Jamie McGowan, campus director at the Caerphilly-based Welsh Innovation Centre for Enterprise has been named the Entrepreneurs' Champion of the year at the Great British Entrepreneur Regional Awards.

Now in its sixth year, the NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards celebrates the hard work and inspiring stories of entrepreneurs from across the UK.

The awards ceremony held at Cardiff's Mercure Holland House brought together a range of businesses and professionals to recognise the outstanding achievers from across Wales and the South West of England.

Jamie said: "I am absolutely thrilled and a bit shocked to win this award. You can't be an entrepreneurs' champion without any entrepreneurs, so I'm grateful to all the people who I've met over the years who have sacrificed their steady jobs to chase the dream of being your own boss.

"Entrepreneurs often need the right environment, support and the community in order to grow and develop their businesses, and I'd like to think this award is a testament to how we champion self-employment at ICE."

The campus also has a history within this category, with former ICE CEO Gareth Jones winning the award in 2015.

Co-founder of the awards Francesca James said: "We added an Entrepreneurs' Champion category to the awards because while entrepreneurs often talk about the fantastic support to which they owe their success, these individuals are rarely celebrated, and we believe they are every bit as deserving as the entrepreneurs themselves.

"Jamie's application impressed the judges because of his energy, motivation and drive as an individual working with entrepreneurs day in day out, as Welsh ICE strives to continue to grow and develop as a space that lives, breathes, promotes, supports and encourages entrepreneurial spirit.

"Support like Jamie's to those embarking on an entrepreneurial endeavour is recognised and championed with this award. His insight, reach and commitment is crucial to the success stories he’s helping to create".

The award comes following the announcement that Welsh ICE has been chosen to deliver one of four new regional enterprise hubs, with the campus supporting the south east Wales Valleys region.

The hubs are funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government and will see more than £4m invested to provide supportive spaces and mentoring for new and growing businesses.