Ideagen CEO’s inspirational story wins regional award
Oct 14, 22
Ideagen CEO, Ben Dorks, was last night recognised for his contribution to Nottinghamshire and UK business, when he was named Ambassador of the Year at the East Midlands Business Masters Awards.
Hosted by B2B news outlet, The Business Desk, Ben was recognised for his entrepreneurship and business acumen that has driven Ideagen’s success as well as his commitment to the local communities and social mobility education programmes.
The Ambassador award recognises outstanding leadership, vision and commitment to business over a sustained period and is described as “a person who has made a significant contribution in their sector or to the region”.
Having left school with very few qualifications himself, Ben started his career in stationary sales before setting up software business, Plumtree Group, providing information management software to the healthcare sector alongside other family members.
Ben vividly recalls occasions in the business’ infancy of “paying salaries on credit cards and remortgaging two houses to keep the business afloat.” Plumtree Group was purchased by Ideagen in 2012, a move which saw Ben progress from Sales and Marketing Director, to Chief Customer Officer, to CEO in 2018.
Ideagen CEO, Ben Dorks
Employing more than 1000 people globally, Ideagen has seen exceptional levels of growth, both organically and through 27 targeted acquisitions, boosting its market value from £350k in 2009 when the business was founded, to more than a billion pounds when it was acquired by Hg earlier this year.
Meanwhile, beyond commercial achievements, Ben is behind the business’ commitment to create a lasting positive social impact in the communities where we work. He was instrumental in shaping Ideagen’s Think Big initiative working closely with education providers and sports clubs, the programme aims to make a lasting impact on and open up opportunities for young people who are at an educational disadvantage.
Ideagen was also shortlisted in the Large Business of the Year category, which recognises strong success stories which are “setting the pace and making a significant impact in the region”.