The boss of a Bradford-based executive recruitment agency has been nominated for the national Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Glen Hall, managing director of the Write Research Company, is in the running for the award sponsored by Ernst & Young and Coutts & Co bank.

Mr Hall, 31, a former Tong School pupil from Holme Wood, has been nominated in recognition of the dramatic growth of the business over the last five years.

It works with leading FTSE100 companies to help find top executives suitable for demanding roles.

The Greengates business, which has grown from four to 15 staff in a year, has also announced the appointment of its first non-executive director.

Simon Clothier, executive chairman of the leading management consultancy company Boxwood Group and one of Yorkshire's most famous entrepreneurs, has joined as a leadership strategist.

Mr Hall said he was delighted to be nominated for the award which recognises the achievements of entrepreneurs in the UK's fastest growing non-quoted companies.

"I think we can be the number one executive search business in Yorkshire in the next three years and the key to our success has been our commitment to investing in people," he said. "We managed to grow 140 per cent even when conditions in the market were tough and we have continued in that vein."

Mr Hall said the appointment of Mr Clothier was also an important development. "He has a unique ability to go beyond theory and create practical strategies that are implemented with immediate impact on the bottom line," he said.

Mr Hall said the company remained heavily committed to Bradford where more than half its staff are based.

"A lot of our clients ask why we don't move to Leeds because we are based so close, but we don't want to do that," he said. "We are based in the former Greengates Primary School where we occupy a whole wing. Although we want to grow, we will always stay in Bradford."

The regional heats of the Entrepreneur of the Year Awards will take place in June.

"We will be up against some of the biggest players in the country, including many based in London, but things are looking pretty good," said Mr Hall.