Liverpool-born Paul Corcoran, MD at Agent Marketing, emerged from the Guardian Sustainable Business Awards ceremony in London as ‘Leader of the Year’ 2016. The awards were held this week at The Crystal, in London’s Royal Victoria Dock.

The award set out to discover people in business who are striving to lead differently. The Guardian shortlisted Paul after recognising all of his efforts, using his position and resources to bring about positive change across Liverpool City Region and beyond.

Paul Corcoran, managing director of Agent Marketing, said:

“I’m absolutely delighted to win this award. I’ve always tried to go the extra mile as a leader and always ask myself if I can do more. Being an effective leader and trying to bring about positive change is crucial to the way that I work.

“I was up against some really tough competition, standing alongside brilliant leaders including MDs of much larger businesses such as Wyke Farms and Avery Dennison so I am elated to have been recognised for the work I have being doing.”

The Guardian drew particular attention to Agent Marketing’s work to support the refugee crisis. Paul and his team worked pro-bono to arrange and publicise a city-wide fundraiser at the Liverpool Echo Arena as well as a celebrity auction to support British Red Cross.

In addition, the award acknowledged all of Paul’s work to help the North West’s social enterprise economy, in his role as chair of the School for Social Entrepreneurs North West. The award also noted Paul’s guidance in launching a sister social enterprise of Agent Marketing, Agent Academy CIC, a social enterprise set up to help young people into meaningful jobs in marketing and the creative and digital industries. Its employment success rate is currently at 85%.

Another element that secured Paul the award was his commitment to his team’s health and wellbeing. Not only has Paul introduced monthly massages, weekly yoga and mindfulness sessions, he was also the first agency leader in the UK to trial a six-hour working day. The experiment was implemented to see if he could boost the wellbeing of his team whilst also creating the conditions for increased productivity and clearer, more creative thinking.

This bold move was a success, and Agent Marketing is now trialing a new system of reduced hours and flexible working to bring about a happier, healthier team. This resulted in international coverage for Agent and UK businesses, with media interest from BBC, The Observer, The Independent, Fast Company, The Metro, and many more.

Agent Marketing is a full-service marketing agency celebrating its tenth year in operation in 2016. The agency stands out from others by always putting people first and by being transparent, inclusive, and values-led.

To keep up to date, be sure to follow @Agent_Marketing on Twitter. You can also find their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/AgentMktg, and learn more about the agency at www.agentmarketing.co.uk