Chairman Raj Singh has revealed his “surprise and honour” after he was named as Business Leader of the Year at Hartlepool Business Awards on Thursday evening.
Singh fought off strong competition in his category to land the highly-coveted prize and he has admitted it was great to be in attendance at the packed event at The Borough Hall.
The award comes just over a year after Singh completed a takeover at Pools, rescuing the Club from the brink of collapse before working hard to ensure it is now on a much more solid financial footing.
“It was a very enjoyable evening,” Singh told us.
“It was nice to see a lot of awards handed out to the local business community and really pleasing to see young entrepreneurs being recognised for what they’re trying to do.
“They remind me of myself and what I was trying to do 20 or 25 years ago so I always like to give them encouragement when they’re getting off their backsides and running their own businesses – it’s something that’s always interested me and I love seeing people succeed.
“There were many local businesses recognised for their achievements and successes, which is great for the area, as well as helping to create jobs and a feel good factor.
“On a personal note, I was very surprised but pleased and honoured to win an award – I think it shows that people can see what we’re trying to do for the Football Club and recognise the fact we saved the business and saved jobs.
“In my view, that is only the first part of our task and we still have a long road ahead because we need to bring success and enjoyment to ensure that people are proud to be associated with the Club and the town.”
The Chairman was joined at the Business Awards by Manager Craig Hignett, Chief Executive Mark Maguire and Director Ian Scobbie.
It was a double celebration for Pools too, when it was announced that the Club’s Community Sports Foundation had scooped the Community Award for their amazing work across the town and local area.