Double success for Albrighton business leader
A leading Albrighton business leader was named CEO of the Year last week at a major regional celebration.
Intercity’s Charlie Blakemore beat off strong competition to take the prestigious title at the Business Desk West Midlands Awards in front of more than 300 people in Birmingham on Thursday evening.
It was a double celebration for the former mechanical and engineering apprentice, as the company he leads also secured the Large Business of the Year accolade.
The firm, which delivers access to communications, managed IT and the latest cyber security services, impressed judges with how it has written a national success story built on West Midlands roots.
Since 2022, Charlie and his team have increased revenues from £35m to a projected £54.3m, creating more than 50 new highly skilled jobs at its HQ in Birmingham and regional offices in Bedworth, Bolton, London and Nuneaton.
During that time, Intercity has added more than 100 new clients, including a high-profile contract with Birmingham City FC and expanding services to existing customers such as automotive giant Horiba Mira and Saïd Business School (University of Oxford).
“What an evening for our business and what an achievement for our team,” explained Charlie, who has been with the company since 2015.
“In an industry often dominated by corporate brands, we’ve doubled down on clarity, personality and a customer-first mindset and I feel this has really resonated with existing and new clients.”
He continued: “Our ‘from the device to the cloud’ managed services model has seen us become a one-stop tech partner. This approach is helping us make strong inroads into sport, healthcare, manufacturing and defence and, hopefully, these awards will open new doors for us.”
The CEO of the Year title was one of the most intensely fought categories at the Business Desk West Midlands Awards, an event commitment to recognising leaders, entrepreneurs and firms helping to propel the region forward.
Charlie has recently overseen a £1.8m drive that saw the firm replace its legacy platforms with an AI-powered ecosystem designed to give it the foundations to realise a £100m vision by 2030.
He is a massive advocate of developing future technology specialists, delivering keynote speeches and mentoring sessions, as well as being instrumental in the launch of Intercity’s new Technical Training and Cyber Awareness Academy in Birmingham.
Charlie concluded: “In a room filled with strong regional peers, this recognition matters. It validates years of deliberate choices: staying independent, reinvesting in our people, and scaling nationally without losing who we are.
“Most importantly, these awards are for my colleagues. The people who do more every day and turn ambition into delivery for our growing customer base.”
