Three inspiring business owners have been awarded cash prizes totalling £300,000 as part of the 18th annual Stelios Awards for Disabled Entrepreneurs. Founded by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou and run in partnership with disability charity Leonard Cheshire, the awards recognise disabled entrepreneurs who are creating successful companies, generating wealth and jobs in the UK. Guy Walker was 'absolutely delighted' to receive the top prize of £150,000 for his recruitment firm, Dovetail & Slate, which he founded eight years ago and now turns over an incredible £60 million a year. The awards, held on Tuesday at the London HQ of the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation, celebrate the achievements of disabled entrepreneurs and provide the support they need to take their businesses to the next level. Theo Constanti, of stone worktop supplier The Marble Group, was named runner-up and awarded £100,000, while Jack Sims, of Adaptiv Mobility, received £50,000 for securing third place. The winners of the Stelios Awards for Disabled Entrepreneurs 2026. Pictured left to right: Theo Constanti, Jack Sims and Guy Walker 'Blazing a trail for others' This year’s awards attracted 63 'exceptional' applications from disabled entrepreneurs across the UK, each with a business generating at least £200,000 in annual revenue. For the first time since the awards started in 2007, applicants were asked to submit a video pitch and later-stage interviews were filmed for a pilot documentary, which will be released on the Foundation's YouTube channel in a few weeks.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 (www.stelios.foundation), was delighted to reveal this year's winners. 'We're proud to honour Guy, Theo and Jack today,' he says. 'I was fascinated to learn more about each of their stories and found it inspiring how they found business success in their respective fields. The trio pose with their cheques at the London HQ of the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation in London, with Sir Stelios joining via videolink '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!' Sir Stelios' Philanthropic Foundation has donated over £2 million since the awards began in 2007 - including this year's sum. It has also given £50,000 directly to Leonard Cheshire to help with the running of this year's awards. '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,' Sir Stelios adds. 'We hope that the prize money can help their businesses go from strength to strength.'First Place: Guy Walker - a success story that began with £15,000 from his beloved mum Guy's company has enjoyed astonishingly rapid growth since it launched in 2018 Taking the top prize of £150,000 is Guy Walker, founder of Dovetail & Slate, a specialist UK recruitment agency focused exclusively on education and the public sector.The 33-year-old from Bristol set up the business in 2018 using £15,000 left to him by his social worker mother, who died of pancreatic cancer the year before. It's since grown at an astonishing rate and now boasts £60 million in turnover and nearly 100 staff across offices in Bristol, Leeds and Manchester. Guy has ADHD, which he describes as a 'superpower' when it comes to running a business. 'ADHD is the reason I can't relax or live a normal life - I never feel like I'm off work,' he says. 'But on the other hand I can juggle multiple things at once, work really hard and have unlimited energy.' Guy's personal experience of neurodiversity has shaped his approach to leadership and culture. '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,' he says. 'To me, creating an environment where people can do their best work and feel genuinely valued is essential rather than optional. Our culture also embraces disability, with 42 per cent of our workforce being neurodiverse.'Guy will use his award funding to continue investing in his employees and building greater understanding of ADHD. 'I am absolutely delighted to receive this award from Sir Stelios,' he says. 'The funding will be reinvested into the business to strengthen our foundations, improve resources, and continue building a positive, supportive culture for our team. '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), and help promote greater awareness and understanding of ADHD through education and outreach.'Second Place: Theo Constanti – from his parents' garage to employing 100 staff Theo started trading in his parents' garage. Now his company's HQ measures 50,000-square-feet! In second place, winning £100,000, is Theo Constanti of The Marble Group, a leading UK fabricator and supplier of premium marble, granite, quartz, porcelain and stone worktops.The firm supplies kitchen retailers, contractors and homeowners across London and the Home Counties from a 50,000-square-foot facility in Hertfordshire, and has won multiple industry awards.Life hasn't always been easy for Theo, who lost his right hand in a motorbike accident in 2001 when he was just 17. Six years later, he co-founded The Marble Group with his friend Michael Nicholas, a qualified stonemason - starting out in the garage of Theo's parents' home in London.From those humble beginnings, the business has grown to employ around 100 staff - a remarkable journey that has taught Theo some important lessons. 'Attitude is the single most important character trait,' says the 42-year-old. '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. Another key to success is books - there's a book for everything and I've been reading one a week for the last 25 years.' Theo is 'delighted' to have won the second prize and has big plans for the funding. 'We'll use the funding to invest in upgrading our showroom, expand our team and apprenticeship opportunities,' he says. Third Place: Jack Sims – helping everyone experience the joy of riding a bike Jack launched his company as a 'passion project' - now it's helping hundreds of disabled people enjoy the great outdoorsJack Sims, 33, took home the £50,000 third-place award for Adaptiv Mobility, a life-changing business born out of adversity. In 2016, a bike crash in the French Alps left Jack with serious spinal injuries. Mountain biking had always been his passion, but for a time it looked like he'd never do it again.After a long, gruelling period of rehab, Jack was introduced to a highly specialised type of adaptive bike called a Bowhead, which allowed him to return to the trails.Determined to help other disabled people enjoy outdoor adventures - and convinced there was a market for adaptive bikes tailored to the specific needs of every rider - he launched his company in 2020. 'We import and sell adaptive equipment that helps people get out and enjoy the great outdoors,' he says. 'It began as a passion project - I was just trying to get kit for myself - but it's now grown into something much bigger. 'Our wheelchairs and adaptive bikes are tailored to people's individual needs. A manufacturer can make a great piece of equipment - we just do that last little bit of personalisation that makes a huge difference.' This year's winners join Ruth Owen OBE, CEO of Leonard Cheshire, (left) and Umbreen David, who took the top prize last year Funding from Sir Stelios couldn't have come at a better time for Jack's company, which recently moved into a new accessible premises in Dorset featuring a bigger workshop, retail space and private assessment room. 'The additional funding will 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,' he says. A winning partnership: Leonard Cheshire and the Stelios Foundation The Stelios Awards are run in partnership with Leonard Cheshire, which helps disabled people live and work as independently as they choose, whatever their ability.Ruth Owen OBE, the charity's CEO, says: '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.' A remarkable range of businesses have been honoured in the awards, with some even going on to strike licensing agreements with Sir Stelios' easyGroup.The majority of profits from easyGroup are used to support the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation.The total cumulative giving by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou and easyGroup to the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation since 2010 amounts to 122 million euros.To discover more about the amazing work of The Stelios Foundation, head to stelios.foundation For more information about Leonard Cheshire, visit leonardcheshire.org or follow them on X @leonardcheshire