Rising Star Award
Nouredin Albanghazi
Nouredin Albanghazi is the Director of Combined Support Services, a Peterborough-based security and facilities support business. He has built the company around reliable, people-led services, creating opportunities for local people and supporting clients across the UK. Nouredin holds an MSc in International Business Management from ARU Peterborough and is currently undertaking a PhD at the University of Lincoln, researching Public-Private Partnerships in National Security and Crisis Management. A committed advocate for responsible leadership, he is proud that Combined Support Services is accredited ISO 9001 UKAS, SafeContractor, SafePQQ, Constructionline Gold, and the Good Business Charter, is a Living Wage Employer, supports a diverse workforce and employing over 40 full-time employees.
His work has been recognised through a number of regional business awards. Combined Support Services was named the Gold Winner of Peterborough Business of the Year at the SME Cambridgeshire Business Awards 2026 and later received the Employer of the Year award at the Peterborough Community Business Awards 2026. At the same event, Mr. Albanghazi was personally named Entrepreneur of the Year. Nouredin is passionate about representing Peterborough’s ambition, talent, and growing business community.
Sofia Arnone
Sofia’s journey with Wildcats Theatre School began at just 8 years old as a student, where her natural drive quickly set her apart. Demonstrating early leadership, she rapidly advanced to assistant and then teacher, consistently pushing her work a step further and taking the lead on Wildcats’ popular holiday programmes.
Refusing to stand still, Sofia stepped into the role of HAF Manager this year. In this position, she collaborates directly with local schools and families to develop vital Holiday Activities and Food provision alongside Wildcats’ hugely successful holiday schools.
Her dedication extends beyond the stage and business operations: she actively volunteers within her secondary school while preparing to start university to study teaching. Combining passion, initiative, and an unwavering commitment to her community, Sofia exemplifies the drive and vision of a true leader of tomorrow.
Claire Banks
Claire is a highly experienced lawyer who has specialised in corporate and commercial work since 2006. She advises businesses and individuals on private mergers and acquisitions (including cross-border transactions), joint ventures, corporate restructures and re-organisations, shareholder arrangements, corporate governance, and a wide range of commercial agreements. Alongside this, Claire also has extensive experience advising academy trusts, independent schools, higher education institutions, charities, and other not-for-profit organisations. Claire joined Greenwoods in 2018 and has built a strong reputation for delivering pragmatic, commercially focused advice and fostering long-term client relationships. Her focus, dedication, and responsiveness are highly valued by her clients and colleagues, and she has been recognised as a ‘Rising Star’ in the Legal 500 for the last three years.
Sammie Bird
I joined Rapidrop in September 2015 in Customer Service & Sales Support, working within a five-person team supporting customers across the UK, Europe and the Middle East. In 2016, I was appointed Customer Service Champion, helping improve the customer journey and internal processes across Customer Services, Sales and Warehouse operations. Many of the procedures introduced during that time are still used today.
Between 2017 and 2019, I moved into the role of Internal Sales Executive, supporting Rapidrop UK’s continued growth and helping strengthen customer relationships. As the UK business expanded from £2 million turnover in 2015 to nearly £6 million by 2019, I moved into the position of Customer Service & Sales Support Supervisor. In this role, I led a strong team, developed process improvements, supported training and development initiatives and contributed to the implementation of our Business Central system.
In 2022, I transitioned into sales as an Area Sales Executive, focusing on the residential market and helping grow sales from £1.5 million to over £4 million in three years. In 2025, I became Area Sales Manager, broadening my responsibilities across multiple market sectors and key accounts.
Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family, travelling, coin collecting, researching my family history and tackling a good Sudoku puzzle.
Matt Carter
I am the Local Director at Metro Bank and my career in banking began when I was 18 years old. Since then, I have been passionate about building strong relationships, supporting customers, and helping businesses and communities thrive.
Having grown up in Peterborough but spent most of my career working elsewhere, I’m proud to now be working in the city that I call home.
Over a decade in banking, I have progressed through a variety of roles within the industry, gaining valuable experience and developing my leadership skills. Today, I lead a team that are dedicated to making a positive impact across the local area.
