WHEN an ecstatic Julie Robinson was crowned “business person of the year” there was only one person she wanted to share her recognition with — her “hero” father, Tom.

Passing on the good news to her 81-year-old dad climaxed an evening to remember for the chief executive of Horwich-based Alliance Learning. Her personal accolade came minutes after Mrs Robinson and her team at Alliance had lifted the “SME Award.”

Speaking after accepting both awards, and clearly overcome with the double success, she said: “It’s absolutely amazing. I can honestly say I have never felt as proud as I did on the night. Many people have encouraged me over the years, but the main one is my father.”

Mrs Robinson rose through the ranks at Alliance and Learning, from sales and marketing manager 21 years ago to deputy chief executive and then, two years ago, to her current post.

Under her guidance, Alliance Learning is thriving. When Mrs Robinson was appointed to her present role by the board of trustees, the company had recorded a loss. One of her first steps was to put in a new management structure, resulting in a turning around of the business.

“During the past two years, things have picked up,” she disclosed, “and we are now attracting more learners. We have more than 500 active learners and in excess of 3,000 commercial learners in a 12-month period.

“Alliance Learning has been a huge part of my life for 21 years and I really look forward to coming to work each day. To win ‘business person of the year’ is just the icing on the cake. But this would be nothing at all without the staff, who have made me what I am. As far as the future is concerned, it’s a matter of keep doing what we’ve been doing.”