This is the highest award that NABMA makes each year and is in the gift of the Presidency. We are grateful to Manchester City Council for their ongoing support and endorsement of this award.
Krys Zasada sadly died at the young age of just 59 back in 2014. At the time he was the NABMA Policy and Development Officer. He had been a long time Director of Markets at Manchester and then a consultant working extensively with wholesale markets.
Without doubt Krys Zasada was a visionary and one of the best ambassadors that our industry has ever had. He had a passion for markets, he was a man of vision and demonstrated the highest of professional standards with a gentle humour and great integrity.
Since 2014 this important award has been presented to politicians, civil servants and long serving market managers.
The Award in his memory, this year, is given to a person who has spent a career in the markets industry and who is recognised by his peers for sharing and holding the same values and professional standards.
Chris Cotton
The recipient, Chris Cotton has just retired from one of the top market positions in the country. His family is steeped in the industry with his parents and uncle all connected to markets and market trading.
The award is presented to a man, originally from a Yorkshire mining family, who joined markets as a manual worker, took educational courses and gradually transitioned to management roles across many metropolitan district markets.
Our recipient is widely respected throughout the industry and has been part of the development and successes of Dewsbury, Huddersfield and Wakefield Markets.
He is generous with his time to help others and has been a loyal and respected member of NABMA. Our award winner has seen the best of times for markets and managed in the most difficult of times. He has developed new indoor and outdoor markets and events and has always recognised, in his words “that whilst markets will change and evolve, they will always be key attractions if councillors and officers recognise, respect and support markets as the vital community pillars that they are”.
Our recipient of this highest award is a true friend of markets across the UK and we recognise and celebrate his wonderful legacy of respect within the markets industry and NABMA, and his long list of proud career achievements.
Thank you Chris!