I am proud to have been recognised with the Rising Star Award by the Chamber, an achievement that reflects my commitment to the community, and supporting local businesses. I remain driven by the opportunity to connect people, create opportunities, and make a meaningful difference in banking.
Danielle Daboh
Danielle Daboh is a former Youth MP for Peterborough, who had a focus on culture, cost of living, and equitable employability opportunities for young people. She has led city-wide initiatives including Youth Culture Con and the creation of a permanent free school uniform shop inside the Queensgate shopping centre, working closely with the city council and local partners. Danielle brings a youth-led perspective to discussions on inclusive growth and future-facing policy.
Sophie Dickens
Sophie began her commercial property career in London in 2006, with a focus on providing landlords commercial leasing and marketing advice for prime West End offices. After 20 years, it was time to move out of London and set up our family home in Castor, Peterborough. With this came a new career challenge. Tydus Peterborough was formed in 2022, at the same time as ARU Peterborough opened its doors. Our ambition was clear – to provide clients with honest and experienced advice with an enthusiastic and responsive approach. We focus on all aspects of commercial property investment, development, leasing and asset management in Peterborough and the surrounding East of England.
Our team has a wonderful ethos and drive to deliver. We share in the ambition to promote Peterborough in the best possible way and highlight all the benefits that it has to offer. We make sure that every element of our marketing from signage to brochures, and conversations with occupiers captures the positive changes that are happening on the ground.
Having recently won an award at the UK Property Forum for Best Life Science & Office Deal has cemented our approach to each property transaction and the way we market buildings.
Katie Humphrey
Katie Humphrey is the Founder and CEO of Curiously Divergent, a neurodiversity consultancy and community interest company dedicated to creating more inclusive workplaces, services and communities for neurodivergent people.
Drawing on both lived experience and more than nine years working across early help, youth services, social care, education and employment support, Katie has built Curiously Divergent around a simple belief: neurodivergent people should not have to constantly fight to access the support, understanding and opportunities they need.
Through Curiously Divergent, Katie leads work across neuroinclusive training and consultancy, workplace support, employment programmes, Access to Work, coaching, community projects and specialist virtual assistance. The organisation now works with individuals, employers, public sector partners and community organisations across Cambridgeshire and beyond.
Katie’s work has been recognised nationally, including being named a finalist in the Disability in Business Awards and receiving nominations for diversity and business awards. Alongside growing two organisations, she remains passionate about using lived experience to influence systems, challenge barriers and create practical, lasting change for neurodivergent people.
Molly Inman
I am very proud of working for Delicious Ideas Food Group. They have continued to believe in me and given me the opportunity to grow within the business and flourish within a new role which was completely new for me. I am looking forward to continue to develop my skills and excited to be part of the journey in a growing company.
Riz Khan
John Paul Rodgers
Senior Marketing & Design Executive for Delicious Ideas Food Group.
Hard working, tirelessly passionate, and a keen eye for detail.
John Paul’s responsibilities have evolved in the 3 years he’s been with the company to encompass, product design and brand development, graphic design, data analysis, as well as sustainability and charitable campaigning.
A particular passion of John Paul’s; his product design efforts have been focused on own brand exclusive ranges, as well as for clients such as Arsenal & Liverpool football clubs, Ask Mummy & Daddy, and Coop.
On the sustainability front, a notable highlight is his work with Carbon Neutral Britain. He works closely with them to audit and offset all scope 1, 2, and 3 CO2e emissions for Delicious Ideas, having achieved Carbon Neutral status in all three years.
Jodie Poole
Jodie Poole is the Co- founder of Where the Wild Ones Learn, a nature‑based early years practice that has become a leading voice for child‑led, outdoor learning in Peterborough and beyond. With a background in residential children’s homes, early years education, and community engagement, Jodie has built a unique approach that blends therapeutic insight with deep respect for children’s autonomy, curiosity, and wellbeing.
She is the Co- creator of the WILD Lens with Rachel Lawrence, a reflective observation framework now used across her Nature Practitioner Level 2 and Level 3 training pathway.
