyed and overwhelmed at winning, especially given how we have only just started, and it was our first time entering and attending. When the dust settles and I’ve had the time to process everything, I think I will be extremely proud, and even more determined to keep delivering high-quality wellbeing to those that need it the most.”

With 2022 almost upon us, big things are in the pipeline for the bespoke wellbeing company that assists SME’s with strategy and delivery, and scooping this coveted award is another step on that ambitious journey. They will also be launching their new, updated website in the New Year.