THE CHIEF executive of a winery at the leading edge of a £100 million UK industry is on the shortlist for Sussex Businessperson of the Year.

Tamara Roberts of Ridgeview Wine Estate near Ditchling is one of three diverse business people to make the shortlist of the 27th Sussex Business Awards.

Tamara has led the trailblazing winery into its 20th year after death of her father Michael Roberts, considered by many the Godfather of English wine.

Others to make the Sussex Businessperson of the Year shortlist were Alan Margetts, of The Kitchen Store in Lancing and Andrew Scringcour of AJS Labels in Littlehampton.

Three people have also been revealed in the Entrepreneur of the Year shortlist.

Karen Bach is the founder and leader of KalliKids based in Brighton, an online resource connecting parents with quality checked activities and services.

Emily Rae started growing plants at the age of 10 and gave them away as presents.

Now she runs Plants4Presents with her mother Isobel as an online business from a 4-5 acre site in Newick.

Andrew Stenning heads up Searches UK, one of the country’s leading providers of searches to the residential and commercial market - despite losing half his client base when a new government abandoned the use of HIP providers.

Winners will be announced at a prestigious ceremony at The Grand Brighton on Thursday, 3 December.

Mike Herd, chair of the Sussex Business Awards, said: "The standard of entries for both the Sussex Businessperson of the Year and the Entrepreneur of the Year has been extremely high in 2015, so being named on the short list is a huge achievement for everyone named here.

"Judges have worked tirelessly to analyse all the entries and to come up with a short list full of talented and innovative business people, who are all involved in highly successful businesses from across the county. It will be fascinating to see who can take home the awards."