After coping with the ‘perfect storm’ of COVID and Brexit, Wild Thang founder Andrew Dwerryhouse says he’s ‘incredibly proud’ to see his Merseyside team given a top award. Tony McDonough reports

One of Merseyside’s best-known entrepreneurs, Andrew Dwerryhouse, says he so proud of his team after his brand marketing firm won a top award for their efforts in coping with Brexit.

Andrew founded Wild Thang in Bootle a quarter of a century ago with a Princes Trust grant and, in the past few months, he has overseen the completion of a £2m transformation of its headquarters and a new recruitment drive.

Similar to many firms, Wild Thang took a hit from the COVID-19 pandemic. And, as a business with customers in the EU, it also had to cope with the added complication of Brexit – Andrew described the twin challenges as a “perfect storm”.

However, the company adapted to the changes and the “rollercoaster ride, and last week it scooped the International Award at the Liverpool Chamber Innovation in Business Awards, held at the Innside by Melia Hotel in Liverpool city centre.

“When we found out we had won this high profile award it really did fill our team with pride,” said Andrew. “This was part public vote and part expert business panel vote which gives a really balanced vote for a deserving winner. This time it happened to be world class Wild Thang.

“It was a fantastic evening and to win the International Award is super special, it made me think back to what was a perfect storm, I clearly remember when the pandemic hit and sales fell off a cliff for many areas of our business.

“But we were determined as a team that we would not be defined as a company by our incomplete development, COVID or Brexit so we adapted quickly to ensure we could not only survive, but also thrive as a team and company. So it makes this is an incredibly special moment because its recognition at the highest level in the Liverpool city region.”

He added he wanted to thank all those who voted in the awards and paid tribute to the commitment shown by his team, clients and suppliers, saying: “A company’s real success is never built by one individual or one department, but truly by a team effort.

“The chamber did an incredible job delivering this important awards dinner to showcase the best businesses the Liverpool city region has to offer. Big congratulations to all the winners and category nominees.

“We are proud to have retained all of our staff throughout this challenging time and have now already added eight new staff to our team over the past month in preparation for that projected growth.

“Export growth was highlighted in the supporting finalist evidence and our plans to grow turnover and our exports by 20-25% in 2022, so we have never been more excited about the future as a team.”

Click here to find out more about Wild Thang’s Brexit journey.