The inspirational dynamo director at Acorn Safety Services was crowned Businessperson of the Year at the 2026 SME Northamptonshire Business Awards on Thursday night (23^rd April).

 

Zeynep Guzelkasap took the title after judges agreed she shows outstanding initiative, boldness and imagination in the enterprise, as well as sound management practices.

 

Zeynep, who was also shortlisted in the Businesswoman of the Year category, has been integral in the exponential growth of Acorn Safety Services since she joined in January 2023.

 

The award-winning consultancy has seen two office moves in as many years to make room for the ever-growing workforce, which Zeynep has doubled in size over the last three years.

 

This was to meet growing customer demand for Acorn Safety’s services as they won contracts with household names and hit £1 million in turnover.

 

Last summer, Zeynep was promoted from operations manager to operations director at the Northampton company’s Moulton Park base, where she is renowned for employee wellbeing, championing women in the industry and looking after her team.

 

Zeynep has also revolutionised the company’s internal structure, creating a unique business model, with three specialist experts heading up and managing their own divisions – Legionella, Fire Safety, and Health & Safety.

 

Those experts, alongside other members of Zeynep’s senior leadership team, were at the awards ceremony, which was held at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens, cheering her on as she accepted the prestigious award.

 

Acorn Safety Services, which provides health and safety services to businesses, charities and organisations across the UK, are no stranger to the SME Northamptonshire Business Awards, after last year winning the silver prize in the High Growth category.

 

Zeynep said: “It was with great surprise and delight that I accepted the Businessperson of the Year Award on Thursday night. To do this with the unwavering support of my incredible team was the icing on the cake.

 

“I do not take for granted how lucky I am to have such a brilliant group of people assisting me on this journey with Acorn Safety and it is due to the dedication and talent in our team that I am able to continue to drive the company forward.

 

“Thank you to the SME Northamptonshire Business Awards and congratulations to all the finalists, it was a pleasure to be a part of such a fantastic night.”

 

For further information about Acorn Safety Services visit www.acornhealthandsafety.co.uk or call 01604 930380.