Rhotic Media, which specialises in content for the financial and technology industries, collected the John Caudwell Blaze Your Own Trail Award at the 2022 Grand Final of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, held at London’s Grosvenor House hotel on Monday, 21 November.
Rhotic was founded by Joe McGrath in 2018 after he was made redundant by his former employer. He used his final pay cheque to buy a desk in a serviced office and win his first clients. Today the business says it employs 20 people and turned over £1.5m in revenue in the financial year ending April 2022.
At the ceremony in London’s Grosvenor House hotel, attendees heard how the company has created jobs for young people from the age of 18, offering degree apprenticeships, internships and work experience to those who may otherwise struggle to get a foot in the door.
Joe McGrath, founder and CEO of Rhotic Media, said the Financial Services and Media industries are still dominated by those from a privileged background. He called on employers to do more to harness the potential that exists in young people from non-privileged backgrounds.
“Employers, like Rhotic, have the power to change the status quo by offering Degree Apprenticeships, paid internships, paid work experience and school/college outreach programmes.
“Being born into humble beginnings shouldn’t mean anyone should be prevented from achieving their full potential. It’s time to change the game.”
The John Caudwell Blaze Your Own Trail Award recognises organisations and individuals providing non-traditional routes into employment through apprenticeships, on-job training and work experience placements. The award was added as part of a new partnership between the programme and the Phones4U founder’s charity Caudwell Children.
Great British Entrepreneur Awards founder Francesca James said: “Celebrating Britain’s ambitious, driven and inspirational entrepreneurs for a decade has been an honour, and we’ve learnt so much from hearing all of their unique stories and perspectives.
“The extraordinary circumstances of the last few years have tested the resilience of our business communities, and the challenges were enough to give many entrepreneurs an excuse to give up. Instead, our award winners did the opposite and, through ingenuity, innovation and the ability to adapt, they thrived.
“These challenges certainly haven’t gone away, and the next few years will present new obstacles to overcome - but one only needed to look around the room at our tenth anniversary to see some of the truly special founders and doers, to gain confidence that this snapshot of the economy can go on and adapt again.
“We’d like to congratulate all of our 2022 winners for all of their hard work and achievements - we look forward to following your lead into 2023 and beyond!”
Anne Boden MBE, Founder of Starling Bank, headline partner of the Awards, said: “Entrepreneurs up and down the country across so many different industries have shown just how innovative and resilient they have been in these uncertain times. The awards are a celebration of their success - congratulations to all winners.”
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