This lens helps educators slow down, stay curious, and truly see children’s behaviour within the context of their sensory, emotional, and environmental world. Her training programmes, AQA nature‑based units, and professional development work are supporting practitioners nationally to rethink what high‑quality early years practice looks like outdoors.
Alongside her training work, Jodie delivers nature‑based sessions with Family Hubs, leads community events at The Green Backyard, and continues to expand opportunities for children to learn through wild, sensory‑rich experiences. She is also co‑author of Nora and the Whirly Brain, a children’s book inspired by her journey of growing up woth ADHD.
Jodie’s work champions curiosity, connection, and the belief that children thrive when adults slow down enough to truly notice them. Her Rising Star award recognises her growing influence in shaping nature‑based education, practitioner training, and community learning across Peterborough.
Joe Sheffield
Joe Sheffield is Co-Founder of Sixty Learn, a Peterborough-based EdTech company developing AI-powered learning and workplace simulation technology.
Joe has led the development of RAISE, Sixty’s conversational AI technology for frontline training. In 2025, RAISE secured a six-figure First of a Kind innovation contract from the Department for Transport and Innovate UK, leading to a rollout reaching more than 1,000 employees across four major train operating companies and Network Rail.
The technology enables employees to practise complex situations including supporting victims of violence against women and girls, conflict de-escalation and mental health crises. Following the initial programme, Sixty is now preparing for wider adoption with Network Rail, Chiltern and Avanti West Coast.
Joe has also led the development of Waypoint, Sixty’s AI-powered workplace simulation platform, now used by the House of Commons and joint departments.
Ellie Simpson
Ellie Simpson is Co-Founder of Sixty Learn, where she leads the day-to-day running, commercial growth and delivery of the Peterborough-based EdTech company.
Ellie has built major client relationships from the ground up with global organisations including Nestlé, Dentons LLP and Forvis Mazars, while overseeing some of Sixty’s largest technology rollouts. Today, Sixty’s onboarding technology supports thousands of graduates and apprentices entering the workplace each year across four continents, with the company maintaining 98% client retention since its founding in 2022.
Ellie has also managed Sixty’s six-figure Assessment Innovation Fund project with NCFE and Ufi VocTech Trust, researching how AI-powered workplace simulations can improve the development and assessment of employability skills. The programme will test the technology with at least 1,000 FE and HE students and contribute new evidence to the education sector.
Sam Styles-Hudson
Sam Styles-Hudson is the founder and Managing Director of Ethos Nursing, a healthcare consultancy dedicated to helping care providers deliver safer, higher-quality care. A registered nurse with nearly 20 years’ experience, she previously served as an RAF Aeromedical Evacuation Nurse before establishing Ethos Nursing in 2015. Since then, Sam has supported hundreds of health and social care services across the UK to improve quality, strengthen clinical governance and achieve positive CQC outcomes. Passionate about raising standards and developing others, she combines clinical expertise with practical business leadership to help providers succeed. Born and raised in Peterborough, educated at The King’s School and now supporting numerous local healthcare businesses to thrive, Sam is incredibly proud to be recognised in her hometown as one of the Peterborough Top 100 winners.
“You can usually find me helping others to rise – it’s rather lovely to be the Rising Star for a change.”
Sofija Tarasevic
Sofija is a Creative Landscape Officer at Nene Park Trust, combining horticulture, arts and community engagement to create meaningful connections between people and nature. Beginning her career as a horticultural apprentice, she was named East of England Apprentice of the Year at the National Apprenticeship Awards in 2024, recognising her achievements, dedication and impact as an apprentice.
Since progressing into her current role, Sofija is delivering and developing projects supported by Arts Council England, working with cultural partners including Norfolk & Norwich Festival and Britten Sinfonia. Her work spans creative projects with young people and communities, the development of Nene Nursery, and the design of a community-focused border at RHS Sandringham, which was awarded a Silver-Gilt medal.
Now undertaking a Level 3 Horticultural Supervisor Apprenticeship, Sofija is passionate about building a career at the intersection of horticulture, creativity and community development.