• Guy Walker of Dovetail & Slate (www.dovetailslate.co.uk) takes 1st prize of £150,000 in cash grants
• Theo Constanti of the Marble Group (www.themarblegroup.co.uk) gets the 2nd prize of £100,000
• Jack Sims of Adaptiv Mobility (www.adaptivmobility.co.uk) is the 3rd prize winner of £50,000
The awards are run in partnership with the leading disability charity Leonard Cheshire.
Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou unveils the winners of the Stelios Awards for Disabled Entrepreneurs at a hybrid ceremony hosted at the London HQ of the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation at 34 Thurloe Square on Tuesday 26 May 2026.
The Stelios Philanthropic Foundation received 63 applications for this year’s Stelios Awards for Disabled Entrepreneurs. The awards celebrate and support entrepreneurs with disabilities from across the UK.
For the first time applicants were asked to submit a video pitch and later-stage interviews were filmed for a pilot documentary by Whisper North to be released on the Foundation’s YouTube channel in a few weeks’ time.
This year’s 1st prize winner has been announced as Guy Walker of Dovetail & Slate whose disability is ADHD.
Dovetail & Slate is a specialist UK recruitment agency focused exclusively on education and the public sector, working across primary and secondary schools, further education colleges, training providers, local authorities and housing associations. Recognised by The Sunday Times 100 Fastest-Growing Companies 2025, the business has expanded rapidly since being founded in 2018, with a team now approaching 100 people across offices in Bristol, Leeds and Manchester.
Guy said: “What sets us apart is the way we work. While much of the recruitment industry can feel fast-moving and transactional, we take the time to genuinely understand the people and organisations we support. We invest in long-term relationships with clients, candidates and the communities education serves. Our involvement does not end with a placement; we remain engaged because we care about outcomes, not simply activity. Our culture also embraces disability, with 42% of our workforce being neurodiverse.
“I am absolutely delighted to receive this award from Sir Stelios. The funding will be reinvested into the business to strengthen our foundations, improve resources, and continue building a positive, supportive culture for our team. Creating an environment where people can do their best work and feel genuinely valued is, to me, essential rather than optional.
“I also want to use part of the funding to support further education initiatives, contribute to the Full Circle Project (a Bristol-based charity supporting communities through youth work), wellbeing and skills development and help promote greater awareness and understanding of ADHD through education and outreach.”
This year’s 2nd prize goes to Theo Constanti of The Marble Group.
The Marble Group, founded in 2007, is a leading UK fabricator of premium marble, granite, quartz, porcelain and stone worktops. The company specialises in sourcing, templating, fabricating and installing bespoke stone surfaces, supplying kitchen retailers, contractors and other customers through its showroom and factory operations. Based in Hertfordshire, it operates from a 50,000 sq ft facility serving London and the Home Counties.
Theo, who lost his right hand in a motorbike accident at the age of 17, started the business from his parents’ garage when he was just 23. He said: “Attitude is the single most important character trait of a person. It is more important than any disability, any difficult circumstances or challenges that people face. It is not the event that defines us but the reaction to that event that matters. I am convinced that life is 1% what happens to me and 99% how I react to it. And so it is with us all.
“We are passionate about our people and our clients. From our humble beginnings in my parents’ garage, we have grown into a business of around 100 staff, but we remain guided by the same values of integrity, growth, exceptional craftsmanship, building our community and earning repeat business through quality and trust.”
“We are delighted to receive second prize and will use the funding to invest in upgrading our showroom, expand our team and apprenticeship opportunities. Supporting skills development reflects our culture of overcoming barriers while helping secure the company’s long-term growth.”
This year’s 3rd prize winner is Jack Sims of Adaptiv Mobility.
Jack became a wheelchair user when he sustained a spinal injury after a mountain bike crash. Wanting to continue riding, he set up a company to supply high-quality adaptive bikes and mobility equipment to both private individuals (B2C) and organisations (B2B), including charities, rehabilitation centres and outdoor providers. Many traditional mobility suppliers focus on standard products but often lack the expertise to deliver truly tailored solutions that enable people to live active, independent lives. Jack’s company works closely with clients to understand their individual needs, environment and ambition, ensuring the equipment provided is appropriate, fitted correctly and built for long-term use.
Jack said: “Having applied for the awards previously, winning this year is particularly sweet. Winning this award now would have a far greater impact on Adaptiv than it would have two years ago, when we were still establishing ourselves. Since moving into our new unit last November, the business finally feels properly rooted, and the prize fund would directly support our long-term growth plans.
“Our main priority would be employing an operations manager to reduce pressure on day-to-day delivery and allow me to focus on developing the business. We would also invest in a purpose-built accessible vehicle to improve independence during nationwide demos and deliveries, replacing the need for hired vans that currently require colleagues to assist me physically.
“Additional funding would go towards improving heating in our new unit, specialist training in seating and postural support, upgrading assessment equipment, and eventually creating an apprenticeship opportunity in mechanics and maintenance.”
The Awards
Since the awards started in 2007, over £2 million (including this year’s sum) has been donated by Sir Stelios and his foundation to disabled entrepreneurs recognising the exceptional achievements of disabled entrepreneurs. Sir Stelios, creator and owner of the easy family of brands (see www.easy.com and www.easyHistory.info) and founder and president of the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation, said: “We’re proud to honour Guy, Theo and Jack today. I was fascinated to learn more about each of their stories and found it inspiring how they found business success in their respective fields. “We know how difficult it can be for disabled people to get a job; that is why I always believed that their best option is to become their own boss! This year we’re proud to have again received an overwhelming number of applicants that have created innovative and ingenious businesses to generate jobs and wealth for themselves, their families and teams. “These are three stand-out examples of how disabled entrepreneurs blaze the trail for others and inspire more disabled people to start their own businesses. We hope that the prize money can help their businesses go from strength to strength.”
The Stelios Philanthropic Foundation is also donating £50k to Leonard Cheshire directly to help with the running of this year’s awards.
easyGroup donates more than half of its annual profits to the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation. For the year ended 30 September 2025 we donated a total of £12.7m. The total cumulative giving by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou and easyGroup to the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation since 2010 amounts to 122 million euros.
Ruth Owen OBE, CEO at Leonard Cheshire, said: “We have shared a proud history with Sir Stelios and the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation for almost 20 years. It’s wonderful each year to witness these Awards champion the exceptional creativity, determination, and skill of disabled entrepreneurs. Given the additional barriers disabled business owners so often face, providing the right support and platforms such as this is crucial, and it truly changes lives.”
• For media enquiries please contact David Cracknell or Lucy Thomas of Tavistock at david.cracknell@tavistock.co.uk or lucy.thomas@tavistock.co.uk
• Leonard Cheshire (press.office@leonardcheshire.org) is a charity supporting individuals to live and work as independently as they choose, whatever their ability. Led by people with experience of disability, they open doors to opportunity, choice, and support for disabled people across the UK. Visit: www.leonardcheshire.org or follow us on X: @leonardcheshire
• The Stelios Philanthropic Foundation is a registered UK charity, www.stelios.foundation