Roger Wertheim-Aymes has been announced as a finalist for the Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the 2026 Staffordshire Chambers Business Awards, sponsored by the University of Staffordshire.

When Ornua decided to exit its Leek manufacturing operation in 2023, Roger Wertheim-Aymes stepped in rather than find an alternative supplier, completing a multi-million-pound corporate carve-out to save 85 jobs and keep a specialist nutrition facility in Staffordshire. Reborn as Allicio Nutrition, the business generated £22.7m turnover in its first full year of trading.

Under Roger’s leadership, Allicio has secured a two-year exclusive manufacturing agreement with EasiYo for UK and Europe, a contract with Mondelez, and a premier partnership with Holland and Barrett. In Q1 2026 alone, 37 new products were launched. This sits within a broader nutrition group that includes AYMES International, now the UK’s third largest provider of oral nutritional supplements and the largest in powder format, having saved the NHS an estimated £230m to date.

Stuart Elford, Chief Executive of Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce, said: “Roger Wertheim-Aymes saw a factory that was about to close, 85 jobs that were about to be lost, and a capability that Staffordshire could not afford to lose, and he acted. What he has built since, across Allicio, AYMES and Adday, is a vertically integrated nutrition group tackling some of healthcare’s biggest challenges. His ambition, his social purpose and his entrepreneurial instinct make him a compelling finalist.”

The winners will be revealed at a gala awards ceremony at Uttoxeter Racecourse on Thursday 9 July 2026, followed by The After Party, a late-night celebration for finalists, winners and partners.

To find out more about the 2026 Staffordshire Chambers Business Awards, visit staffordshirechambers.co.uk/awards.