Norman Whyte

Norman Whyte's staff thinks so.

As chief executive of the York, Selby and Malton Business Advice Centres, Mr Whyte has groomed no fewer than seven outright winners in the Evening Press Business Awards since the event began 14 years ago. He has also helped to nurture numerous finalists and category winners.

Now his staff are nominating him as the Evening Press Business Personality of the Year.

Mr Whyte knows more about money and new ventures than most. He was with National Westminster Bank for 36 years in the Midlands, the North East and Yorkshire.

As a manager he dealt exclusively with the small business sector for five years before being seconded to the York Business Advice Centre in May 1991.

Since then he has helped thousands of businesses to start, grow and prosper and he has paid attention to the welfare of his own organisation too. York, Selby and Malton Business Advice Centres became one of the first to achieve the Customer First accreditation in January last year and last December achieved Investors in People in record time.

Who do you think first advised two young men who came to see him about a shop offering computer game swapping?

That was Mr Whyte. The young entrepreneurs were Stephen Hall and Julian Gladwin who went on to establish Gamestation - and later sell it to Blockbuster video company for £30 million - and, on the way, become outright winners of the 2002 Evening Press Business of the Year title.

Mr Whyte went on to establish the York Technology Growth Scheme which helps high-tech and innovative businesses with a loan fund and opens the doors to other funding such as Business Angels and the Government's Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme. He also organises business awards such as the Shell LiveWire competition.

Obviously Mr Whyte has a keen eye for winning enterprises, but he could he be a winner himself?

Updated: 11:04 Friday, September 10, 2004