Becketts Southsea general manager Terence Carvalho has been nominated in the 'Entrepreneur of the Year' category at The News Business Excellence Awards 2021.
Carvalho is one of eight local entrepreneurs vying for the 'Entrepreneur of the Year' award, who have gone above and beyond during the turbulent months of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The News Business Excellence Awards are usually held in February, but have been postponed until July 8 to enable the winners to collect their awards in person.
This naturally led to a delay in the revealing of the awards shortlist, which was finally released on June 4.
The awards ceremony itself will take place at Portsmouth Guildhall with strictly limited capacity in order to adhere to social distancing guidelines. Tickets officially go on sale from June 7.
For those unlucky enough not to get a ticket that do wish to attend, the event is set to be live streamed for the first time in its 19-year history to ensure nobody misses out.
Pat Smith, from lead sponsor the University of Portsmouth, commented: "Since the announcement, in December 2020, that we would be the headline sponsors of The News’ Business Excellence Awards, the country has been through another national lockdown.
"Businesses of all sizes and sectors have had to continue to adapt, with many employees working from home and a shift to online meetings and events.
"Despite these challenges, I have been encouraged by the interest and number of entries we have received across all the award categories and I have been delighted to be able to connect with the various category sponsors.
"Those that have reached the shortlist should be proud of their achievement; it is going to be tough for the judges to choose their winner. I am excited to find out on July 8 who has won and to celebrate with all of them, as we shine a light on the best businesses in the Portsmouth region."
The 'Entrepreneur of the Year' accolade that Carvalho has been nominated for is one of 15 different awards up for grabs at this year's ceremony, ranging from apprentices of the year to lifetime achievements, from start-up businesses to larger organisations.
More than 150 applications were received for this year’s awards, and The News’ panel of expert judges will start the process for selecting their chose winners over the coming week.
Carvalho himself has already run numerous industry awards, and has been working in management roles since the age of 18. He has previously led high-performing teams in a range of different hospitality settings, including bars, restaurants, hotels and theatres.
His leadership of Becketts, a restaurant and hotel located in the heart of Southsea in Portsmouth, has been exceptional during a testing time for the hospitality sector during the global health crisis. While unable to work as a result of Becketts being closed under social restrictions, so keen was he to continue to support the community that he took up a leading role at a local Covid-19 testing centre.
All of us at The Leaders Council would like to wish Terence Carvalho the very best of luck ahead of the award winners being announced!
