North East Fastest 50 celebrates jobs and growth

Held in partnership with The Journal, the Fastest 50, now in its 28th year, has become a coveted date on the regional business calendar, bringing together businesses from Tyneside to Teesside to celebrate expansion, job creation and future investment.

The companies recognised this year range from construction, engineering and manufacturing to energy, technology, healthcare, life sciences, retail and marine, reflecting the breadth of sectors continuing to invest, recruit and grow across the region.

Damien Charlton, a Partner and Head of Commercial at Ward Hadaway, said: “The pace of change is relentless, and there are always new challenges for businesses to deal with. The economic and geopolitical picture can change quickly, and that uncertainty has become part of the day-to-day reality of running a business rather than something companies can simply wait to pass.

“What is striking is the quality of the businesses that continue to grow in that environment. This year’s Fastest 50 is full of companies with ambition, strong leadership and a clear sense of where they want to go. Navigating turbulent headwinds is part of the process, yet Fastest 50 founders and entrepreneurs have real confidence in what they are building. They are prepared to take risks, adapt and keep pushing forward even when conditions are difficult.

“We are seeing younger founders coming through who can use technology to build businesses differently. Some of the barriers to scaling are lower than they were 15 or 20 years ago, while established companies are also finding new ways to respond to changing demands.

“The North East has always been home to businesses that are willing to pivot quickly and rethink how they operate. There is also a strong sense of community here, with people willing to share experience, make introductions and champion others when they succeed.”

This year’s keynote speaker, Hartlepool businesswoman Vikki Jackson-Smith, knows first-hand what it takes to read the signs that an industry is changing and build a new future for a business.

Vikki began working in her family’s solid-fuel enterprise at 16 as a weighbridge clerk before moving into transport management. As demand for solid fuel declined in the late 1990s, she saw an opportunity in recycling and waste management and founded J&B Recycling in 1998.

The move marked the start of almost three decades of expansion. J&B went on to employ around 200 people and process more than 200,000 tonnes of waste each year.

A £7.5m investment from BGF in 2014 funded a major automation and process-improvement programme. J&B’s largest investment programme, completed in 2019, increased processing capacity by 280% and boosted EBITDA by 300% over five years.

Vikki led the sale of J&B to Urbaser in 2021, with the business becoming part of FCC Environment in 2024 following the £398m sale of Urbaser’s UK operations. Having now stepped down from J&B, her keynote will draw on the decisions, investments and changes that shaped the business over nearly 30 years.

Damien added: “Vikki’s story reflects so much of what the Fastest 50 is about. She saw that the market around the family business was changing and had the confidence to take the company into an entirely new sector.

“That willingness to take a calculated risk, adapt, capitalise on an opportunity and keep building over many years is something you see time and again in successful North East businesses. Growth doesn’t always come from doing more of the same. Sometimes it comes from recognising that the market has moved and being prepared to move with it.

“The Fastest 50 gives us the chance to reward businesses that have continued to push ahead. Their stories are different, but they share that willingness to back an idea, respond to change and keep looking for where the next stage of growth might come from.”

Look out for the full 2026 North East Fastest 50 list, published in The Journal, in print and online, on Wednesday 14 October.