Co-founder and chief executive of the Fynoderee Distillery Paul Kerruish is celebrating after scooping an Institute of Directors award.

He won the title of ‘Director of the Year, Start-up.’

It was at the Institute of Directors North West and Isle of Man awards at the Hilton, Deansgate in Manchester.

The award was in recognition of his achievements in building the Fynoderee Distillery brand and product range in such a short space of time.

The judges were impressed by the distillery’s work in a busy marketplace, the story of the brand, the commercial success and future potential as well as the personal journey Paul had been on adapting from his role as a service -orientated lawyer to a product-led business in a totally new industry.

Mr Kerruish said: ‘It was a very unexpected but incredibly proud moment for us all at Fynoderee – we’re a small, hard-working team and winning this award not only shines a light on our own business, but it was wonderful to be there showcasing the Isle of Man and the growing premium food and drink sector that the island is becoming increasingly well-known for.’

The IoD is the UK’s largest and longest established membership organisation for business leaders and the Annual Director of the Year Awards celebrate leadership across all sectors and industries. Paul was accompanied to the event by his wife and fellow Fynoderee co-founder Tiffany Kerruish and Isle of Man chairman of the IoD Jennifer Houghton, who also presented one of the award categories.

Ms Houghton said: ‘This was the first year that the Isle of Man has been included within the IoD North West for the Director of the Year Awards and what a fantastic opportunity it has been!

‘The organisers did an amazing job pulling off such a professional, emotional and fun show.

‘I felt really honoured to be part of the event, and I was humbled by the amount of talent and hard-working success stories that filled the room. Congratulations to all the finalists and winners.’

All three will attend the IoD Director of the Year Awards - UK Finals held at the IoD HQ on Pall Mall, London, in October.