Marshall Harmony has become the first Shropshire business to receive an Enterprise Vision Award in the Best Business Category, after being named Highly Commended in the prestigious category at the 2026 EVAs.
The award was presented to Founder and Managing Director Laura Davies and Operations Director Ellie Tapper by multi-award-winning entrepreneur and business pioneer Maxine Laceby at the Enterprise Vision Awards ceremony in Blackpool on Friday 2 October.
For Laura and Ellie, the recognition marks a very special moment in a journey that began at Laura’s kitchen table just five years ago.
Marshall Harmony supports manufacturing and engineering businesses and their supply chains across the UK with recruitment that goes beyond simply filling a vacancy. The team works closely with businesses to understand why the vacancy exists, the problem that really needs solving and the person who can make the right difference.
The Enterprise Vision Awards, affectionately known as the EVAs, celebrate women who are building, leading and growing businesses across the UK. This year’s ceremony was held at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, with the Best Business category sponsored by SheChain Live.
Marshall Harmony had originally been nominated across eight categories before being selected as a finalist for Best Business.
Although Laura founded the company, she chose to share the finalist recognition with Ellie.
For Laura, it was an important decision. Marshall Harmony may have started with one person and an idea, but what it has become has been built by a team of people who care deeply about the business, its clients, its candidates and each other.
Laura said:
“We were absolutely honoured just to be named finalists. When we saw the calibre of the women and businesses in the room, we genuinely thought we were there to enjoy an incredible evening and celebrate being part of it.
“When Maxine Laceby read out Marshall Harmony, Ellie and I were completely stunned. I’ll be honest, I cried.
“We’ve come back down to earth a little now, but we absolutely want to shout about it because we are incredibly proud. This recognition belongs to everybody at Marshall Harmony. They are the people who make this business work, grow and continue to become something bigger than I ever imagined when I started it at my kitchen table.”
Making the evening even more special was being able to celebrate alongside some of the people who have been part of the Marshall Harmony journey.
Laura’s husband and son joined the celebrations, alongside clients and friends of the business including Shane Kelly and Matt Fenton from University of Wolverhampton Racing, which Marshall Harmony proudly sponsors, Andy Dunne from TEAM Network and Kerry Bainbridge from Shropshire Chamber of Commerce.
Laura added:
Laura started Marshall Harmony in 2021 following more than two decades in recruitment, with a very clear ambition to do recruitment differently.
Five years later, Marshall Harmony has grown into a team of nine and, over the past three years alone, has placed more than 250 people into manufacturing and engineering businesses across Shropshire, Staffordshire, the West Midlands and beyond.
The business works exclusively on every vacancy it recruits, without upfront fees or retainers, and its commitment to making a difference extends beyond recruitment.
The 2026 EVAs also saw Laura take on another important role, joining the judging panel for both the Not For Profit and Health & Beauty categories.
Marshall Harmony also supported the event as a programme sponsor, making the evening a celebration not only of its own success, but of the achievements and stories of women and businesses from across the UK.
For Laura and Ellie, however, one thing mattered most.
And for a business that started around a kitchen table with an idea to make recruitment better, being the first Shropshire business recognised by the Enterprise Vision Awards feels like a very special chapter in the Marshall Harmony story.
