Sir Stelios announces winners of the 17th year of the Disabled Entrepreneurs Awards in the UK, gifting £300,000 to three very worthy disabled entrepreneurs

News provided by

The Stelios Philanthropic Foundation

09 Jun, 2025, 14:04 GMT

The awards are run in partnership with the leading disability charity Leonard Cheshire

LONDON, June 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou unveiled the winners of the Stelios Awards for Disabled Entrepreneurs in a ceremony at the London HQ of the Stelios foundation at 34 Thurloe Square on Monday 9 June 2025 hosted by the https://stelios.foundation/

The Stelios Philanthropic Foundation received a record-breaking 125 applications for this year's Stelios Awards for Disabled Entrepreneurs, the highest number in the award's history. The awards celebrate and support entrepreneurs with disabilities from across the UK.

Sir Stelios, creator and owner of the easy family of brands said: "We're proud to honour Umbreen, Michelle and Paul today. I was fascinated to learn more about each of their stories and found it inspiring how they found business success in their respective fields.

"We know how difficult it can be for disabled people to get a job that is why I always believed that their best option to become their own boss! This year we're proud to have received an overwhelming number of applicants that have created innovative and ingenious businesses to generate jobs and wealth for themselves, their families and teams.

"These are three stand-out examples of how disabled entrepreneurs are blazing the trail for others and inspire more disabled people to start their own business, and we hope that the prize money can help their businesses go from strength to strength."

This year's overall winner has been announced as Umbreen David, of Hoama Group Ltd who received £150,000. Umbreen, who has muscular dystrophy, owns and runs Iden Manor Nursing Home in Kent. She is a passionate and determined disabled entrepreneur, who takes immense pride in improving the lives of her residents and creating a supportive, fulfilling workplace for her dedicated staff team.

"At heart, I am a helper, and my passion for the care sector allows me to support the social care needs of Kent and beyond, while easing pressure on the NHS," says Umbreen. "I'm deeply passionate about this work because it's meaningful, life-changing care.

"Living with muscular dystrophy - and the significant hearing loss that comes with it -means facing barriers every day that make even simple tasks complex."

Umbreen says she will use the prize money to improve the business in three key areas: accessibility and sensory environment of Iden Manor Nursing Home and her future care home; investing in leadership development and advocacy and mentorship and community impact.

This year's 2nd prize of £100,000 goes to Michelle Phillips, of Mimi's Bakehouse.

Michelle runs an award-winning bakery business with cafés in Edinburgh and an online shop selling cakes to the whole of the UK. When she started Mimi's Bakehouse in 2010, Michelle already had symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and she has since faced increasing challenges with her mobility. In 2024, she was appointed President of the Scottish Bakers Association.

This year's third prize winner of £50,000 is Paul Woods, of Proactive Despatch

Paul established the business in 2008 to provide fast, effective, and reliable same day courier services to a range of businesses and industries, mainly in the northwest of England.