Business Brilliance Awards 2026 | Entrepreneur of the Year | UK Business of the Year (Silver) | Best New Product Launch (Gold): Reggie® Fire Drill

About the Brilliance Awards Winner

In this edition of Behind the Brilliance, we celebrate Graham Shapiro Design (GSD®), a firm that has spent over 30 years proving that visual communication and design can solve the world’s most urgent problems. Recognised across three major categories, including Entrepreneur of the Year for its founder, Professor Graham Shapiro, the business has evolved from a creative studio into a powerhouse of innovation trusted by global brands.

The spotlight of this recognition falls on Reggie® Fire Drill, a gold-award-winning technology born from a moment of “absolute clarity” during a rain-soaked fire drill. By replacing fallible paper registers with world-first GPS check-in/check-out tracking, GSD® has transformed fire safety from a reactive exercise into a proactive, life-saving digital process. Backed by the Graham Shapiro Foundation, the firm continues to blend commercial rigour with a profound commitment to social responsibility.

“Safety should never be a luxury… Brilliance, for us, is not about perfection or accolades, it is about impact. It is about creating design and visual communication that genuinely works, that changes the way people see and experience the world.”

Interview with Professor Graham Shapiro, CEO & Founder of GSD®

Congratulations on winning the Brilliance Award for Entrepreneur of the Year, the Silver Award for UK Business of the Year, and the Gold Award for Best New Product/Service Launch for Reggie® Fire Drill. Can you share a brief overview of Graham Shapiro Design (GSD®) and the journey that has led to this recognition?

Graham Shapiro Design was founded over 30 years ago with a simple but powerful belief that great design and visual communication can make a real difference. From those early days, we’ve grown into a business trusted by some of the world’s most respected brands, delivering creative solutions that solve real problems and create genuine impact. The journey has never been about chasing awards; it’s been about doing excellent work, staying true to our values, and continuously evolving. To stand here now, recognised across three categories at the Brilliance Awards, including for Reggie® Fire Drill, is both humbling and extraordinary. None of this belongs to one person. It belongs to every member of the team who has contributed their talent and dedication over three decades.

GSD® has operated successfully for over 30 years, working with some of the world’s most respected brands. What do you believe has been the foundation of your long-term success?

The foundation has always been people and purpose. You cannot sustain a business for 30 years without a team who are genuinely passionate about what they do, and I have been fortunate to work alongside exceptionally talented, committed individuals throughout this journey. Alongside that, we have never lost sight of why we do what we do — to create design and visual communication that truly works, that solves problems and delivers value for clients. Staying curious, staying humble, and never becoming complacent have also been essential. The world changes, clients’ needs evolve, and the businesses that endure are those willing to adapt whilst remaining anchored to their core values.

Reggie® Fire Drill has received Gold recognition as a new product launch. What inspired the development of this life-saving technology?

The inspiration came from a very real and rather soggy moment. I was standing outside in the rain with the team during a fire drill, clipboard in hand, and I watched the paper literally start to disintegrate in front of me. Names becoming unreadable, the register falling apart, and I thought: this is completely unacceptable. In a real emergency, this could cost someone their life. That was the moment of absolute clarity, fire drills cannot continue on paper. It is not just inconvenient, it is dangerous. Reggie® was born from that moment. Great design solves real problems elegantly, and this was a problem that urgently needed solving. Reggie® is here to save lives and make the world a safer place, and it all started with standing in the rain watching paper fall apart.

The integration of GPS check-in/check-out tracking is described as a world-first innovation. How does this feature transform traditional fire drill and evacuation procedures?

Traditional fire drill procedures rely on paper registers, manual headcounts, and human memory under pressure, all of which are fallible, particularly in an emergency. The world-first GPS check-in/check-out functionality within Reggie® fundamentally changes this by providing real-time, accurate accountability for every individual on site. In a genuine evacuation, you know instantly who is accounted for and who is not, and precisely where people are located. This removes the uncertainty, the chaos, and critically, the risk of someone being overlooked. For fire wardens, managers, and emergency services, having that data at their fingertips transforms their ability to respond effectively. It moves fire safety from a reactive, paper-based exercise into a proactive, technology-driven process.

Reggie® Fire Drill has already been adopted by ultra-luxury automotive manufacturers. What does this level of client trust say about the product’s reliability and impact?

When brands at that level of prestige and operational sophistication choose a product, it speaks volumes. These are organisations with exacting standards, rigorous procurement processes, and an absolute commitment to the safety and wellbeing of their people. That they have placed their trust in Reggie® Fire Drill is a powerful endorsement of both its reliability and its impact. It demonstrates that Reggie® does not just work in theory, it performs in demanding, real-world environments. For us, it is enormously validating, but more importantly it reinforces our belief that Reggie® belongs in every organisation, not just the most prestigious ones. Safety should never be a luxury.

