The 2026 Northamptonshire Business Awards recognise a varied group of businesses and individuals whose achievements extend from local communities to international projects. This year’s winners include technology specialists, educators, independent retailers, security providers and healthcare businesses, reflecting the breadth of enterprise found across the county. Through thoughtful leadership, specialist expertise and a clear understanding of the people they serve, our Northamptonshire winners have built strong cases for recognition.
Our 2026 Northamptonshire Business Award Winners
Combining technical leadership with a commitment to developing emerging talent, Zach Phillips of JP Showsystems is named Young Business Leader of the Year in the Business Leader Awards. Under Zach’s direction, the company has completed 56 projects across 18 countries and five continents, delivering complex immersive technology for internationally recognised attractions, exhibitions and brands. His investment in mentoring and apprenticeship opportunities further demonstrates a leadership approach that creates professional pathways for others alongside commercial growth.
Making artificial intelligence training accessible to employees outside traditional technical roles has earned TESS Group the title of Business Training and Education of the Year in the Business Training and Education Awards. The Northamptonshire apprenticeship provider has developed four specialist Level 4 pathways covering practical AI application, people leadership, operations and organisational transformation. With workplace-based learning, nationally recognised qualifications and funding routes for employers of different sizes, its programmes provide a structured response to a growing skills requirement.
Local ingredients, original products and close community relationships are central to Baker_Benjy, winner of Food Retailer of the Year in the Food Industry Awards. The family-run Daventry bakery makes its artisan products from scratch and works with nearby suppliers wherever possible. Its distinctive Daventry Pothole creation, inspired by a familiar local frustration and featured by BBC News, also reflects the character and humour the business brings to its food and its connection with the area it serves.
Operational oversight on a considerable scale supports the success of SiteCare, recognised as Newcomer IT Services Company in the IT Services Awards. Led by director David Pell, the company provides third-party control room and schedule management services, handling around 80,000 alerts each month alongside thousands of shift changes, welfare checks, licence verifications and performance assessments. This combination of technology-supported monitoring, regulatory attention and responsive management has enabled the newcomer to establish a substantial role within security operations.
A commitment to combining effective security with more sustainable technology contributes to Herongrange being named Best Security Guarding Company in the Security Awards. Its development of the SolarWind CCTV platform demonstrates a practical effort to strengthen off-grid surveillance while reducing dependence on generators, external power and routine battery replacement. By integrating wind and solar generation into mobile security infrastructure, the company is exploring how reliable guarding and monitoring services can operate with a lower environmental impact.
Patient continuity and an independent approach to local healthcare underpin the work of ClearChoice Opticians Ltd, winner of Small Business of the Year in the Small Business Awards. Founded in Wellingborough by experienced optometrist Dipesh Patel, the practice has grown from an opening-month turnover of £1,146 to months approaching and exceeding £10,000, while building a patient base of nearly 300 people. More than 100 five-star Google reviews and the early award of an NHS contract indicate the trust it has established through personalised care, accessibility and consistent service.
Delivering sophisticated immersive systems for audiences around the world has also secured JP Showsystems the title of Technology Business of the Year in the Technology Awards. Its work for the UK Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka included an automated show-control system capable of tracking multiple tour groups and adapting audio, lighting and on-screen content between English and Japanese in real time. Designed to support a high-volume visitor experience over six months, the project demonstrates how a small, highly specialised Northamptonshire team can apply automation, audiovisual engineering and careful system integration to projects of international significance.
Northamptonshire Enterprise with Local and International Impact
The achievements recognised in this year’s awards show that business impact is not determined by one particular company size, sector or market. Northamptonshire businesses are contributing through international engineering projects, practical workforce education, accessible healthcare, dependable security operations and products rooted in local identity. Across these different fields, the strongest work is supported by specialist knowledge, attentive service and the ability to turn clear ideas into dependable results.
There is also a strong connection between growth and responsibility among this year’s winners. Whether developing employees, reducing environmental impact, supporting nearby suppliers or responding to growing community needs, these businesses have considered the wider value of their work alongside commercial performance.
Business Awards UK congratulates all our 2026 Northamptonshire winners. Their achievements reflect the technical capability, entrepreneurial commitment and community awareness found throughout the county’s business landscape.
