Widget founder wins BCC accolade

Mark Needham carries off the 2009 British Chambers of Commerce Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Mark Needham has been named as the Entrepreneur of the Year in the 2009 British Chambers of Commerce Awards

The founder of specialist distributor Widget, Mark Needham, has been named as the Entrepreneur of the Year in the 2009 British Chambers of Commerce Awards.

Judges picked up on the fact that the distributor had stayed ahead of the technology game, being the first UK firm to distribute TomTom products, and this year became the UK distribution partner for the Flip Video range of handheld camcorders, now owned by Cisco.

Widget's customers include DSGi, Staples, Amazon, eBuyer, Comet and Maplin along with TV shopping channels.

Yetunde Ige, head of marketing at Staples, which sponsored the award, said: "Mark Needham is a real entrepreneur. He has successfully demonstrated his ability to spot trends and build a successful business on the back of his insights and innovative thinking.

“His passion shone through not least because he recognises his business is not just about him. He believes much of his success is down to the fact he’s employed great people, who work together as a team.”