The event at Durham Castle celebrated the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ project, which was started in 2015 by then-finance minister George Osborne, and has continued to promote business and industry in the North of England as a distinct region.

“I want to develop our expertise in Africa, that’s key for 2019”

Munir Mamujee, managing director of M2R Education explained the prize was important for the wider sector, as well as the firm itself.

“It is a tremendous accolade for our company and the entire education sector to be honoured in this way.

“It has been a huge effort by the team and one which I am immensely proud of. We look forward to helping new exporters achieve their ambitions by sharing our knowledge, our export story and offering advice,” he added.

Speaking with The PIE News, Mamujee explained that a phone call from New York out of the blue inspired the pivot from the UK-facing firm M2R had previously been, to the Middle East-focused company he now runs.

“About 10 years ago we got an inquiry from a company in New York, which led to work in the Middle East. We stayed predominantly in the ME, but we do work in Africa, Europe, Asia. But you tend to find people are drawn to [work in] the Middle East.

“I know China is now taking the lead on [British international schools], but traditionally it’s all been the Middle East.

“Because that was our first project [overseas]… we just hung about! It’s only a three or four hour time difference (whereas China it’s eight) and you can’ get there in the same day. Logistically it’s easier to do business in the Middle East,” he said.

Looking forward, Mamujee isn’t going to rest on the laurels this government award might earn him.

“There’s over 10,000 British international schools worldwide, so we’ve got a long way to go before we crack it! We want more international schools, we want to work with more FE colleges, and I want to develop our expertise in Africa, that’s a key thing [for 2019],” he told The PIE.