HRS Communications Shortlisted For StartUp Awards National Series

HRS Communications has been named one of the most exciting new businesses in the South East England region after being shortlisted as part of a brand-new awards programme. HRS is a finalist in the Young Entrepreneur category. This is an incredible achievement for HRS, especially given the stiff competition of over 2,500 applications.

Supported nationally by BT, EY, Dell and Intel, the programme will celebrate the achievements of all the amazing individuals across the UK who have turned an idea into an opportunity and taken the risk to launch a new product or service. The StartUp Awards National Series ¹ has been launched to recognise the booming startup scene across the UK which has accelerated since the pandemic began. In 2020, when most of the world was shutting down, more than 400,000 startups were set up in Britain, with similar increases seen in other European countries.

HRS Communications first began at the end of 2019. Whilst recovering from spinal surgery in 2012, HRS Communications CEO and founder Harriet Smith first learnt about the role of nutrition in surgical rehabilitation. Although her first experience of dietetics was from a patient perspective, this sparked her interest in combining her love of food with science. Harriet later went on to study at King’s College London, where she graduated with a degree in nutrition and dietetics. Harriet noticed a gap in the market for connecting brands with highly qualified dietitians who are also excellent communicators and from this realisation, HRS Communications was born. To learn more about the evolution of HRS, read our story.

HRS Communications has gone from strength to strength over the past three years and has evolved to become a full-service communications agency within the health, nutrition and medical sector, appealing to larger blue-chip companies. With more plans on the horizon with a brand re-fresh, new website and an ambitious growth plan, HRS Communications are developing their strategy to become a market leader within the health, nutrition and medical sectors.

“We’re incredibly proud to have made it this far given the competition we faced. 2022 is set to be a big year for HRS following our invest4 grant which will see HRS undergo a re-brand and digital marketing re-launch. We’re very excited to see where the next few months takes us. As ever, a big thanks to the talented team that I have the pleasure of working alongside each and every day.” 

Harriet Smith, CEO and Founder. 

“We are absolutely thrilled at HRS Communications becoming a finalist for the StartUp Awards, Young Entrepreneur category. Harriet Smith, our CEO and Founder has lots of ambitious plans for the future, so to be shortlisted as a finalist speaks volumes for her entrepreneurial vision, dedication and commitment to driving the business forward. The whole team at HRS are super proud and excited to be a part of this achievement.”

Rachel White, COO.

Co-founded by the team behind the Great British Entrepreneur Awards ², the new series follows the success of the Wales StartUp Awards, after organisers recognised the exceptional potential in the startup scene across the other British regions.

Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE, the creator of the StartUp Awards National Series, said: “New firms are important for generating economic prosperity, employment opportunities and innovation. Since 2016, the Wales StartUp Awards ³ have celebrated this amazing annual contribution to our economy by entrepreneurs and the impact they have on communities across the nation.

“Given the sheer volume of phenomenal startups we’ve heard from since then, as well as the huge post-pandemic shift in people’s desires to take their career in a new direction and set up a business against the odds, we felt it was the right time to take the programme nationwide. We’ve been blown away by the standard of entries in this first year and truly look forward to crowning the winners in June.”

HRS now look forward to attending the final, but regardless of the outcome, the team are already incredibly proud of how far they have come!

References: 

1. Start Up Awards (2022) Available at: https://startupawards.uk/ [Accessed 11/08/2022]
2. Great British Entrepreneur Awards (2022) Available at: https://greatbritishentrepreneurawards.com/ [Accessed 11/08/2022]
3. Start Up Awards Wales (2022) Available at: https://startupawards.uk/2022-wales/ [Accessed 11/08/2022]