GSD® blends commercial success with social purpose through The Graham Shapiro Foundation. How important is it for your business to combine innovation with responsibility?

It is absolutely central to who we are. Commercial success creates the platform and the resources to do more: to innovate, to invest, and to give back. The Graham Shapiro Foundation reflects our belief that businesses have a responsibility that extends beyond profit. When you have built something over 30 years, you understand that you did not do it alone, clients, collaborators, communities, and countless individuals have been part of that story. Giving back is not an obligation, it is a privilege. Blending innovation with social purpose is not a tension; it is entirely complementary. Reggie® itself is a perfect example, a commercially successful product whose primary purpose is saving lives.

Professor Shapiro, you have been recognised as Entrepreneur of the Year. What leadership principles have guided you throughout your career?

Three principles have guided me consistently. First, surround yourself with people who are talented, honest, and share your values, and then trust them. Great leadership is not about having all the answers; it is about creating an environment where the right answers can emerge. Second, stay humble and stay curious. The moment you think you know everything is the moment you stop growing. Third, lead with purpose. When your work is anchored to something meaningful, a genuine belief that what you are doing makes a difference, it sustains you through the inevitable challenges and setbacks. Thirty years in, I am more motivated than ever, and I believe that comes from never losing sight of why we started.

As a UK-based business competing globally, what does it mean to you to receive recognition as UK Business of the Year (Silver Award Winner)?

It means a great deal. Operating from the UK whilst working with international clients and competing on a global stage has always required us to be at our very best. To be recognised as among the finest businesses in the UK is a source of tremendous pride, not just for me personally, but for the entire team who have contributed to building GSD® over three decades. The Silver Award for UK Business of the Year is a reminder that excellence, creativity, and integrity are qualities that transcend borders, and that what we have built here genuinely stands comparison with the best. It is also a wonderful affirmation for British design and innovation more broadly.

Winning across multiple categories is a significant achievement. What does this recognition mean for you, your team, and the future of GSD® and Reggie® Fire Drill?

It is extraordinary and deeply meaningful. For the team, it is recognition of their talent, their hard work, and their belief in what we are doing, and that matters enormously. People dedicate themselves to building something over many years, and to see that dedication acknowledged at this level is genuinely moving. For the future of GSD® and Reggie® Fire Drill, it provides momentum and confidence. It opens doors, strengthens relationships, and amplifies our ability to reach the organisations and people who need Reggie® most. But above all, it reinforces our commitment to keep innovating, keep raising the bar, and keep doing work that makes a real difference.

Finally, what does “brilliance” mean to you at Graham Shapiro Design, and how do these awards reflect your commitment to innovation, safety, and making a meaningful difference?

Brilliance, for us, is not about perfection or accolades, it is about impact. It is about creating design and visual communication that genuinely works, that changes the way people see and experience the world. It is about identifying a problem that others have accepted as normal, like paper-based fire drills, and having the vision and determination to solve it in a way that is elegant, effective, and life-saving. These awards reflect what we have always aspired to: combining commercial rigour with creative excellence and genuine social purpose. To be recognised as brilliant is humbling. To know that our work is making a difference, that is what brilliance truly means to us.

Celebrating Brilliance

The journey of GSD® is a testament to the power of staying curious and anchored to a core purpose for three decades. By identifying a danger that others had accepted as normal, paper-based safety procedures, Professor Shapiro and his team have demonstrated that great design is not just about aesthetics, but about elegant and effective solutions that save lives.

For Graham Shapiro, “brilliance” is defined by impact. It is the ability to change how people experience the world and to know that a business’s work is making a genuine difference in the communities it serves. This recognition provides the momentum to keep raising the bar, ensuring that safety is never viewed as a luxury, but as a standard for every organisation.

Through Behind the Brilliance, we continue to highlight the work behind award-winning organisations, offering a closer look at the thinking and discipline that lead to results that hold.

About the International Brilliance Awards™

Founded in 2014, the International Brilliance Awards™ recognise work defined by clear thinking, strong execution, and meaningful business impact across organisations worldwide.

The International Brilliance Awards™ serve as the flagship programme of the Brilliance Awards family, which includes Business Brilliance Awards, HR Brilliance Awards, Internal Communications (IC) Brilliance Awards, Marketing & PR Brilliance Awards, Sales & Revenue Brilliance Awards, and Sustainability & ESG Brilliance Awards.

Each programme focuses on a distinct area of organisational performance, while maintaining a consistent standard of evaluation through an independent, blind judging process.