Used Kitchen Exchange (UKE) has made it into the finals of the national Barclays Entrepreneur Awards 2022, after successfully winning its regional title in the Sustainability category.
UKE will now compete for the award against the other regional finalists and the winner will be announced at the awards ceremony, which will take place on November 3.
The Sustainability category entry criteria specifies companies able to demonstrate that they have an enduring business model that is commercially viable, sustainable, scalable, and places sustainability at its core.
The Barclays Entrepreneur Awards are now in their seventh year and are open to start-ups as well as established business, and aim to place game-changing entrepreneurs in the spotlight for their outstanding contribution to industry, the UK economy and society.
Commenting on its regional win and success in reaching the category final, UKE founder Helen Lord (pictured) said: “Our vision from the outset has been to support and promote sustainability within the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom industry and we are delighted that our efforts have received recognition from Barclays. Following our receipt of The Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development earlier this year, this latest accolade pays further testament to our circular thinking business model and our brilliant team whose dedication and passion have helped bring it to fruition.”
At Barclays, Katherine Morgan, head of high growth and entrepreneurs proposition, said: “The awards are a celebration of the incredible journey each and every entrepreneur takes, when choosing to start their businesses. The energy, determination, leadership and courage to create some of the UK’s most innovative and socially impactful businesses is truly inspirational. This is our opportunity to celebrate these founders, their business and the economic and social change they drive.”
She added: “This year for the first time we will be adding two new award categories, our Games Award in addition to our new Sustainability Award. So often it’s the entrepreneurial community through their exceptional innovation who drive the agenda for change. This is incredibly powerful and rightly needs to be recognised as we look to a more sustainable future across the UK and globally.”