A BURY start up has won recognition from business titan and Dragons’ Den star Theo Paphitis.

MAP HR was selected as one of the winning firms after pitching to Mr Paphitis’s Small Business Sunday Twitter awards.

Each week the awards, known by the hashtag #SBS, invites companies to tweet Mr Paphitis and sum up their business in one tweet on Sundays.

The top six, as reviewed by Mr Paphitis are then retweeted and recognised by the Dragons’ Den mogul ­— boost the company’s exposure and helping to raise their profile and hopefully their sales.

MAP HR’s director Kate Steward then attended the recent annual #SBS winners event where she was presented with the award by Mr Paphitis.

However this was not the first time Ms Steward and Mr Paphitis had met as as a teenager she had worked at the La Senza lingerie store where Mr Paphitis was chairman at the time.

She said: “It was fantastic to meet Theo again, and as a business owner this time.”

“I think it shows how far you can go in your career – I’ve gone from looking up to Theo as a business icon, to being recognised as one in my own right.”

Mr Paphitis added: “It’s always fantastic to welcome new businesses into the #SBS network and hearing that Kate was a former retail colleague was the cherry on the cake. I wish MAP HR every success.”

Relative new kids on the block MAP HR was founded in March 2018 and specialises in bespoke HR packages for companies ranging from advices to onsite help.

The firm’s attendance at the #SBS event gave the company a welcome chance to meet with fellow winners and sit in on talks from business leaders.

Ms Steward said: “It’s proved incredibly valuable. I’ve found the network supportive, and MAP HR has become more known as a result.

“Not only has our Twitter following increased tenfold, but we’ve acquired a new client too.”

For more on MAP HR visit www.maphr.co.uk.