Company: ClearPeople
Company Description: ClearPeople is a full service digital marketing and technical services consultancy founded in 2003 by Katya Linossi and Gabriel Karawani.Headquartered in London, a team of over 50 "bright, expert and human" digital experts work with our clients to achieve business transformation through technology, helping them become more effective and gain competitive advantage.
Nomination Category: Individual Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Female Entrepreneur of the Year in Europe, the Middle East & Africa

Nomination Title: Katya Linossi, Co-Founder and Managing Director

Describe for the judges the activities and accomplishments of the nominated entrepreneur since the beginning of July last year (up to 525 words):

Katya Linossi is Co-founder and Managing Director of award-winning full service digital marketing and technical services consultancy, ClearPeople. Under her leadership, ClearPeople continues to grow from strength to strength, having almost doubled its turnover in 2 years and retaining a profitable position despite a weak market.

Such growth is the result of a programme of small incremental changes and achievements spearheaded by Linossi over the last 12 months. These include:

• Attracting a strong Senior Leadership Team to bring ClearPeople’s vision to life
• Establishing a Delivery Management Team to oversee digital production, 50% of which are female
• The growth of ClearPeople’s Spanish team by 78% and the London team by 22%
• Improving ClearPeople’s new business processes resulting in a win rate of over 55% for everything pitched for, increasing annual revenue by 31%
• Raising customer retention and referral rates to 84%
• The recognition of being the first Microsoft UK partner to be awarded Cloud Platform Gold Competency for Microsoft Azure demonstrating ClearPeople’s best-in-class capabilities in delivering Cloud platform based solutions to UK Enterprises
• 8 project award wins for clients including the Best IT Project at the BCS & Computing UK IT Industry Awards for The Crown Estate and Best in Class at the Interactive Media Awards for CMS Cameron McKenna
• ClearPeople’s debut in eConsultancy’s Top 100 Digital Agencies Report and The Drum’s Independent Agency Census
• Being named Gold Winner for Design Agency of the Year at the Stevies International Business Awards
• Gaining top clients in their respective sectors including Shoosmiths and Baker & McKenzie in the legal sector and Alzheimer’s Society and Cystic Fibrosis Trust in the charity sector
• Microsoft engaging with ClearPeople as a trusted and top tier partner. In the past year Linossi has sponsored three of ClearPeople’s staff members to achieve status as a Microsoft Partner Technical Solution Professional. This means ClearPeople engage with clients on behalf of Microsoft and work side by side with Microsoft staff on developing new business opportunities
• Aligning the business more uniquely in a very competitive space as a “Consultagency” – this has been well received in the marketplace – and driving a clear market vision to uniquely position ClearPeople going forward
• Directing ClearPeople’s Corporate Social Responsibility policy and taking part in a voluntary initiative called Code Club, spending one afternoon a week at a primary school mentoring children aged 9-11 with the aim to teach them how to program by showing them how to make computer games, animations and websites
• Stimulating positive change in internal business processes, improving systems and policies and providing training and resources required to best serve their customers and uphold the company’s values
• Leading from the front in Human Resources, being actively involved in ClearPeople’s recruitment process and on-boarding programme as well as well as emphasis on staff happiness and retention
• Being invited to speak at industry events to share thought leadership in the technology industry including Technology for Marketing & Advertising and MarketingFinder’s webinar series
• Raising ClearPeople’s profile through membership with The Drum Network and contributing opinions and articles to publications like the Law Society Gazette
• Being a valued judge at the Stevies International Business Awards

Provide a brief biography of the nominated entrepreneur (up to 125 words):

Katya Linossi is Co-founder and Managing Director of award-winning digital agency ClearPeople. She has been instrumental in shaping the strategy and operations of ClearPeople’s digital services since that time, leading a team of over 50 staff in London and Alicante .She has over 20 years extensive international experience in both marketing and technical roles for software companies and has also managed large web-based projects and teams for blue chip clients like Microsoft and Ford. Linossi is a seasoned speaking, invited to provide thought leadership at events like Technology for Marketing & Advertising and publications such as the Law Society Gazette. Linossi holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Honours in Marketing, as well as a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Warwick.