Express & Star Business Awards 2025: Meet the finalists – Business Person of the Year
The award, sponsored by Richardson, recognises inspirational business leaders across the West Midlands.
Judges will be looking at the business skills and acumen of entrants and evidence of competitive advantage created as well as wanting to see inspirational management, innovative and entrepreneurial leadership and role model qualities.
Mark Chard – Star Scaffolding
The co-founder and co-owner of West Bromwich-based Star Scaffolding has become an industry leader with a business boasting more than 106 employees and a turnover exceeding £8.3 million.
The company was started in 2003 with two business partners who all invested £1,000 each. Mark worked 15-hour days seven days a week and his first yard was a container just 2.5m wide and 10m long, with no forklift to load materials. Now Star Scaffolding has 50 vehicles and two large depots of over two sites in the Midlands.
Despite a troubled past, Mark transformed his life after meeting his wife. He focused on building Star Scaffolding based on core values of professionalism, work ethic, cooperation, passion, enthusiasm, honesty and integrity.
Inspirational Mark has cultivated a strong workplace culture by prioritising employee growth and fostering a supportive environment including investing in an in-house apprenticeship scheme to bridge the industry’s skills gap and ageing workforce issue. Mark also champions opportunities for neurodivergent individuals and ex-offenders.
His forward thinking approach has kept Star Scaffolding ahead of the curve and it has invested over £2.1 million in Layher, a state-of-the-art scaffolding system; it has also attained Tier 1 Construction status, secured key accreditations and forged strong partnerships with industry leaders. Mark has also leveraged digital solutions to streamline operations, improve client experience and optimise project management as well as expanding into niche markets such as historic site restoration, partnering with the Canal & River Trust for more than 20 years.
Outside of work, he’s a patron of The Way Youth Zone, Wolverhampton, a sponsor of Donnington Boxing and always keen to donate to worthy causes.
Alan Curtis – Steelway Fensecure Ltd
Alan was taken on as managing director of Steelway Fensecure Ltd as the Wolverhampton-based metal fabrication company was enjoying a period of rapid and significant growth after its acquisition in 2020. A visionary leader was sought to maintain the firm’s upward trajectory while modernising the business for the 21st century.
Now, almost two years into his tenure, Alan is credited with having successfully integrated Steelway’s rich legacy with a modern, forward-thinking approach. Under his leadership the firm has undergone a substantial organisational restructuring and the changes have led to tangible operational improvements.
Alan has also meticulously selected new talent to complement and enhance the team’s capabilities – making sure each new team member aligns with Steelway’s values, while bringing fresh skills to the business.
His pragmatic approach to business, combined with a deep understanding of the financials, has also seen him introduce systems, tools and processes that now provide reliable data to support decision-making.
Meanwhile, he also finds time to mentor his team, helping them grow personally and professionally. Recognising the need to develop future talent, Alan – a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers – initiated and launched the Steelway Technical Excellence Programme (STEP), an in-house development initiative combining on-the-job training with relevant qualifications through apprenticeships.
Beyond the workplace, he serves as a trustee and treasurer for mental health charity Your Emotional Support Service, as a governor at his local high school and a volunteer coach for football and cricket.
John Joseph Donovan – JJX Logistics
In September 1997 John was a man with a van and a plan. His vision was simple – to provide a reliable, honest and customer-centric transport service but when he first presented his business plan to the bank he claims he was laughed out of the building. The knock back made him more determined and for the next 11 years he worked as a full-time driver, operating JJX Logistics from the road.
This laid the foundation for something bigger and by 2008 JJX had grown to a five-vehicle fleet and John moved out of the cab and into the office.
Over the years, the company based on the Pensnett Trading Estate in Kingswinford has evolved from a general logistics provider into one of the UK’s most respected names in time critical high security logistics. As of 2025, JJX employs 75 people and has just achieved a record-breaking £8.02 million turnover, marking a 16 per cent year-on-year growth and the company’s most profitable year to date.
But it’s not just about business growth. A big believer in developing talent from within, John has personally championed his staff, supporting career development and training apprenticeships. In recognition of his industry leadership and focus on the next generation, John was awarded Chartered Fellow status by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in June 2024, the highest honour they bestow.
John’s contributions to the community are equally inspiring. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he led fundraising efforts to support local charities and more recently JJX became a patron of the Wolves Foundation as well as continuing the firm’s long-standing charitable work supporting the likes of Black Country Mental Health, Black Country Foodbank, the WMP’s Life or Knife campaign and the Alzheimer’s Society.
