Four Gwent directors have been shortlisted for the UK Final of the Institute of Directors’ Director of the Year Awards.

At the Wales-wide awards in May, James Norvill, from GD Environmental in Newport, was named Young Director of the Year; Penny Brockman, finance director at Mountain Rescue was named Social Enterprise Director of the Year; Judith Paget, deputy CEO then COO of Aneurin Bevan Health Board was awarded Public Sector Director of the Year; and Bob Clark, founder of Newport-based maple syrup manufacturer Clarks UK was named Director in a Family Business.

James Norvill is now shortlisted in the UK-wide Young Director of the Year category again. Penny Brockman and Judith Paget are shortlisted in the Public / Third Sector Director of the Year Category and Bob Clark is in the national Family Business Director of the Year category.

James, who was only 23 when he founded waste management company GD Environmental in 2003, said: “To be considered for IOD’s ‘Young Director of The Year’ is a real accolade. Over the past 18 months, GD Environmental has grown significantly, with turnover up 35 per cent in each of the past three years.

“Although this is an individual award, it is not something I could have achieved without the dedication and commitment of my entire team. We aim to be the best we can be, and to be the first choice for any waste requirement in Wales.”

Championing the role of women in volunteer-only charity Mountain Rescue, Penny Brockman is the only board member in its 70 year history.

She is also team leader of the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team and has facilitated the organisation’s survival by diversifying its income stream and introducing changes inside the organisation and developing the Mountain Rescue brand while ensuring that the volunteers are fully engaged with the changes.

She said: “It is truly a humbling experience to be short listed for such a prestigious award. This is a real honour. This accolade celebrates the ethos of the voluntary nature of Mountain Rescue and the work it undertakes in providing a search and rescue service in England and Wales.

Having spent all her working life in the NHS, Judith Paget has been COO/Deputy CEO since September 2012 and is responsible for 13,000 staff and a budget of £800m. She has overseen the opening of a new hospital to time and on budget and has set up a nurse-led minor injuries unit, whilst still producing a five per cent saving across all budget areas.

In under six years, Bob Clark has grown his maple syrup business from scratch to become the number one brand in the UK with more than 60 per cent of the market and said: “Being shortlisted for the UK IoD awards was fantastic news and, for me a testament to the great team of people I have at Clarks who are as passionate and excited about our products and business as I am, which is wonderful to see.”

The awards take place in London on October 24.