Bournemouth Graduate Simon Hood is celebrating this week, after being named Young Business Person of the Year at the Inspire North Hampshire Business Awards.
The head of marketing at international relocation company, HCR Group, impressed judges with a steady stream of outstanding achievements since graduating from Bournemouth University in 2009 studying Leisure Marketing.
With a combination of creative flare and a perceptiveness of market trends, Simon has gained individual business success whilst helping to propel his current employer to the forefront of the marketplace.
“Not only has Simon proved his worth with his employer, being rapidly promoted, but he has many other entrepreneurial projects,” said Cllr Seán Woodward from award sponsors, Hampshire County Council.
“His achievements include developing and selling top apps, writing a Hampshire Cookbook and organising awards and events – well done Simon.”
Simon’s started his career with HCR as a marketing executive – handling the company’s PR, events, e-marketing and advertising. With a number of successes under his belt – including introducing the company to the digital world through e-marketing, webinars and SEO – he was quickly promoted to his current role, heading up marketing for the entire group.
“I’m not one to relax when I go home at night,” said Simon. “I always have a number of projects on the go. At the moment that includes an app that seems to be proving popular – and another in the pipeline.”
Simon teamed up with two business partners to create the novel poker app and Facebook game – Texas Ask’em Poker. Its combination of poker and trivia won thousands of fans and an impressive 100,000 installs.
“I’m developing my second app now, called Rolling Grandpa. It’s a bit of fun and I’m hoping it will be just as popular as my first venture,” he added.
Simon’s other achievements include the White Cliffs Business Awards. He independently launched the scheme to showcase local business success within South East Kent, with more than 120 business leaders attending the first ceremony in 2012.
And, in April 2013, Simon’s marketing peers elected him to the South East regional board for the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
Simon is currently leading a team within HCR as part of The Prince’s Trust Million Makers Challenge. The aim is to raise £10,000 for the charity by launching the first ever Hampshire Cookbook – celebrating the county’s local produce and culinary diversity.
“I’m delighted the judges of the Inspire North Hampshire Business Awards have recognised my achievements,” said Simon. “I’m lucky enough to have a career that brings me a tremendous amount of satisfaction. I hope to encourage the next generation of marketeers coming through to work hard, get creative and – most importantly – enjoy getting results from their efforts.”
By: HCR Group