Belfast-based career transition coach Tony McBride has been named Northern Ireland’s Professional Services StartUp of the Year 2026 at an exclusive presentation held at The Ivy, Belfast.
Tony will now go on to represent Northern Ireland on the national stage at the UK final during Ideas Fest on 9th September 2026.
The accolade recognises Tony's specialised end-to-end coaching model, which has successfully guided over 150 mid-to-senior corporate professionals across tech, finance, and professional services out of redundancy or career stagnation and into roles that align with their skills and their preferences so that they can feel fulfilled in their roles.
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"I'm absolutely thrilled to be honoured with this award," said Tony McBride, Career Transition Coach. "I don't write CVs and send people blindly on their way, I am there with the right tools to give job by job application support until they are negotiating their offer and accepting as that is what is needed in today's market. This award recognises that uniqueness and I am truly grateful to represent Career Coaching and Northern Ireland in the UK StartUp Award finals at Ideas Fest on 9th September 2026."
The UK StartUp Awards judging panel commended Tony for drawing on his 15+ years of corporate experience at Santander and PwC to build a premium business that addresses a clear gap in the career support market.
By focusing on deep job market strategy over transactional CV updates, Tony has established a critical service for the modern workforce navigating an unprecedented job market.
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