West Sussex-based Checkatrade founder awarded OBE in King's Honours birthday list
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Kevin Byrne, who founded the company in 1998, was cited for his services to Industry and Consumer Protection, following a career in the business world.
Originally known as Scout, Checkatrade was designed to put homeowners in touch with verified tradespeople across a range of industries, making it harder for unqualified ‘rogue traders’ to exploit customers without a proper directory of local workers.
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Hide AdThe company was formed shortly after a localised tornado caused several million pounds worth of damage in Selsey and rogue traders descended on desperate homeowners, offering subpar work at inflated prices.
First published as a print directory, the fledging company moved online and soon spread across the south, first to Chichester, then to Surrey, then to parts of London. It changed its name to Checkatrade in 2001 and, by 2013, it was an established national company.
Mr Byrne, who lives in Fontwell, with several businesses still based in Selsey, said: “When I was at the helm of Checkatrade we won quite a few awards, and they were important, but they were more regional. This is different.
“We also won The Queen’s Award for innovation, and that was really special – I remember going to Buckingham Palace and everything – but this, winning an OBE is absolutely one step above that.”
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Hide AdThe Queen’s Award and an OBE are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Mr Byrne’s achievements, which also include a British Citizen Award for Business, several Sussex Business Awards, and a Spirit FM Local Hero Award.
Mr Byrne stepped down as head of Checkatrade, which is now owned by Homeserve, in 2018, but he is still eager to credit his old team for all their hard work: “This and all previous awards has come from all the efforts of my past team at Checkatrade. Without their tremendous support, hard work and friendship, Checkatrade wouldn’t had had the success it had in protecting consumers, helping trades build their businesses and developing into a national brand.”