Royal Marine founders of Imployable app win NatWest National Award
Peter Kelly & Kieron Yeoman, the founders of a new employment app, Imployable, were crowned Winners of the Entrepreneurial Spirit Award at the National Winners’ Evening of the NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards in London on Thursday night.
The two Former Royal Marines from Devon started the company last year after both having a rough time on leaving the Armed Forces. The Former Royal Marines were joined on the night by another Former Royal Marine & Invictus Games athlete Paul Vice MC and PGA Pro Golfer turned business development manager James Pickard,
The latest award builds on their regional success at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards gala final for Wales & South West in November, where Peter and Kieron won the regional Entrepreneurial Spirit Category.
The National Winners’ Evening ended the 2018 Awards programme with 12 category winners crowned from the pool of regional winners. The awards received over 3000 entries from across the UK and the Imployable founders were chosen as one of the 12 national winners.
The app Imployable is due to be launched in February and the team is gaining traction fast, they already have partnerships with Google,
the Renault Formula One team, Deloitte, The Royal Foundation, Sodexo and the Department for Work and Pensions to name a few. The app is completely free for users and allows them to identify, map and track their way in to a new career.
In 2015 Peter Kelly left the Royal Marines, armed with some of the most recognised industry qualifications to embark on a second career in Project Management, however, upon leaving spent 9 months unemployed. Spiralling in to debt and mental health issues his luck break came when getting a position with a former Army Captain as a digital project manager. His new role armed him with all the knowledge needed to create his own app with long time friend and former Royal Marine Kieron Yeoman who had embarked on a career in employment coaching upon leaving the service.
"The final piece of the puzzle was employing Paul Vice MC and James Pickard, the strength is in the team and the four of us are real go getters, we don't rest until the work is done. For us it is not about making lots of money, it is about having an impact, challenging an industry and sparking positive change" says Peter.
Paul Vice MC, dubbed the Commando who refused to die after being injured in Afghanistan, joined Imployable last year as head of business development. Paul Vice inspired a nation during his time in the Invictus Games, becoming the most successful Invictus Athlete since it was started by Prince Harry in 2014. Since then Paul has been racing for Jaguar in the Invictus Racing team in the British GT4 Championships, alongside his full time role with Imployable.
"Imployable is all about giving access to opportunity, no matter your race, religion, background, ability or disability everyone should have the opportunity to do what they want in life. Our app is designed to show an individual how they fit compared to careers and help them get the qualifications and experience they need to get the job they want" explains Paul.
Alison Rose, deputy CEO of NatWest Holdings and CEO of NatWest Commercial & Private Banking, said: “NatWest is proud to support the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, celebrating another year of amazing achievements for entrepreneurs and start-ups from every corner of the country. Supporting entrepreneurs is a key priority for NatWest and our dedicated programme of free mentoring, insight and bespoke coaching, is specifically designed to meet the needs of entrepreneurs who want to grow and scale their business. Congratulations to everyone who has made it to tonight’s National Winners Evening.”
Full list of winners:
Creative Industries Entrepreneur of the Year | Jo Ham, HAM
Entrepreneur for Good Award | Alan Mahon, Brewgooder
Entrepreneurial Spirit Award | Peter Kelly & Kieron Yeoman, Imployable
Entrepreneurs’ Champion of the Year | Jamie McGowan, Welsh ICE
Entrepreneurs’ Team of the Year | Mark Wright, Climb Online
Family Business Entrepreneur of the Year | Christine & Jenny Chau, Charley Chau
Innovation Entrepreneur of the Year | Dr Nik Kotecha OBE, Morningside Pharmaceuticals
Scale-Up Entrepreneur of the Year | Jo-Anne Chidley, Beauty Kitchen
Service Industries Entrepreneur of the Year | Arjun Panesar & Charlotte Summers, Diabetes Digital Media
Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year | Peter Grainger, CafePod Coffee Company
Start-Up Entrepreneur of the Year | Pippa Murray, Pip & Nut
Young Entrepreneur of the Year | Jamie Bolding, Jungle Creations
Great British Entrepreneur of the Year | Juliet & Alan Barratt, Grenade