Simon Sansome

Entrepreneur of Excellence Award: Sponsor - Kantar

Entrepreneur of Excellence Award: Sponsor - Kantar

Nominee Profile

Location: Leicestershire
Simon Sansome, a qualified Journalist, experienced a life-altering injury at 32, leading to early retirement. Despite this setback, he pursued his passion for writing, serving as Co-Chair of the Disability Journalism Forum and worked with the BBC.

During his time at DMU, Simon founded the Facebook Snowball Community to advocate for improved disabled access, garnering global recognition with over 20 million monthly viewers.

Additionally, Simon is the visionary behind Snowball Community, a pioneering disability app facilitating user reviews on accessibility. Available on both Android and Apple devices, the app boasts 40,000 reviews within a year, positioning it as the world's largest disability app with a robust user base and an anticipated 100,000 reviews by 2024.

Simon's impactful contributions have earned him numerous accolades, including recognition as one of the UK's most influential disabled figures. In 2023, he was listed among the top ten influential individuals in the UK and was honored with the Digital and Tech Award at the Disability Power 100. Furthermore, Simon clinched the prestigious Santander X National Award and represented the UK at the global stage, securing third place out of 11 countries and 5000 entries at the Santander Global Awards in 2024.

Beyond his advocacy work, Simon is an acclaimed film/documentary producer, with Amazon Prime acquiring the rights to his life story. His film, "Access All Areas," has garnered 16 international awards, including Best Film, solidifying his status as a multifaceted changemaker.