Ward was name EY Midlands Entrepreneur of the Year at a ceremony in Birmingham earlier this week.

He picked up a second gong as ITG’s cloud-based Media Centre marketing resource management platform won the Technology Award.

Adrian Roberts, EY partner and leader of the Midlands awards scheme, praised Ward’s “entrepreneurial spirit, passion for innovative technologies and strong leadership skills”.

The judges described him as: “A serial entrepreneur who is not afraid to take risks and has grown a succession of businesses by pioneering new approaches and innovating.”

The Midlands awards involved 10 categories and 32 finalists.

Ward is now in contention for EY’s overall Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the winner of which will be announced in October.

ITG provides a range of marketing and print management services to clients including major brands and retailers. It won a business process outsourcing deal with shopping centre owner Intu earlier this year.

The fast-growing company, headquartered in Birmingham, was acquired by Bridgepoint Capital in a £28m deal in April 2014.

In its most recent financial year, to 31 August 2014, sales at ITG were up 23% to £53.2m and operating profits jumped from £536k to £1.5m. The firm also expanded its European operations, and opened an office in the US.

Ward set up ITG in 2009 after leaving St Ives. The company acquired Kent-based Total Marketing Services, the owner of the Media Centre software, the following year.