About the author: Monifa Phillips is a trainee patent attorney based in our Manchester office. She joined Appleyard Lees in early 2022 and primarily handles work relating to electronics and computer-implemented inventions.
On 14 September, I attended the Northern Gamechangers awards organised by Elevate, Manchester. Appleyard Lees was one of the sponsors for the event, which aimed to recognise and celebrate purpose-driven businesses in the fields of stainability, decarbonisation, social mobility, diversity and inclusion, and charitable partnerships. Partner Graham Johnson and senior associate Paul Roscoe contributed in the lead up to the awards, judging 10 award winners (or ‘Gamechangers’), from a shortlist of 40 finalists. Tom Gregory, Richard Maclennan, and I joined the awards ceremony to cheer for the winners.
Graham was invited to present an award to Cullen Eco Friendly Packaging, a Glasgow based business which manufactures moulded pulp and corrugated packaging to provide plastic-free packaging solutions.
The Elevate team did an amazing job of celebrating the finalists. Tasty vegan food and drinks were provided to attendees at the start of the night, and Twisted Tubes, a Manchester-based walking brass band, provided entertainment between awards, before the night ended with a voguing performance by two dancers from the House of Ghetto, Manchester.
It’s safe to say that these awards were unlike any ceremony we’d previously attended. We had a great opportunity to network with businesses and individuals working in far-reaching industries, and learnt about a number of exciting, impactful northern organisations.
