Robert McConnell wins IoD Start-Up Director of the Year award

Robert was one of just 11 local business leaders from across Northern Ireland who were recognised for leadership excellence at this year’s awards. Coming from the public, private and third sectors and across a range of industries including communications, construction and manufacturing, the award winners were acknowledged for their proactive approach towards business growth, corporate governance and responsible leadership.

Robert joins an illustrious list of former recipients of IoD Director of the Year Awards and now also has the chance to be shortlisted for the overall UK ‘Director of the Year Awards’, which take place in London later this year. Robert is also a former winner of the Young Director of the Year award (2017).

Pinnacle is a business advisory firm, established with the key goal of enabling business growth for their clients. Co-founded and led by Dr Scott King and Robert McConnell, their vision is to be the foremost business growth advisory partner within the UK & Ireland. Robert previously worked for CCP Gransden for 6 years, as Engineering Director, leaving to form Pinnacle in early 2018. His career began in Thompson Aero Seating, followed by a stint at B/E Aerospace (now Collins Aerospace). Robert is a graduate of Ulster University, with a BEng(Hons) Engineering Management, and an MSc International Business. Robert, also a Chartered Engineer, was accredited as Northern Ireland’s youngest ever Chartered Director in 2017 and is a fellow of the Institute of Directors.

Pinnacle (www.pinnacle-ni.com) is a unique business advisory firm founded in February 2018 by Dr Scott King and Robert McConnell. Scott and Robert are internationally networked, award winning business and engineering professionals with over 30 Years combined experience spanning multiple industrial sectors across the globe. Using their combined experiences, they identified a gap in the market for a pragmatic, hands on, honest advisory service that was solely focused on achieving real terms business growth for their clients, for example increased turnover, increased profit margins, new jobs, based upon their real life commercial, operation and technical knowledge gathered across multiple business sectors within the global economy.

After just over one year in business Pinnacle have supported approx. 50 clients of different sizes and from diverse business sectors. The business strategies, business introductions, processes improvements developed by Pinnacle and funding secured (over £800,000 in grants) for their clients have generated over £5M in new business and identified over 120 new jobs.

Robert said, “Business advice and consultancy plays a vital role in the Northern Ireland economy and it is only right that successes in the sector be recognised in the NI Business Economy. It’s a fabulous boost for Pinnacle Professional and we’ll continue on our journey of innovation and growth to ensure that Pinnacle is at the forefront of providing specialist advice and consultancy to companies in Northern Ireland and beyond.”

IoD NI Chairman Gordon Milligan said the calibre of this year’s winners was a testament to quality of leadership in Northern Ireland business: “Congratulations go to all this year’s winners at the Institute of Directors Northern Ireland Director of the Year Awards that prove once again that the Northern Ireland economy benefits from leaders across the private and public sector, performing to the very highest standards.”