Sheffield entrepreneur in triple award win

A young Sheffield entrepreneur is celebrating after scoring an awards hat-trick - picking up three prestigious wins at two business ceremonies in just one day.
Hannah Duraid, managing director of the Great Escape Game, receives her award for UK Young Entrepreneur of the Year from Griselda Togobo, managing director of leading women's business support organisation Forward Ladies.Hannah Duraid, managing director of the Great Escape Game, receives her award for UK Young Entrepreneur of the Year from Griselda Togobo, managing director of leading women's business support organisation Forward Ladies.
Hannah Duraid, managing director of the Great Escape Game, receives her award for UK Young Entrepreneur of the Year from Griselda Togobo, managing director of leading women's business support organisation Forward Ladies.

Hannah Duraid, managing director of The Great Escape Game based in Sheffield and Leeds, was named National Young Entrepreneur 2016 in the Forward Ladies Women In Business Awards.

Just hours later, she scooped The Next Big Thing Award and Young Business Person of the Year at the hotly-contested Sheffield Business Awards.

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She said: “It was quite an overwhelming day. Who would have thought within 24 hours I’d walk away with a triple award win. It is something I would never have dreamed could happen two years ago when my heart was set on becoming a primary school teacher.”

Despite being only 25 and being in business less than two years, she now has 12 award wins and shortlistings to her name.

She added: “Awards raise the profile of the business and the Sheffield Business Awards were the icing on a very big cake. I was so honoured to win two major business awards in my home city.”

Hannah’s life changed course after missing her flight home from a gap year in Australia three years ago. She and her Australian boyfriend Peter Lacole slept through their early morning alarm and ended up stranded in Malaysia for four days. After scanning TripAdvisor for something to do, they tried out Crystal Maze-style escape games, which were taking off throughout Asia.

On returning home Hannah launched The Great Escape Game in Sheffield, in which visitors are tasked with completing a number of fun puzzles to escape a locked room.