The awards, now in their 17th year, recognise and reward business excellence, acumen and entrepreneurial spirit among Oldham businesses of all sizes and guises.
They also celebrate the community contribution made by local good causes, which saw £2,500 each donated to Mahdlo Youth Zone and Dr Kershaw’s Hospice thanks to the generosity of guests and sponsors at last year’s gala night – taking the charity fundraising total to more than £60,000 over the OBAs’ 16-year history.
The launch begins a nomination/application and judging process that culminates in a glittering awards night on Friday 3 October 2025.
Each year the OBAs steering group – a dedicated volunteer team drawn from a diverse range of locally based businesses, together with category sponsors, – have the challenging task of judging and selecting winners of 11 awards and the recipient of the Special Recognition Award.
The 2025 awards remain under the stewardship of David Wadsworth, the Oldham born and bred MD and founder of Cornerstone Design and Marketing based in Lees.
Mr Wadsworth launched Cornerstone – OBA finalists in 2012, 2018 and 2019 – from the attic of his parents’ home in the same year the awards launched and now employs 35 people across all marketing disciplines.
He says: “Last year’s awards highlighted the depth and breadth of Oldham’s business community and it’s a privilege, and a pleasure, to begin the process all over again, so we can celebrate the best and most inspiring organisations and business individuals in the borough.
“Over the years, the Oldham Business Awards have seen thousands of outstanding businesses and people nominated and shortlisted, so with the support of our steering committee, I encourage all Oldham businesses, and everyone involved in them, to take an active part.
“Once again, we’re proud to be supporting two organisations which do great work and provide vital support services in our communities, Mahdlo Youth Zone and Dr Kershaw’s Hospice, which will both benefit from donations once the event is concluded.”
More than 100 people attended a launch night event held at Billington’s in Oldham, courtesy of Krzysztof Zemlik, who won the OBA special recognition award in 2023 for his sympathetic and sustainable restoration of the former dance academy on Ascroft Street.
The keynote speaker was former star of Rugby League and Union, Mike Ford, who shared his leadership insights after 30 years as a player, coach, and now managing director at Oldham RLFC.
As a player in League, he won 10 Great Britain caps, toured Down Under, and played for top clubs here and in Australia, including Wigan and Oldham (twice).
In Union, he was defence coach when Ireland won the Six Nations triple crown and he’s worked in key roles for Saracens, Bath, Toulon in France, Dallas Griffins in the USA, and Leicester Tigers.
After working in Ireland, he became England’s defence coach and was part of the coaching team that guided the team to the 2007 World Cup Final. He has also worked as defence coach for the British and Ireland Lions.
He praised the togetherness of the OBA community and cited a well-known coaching mantra: “Alone we go fast, but together we go far.”
Here’s Mike speaking to Nigel Wareing of Cornerstone DM…
Mick was joined in the spotlight by last year’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Callum Siddall of Chances Mentoring, who were winners of the start-up award in 2023.
Callum told us of the benefits of being a double winner at the OBAs…
Last year over 500 people saw comedian, actor, writer and director, Johnny Vegas join Caroline Whitmore, Granada Reports entertainment correspondent, to announce the winners.
The night culminated in the Special Recognition Award, which went to former OBAs Chair Steve Kilroy, who retired from the role in 2023 after 15 years at the helm.
Speaking on the night, the former BAE systems executive said: “This isn’t about me, it’s about Oldham and 15 years ago, it was about let’s have a party and celebrate everything that’s good about Oldham. We’ve done that and I’ve been the chairman, so I’ll take a little bit of credit, but I couldn’t have done it without the steering group members and all the businesses that turn up each year to celebrate their success.”
Steve, from Chadderton, was the head of business integration at BAE Systems until the Chadderton site closed and was awarded life membership of the Avro 504 Club.
Andy Taylor, MD at Pegasus Warehousing and Fulfilment Ltd, winners of last year’s Business of the Year award in the £1m-£5m category, and a finalist the year before, says the importance of the OBAs to the borough’s business community cannot be overstated.
He adds: “We take the Oldham Business Awards very seriously – it’s a prestigious event that gets you good press and it’s a great opportunity to get your brand out there among the Oldham business network.
“We’re very proud to have won. It’s helped our business massively and we’ve secured a large contract with another Oldham business through getting involved in the awards, and we’re doing a lot of projects with them at the moment.
“I’d say to every business in the borough, there’s nothing to lose by entering, only good can come of it. Once you get into that circle of networking, as we have done, that’s when further opportunities arise.”
We caught up with Andy at the launch event.
An opportunity to become a headline sponsor is currently available alongside:
Category sponsors unveiled so far are:
Associate sponsors are:
Partners of the Awards are:
Headline, category, and associate sponsorships are still available
“We work really hard making our businesses a success and the peers that you will meet through the awards, and the advice you can take on, is all really valuable.”
We caught up with Richard at the launch, who told us more about the benefits of being a sponsor and why companies should enter…
Local businesses can find out more about being part of this spectacular celebration as a sponsor as well as enter the awards here: https://oldhambusinessawards.co.uk/categories/
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