Previous winners

Organisation Wide Awards:

Best Start-Up Business (less than 10 employees)

Organisation Wide

We are looking to recognise a start-up business that has laid robust foundations to succeed and is firmly on the road to realising its vision. It will have a strong product and a well-researched marketing strategy. Its team will be organised, efficient and passionate, and innovation and creativity will be encouraged. Successful on all levels, the business will have demonstrated speed in assessing its competitors and in its strategies to deal with all aspects of its operations. Financial awareness and acumen will have been demonstrated in establishing its position and it will be showing outstanding return on investment. Focus on future planning will be fundamental.

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7

Best Small Business (less than 50 employees)

Organisation Wide

Is your business having big impact despite its smaller size? Do you have engaged and happy customers? We want to hear from small businesses who have demonstrated outstanding success, both in terms of customer satisfaction and financial gain. They will have established achievable yet visionary targets, have a loyal and motivated workforce, embraced change, and have a secure concept of the future. Their marketing strategies will have shown innovation and creativity, and they will have an outstanding awareness of their customer base. Their position within the community will be one of meaningful engagement, and they will have established a positive role within it.

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8

Best Medium-sized Business (more than 50 employees)

Organisation Wide

Are your customers at the heart of your business? Do you understand your customers' needs, know their preferences, and shape your products or services accordingly? We want to hear from medium-sized businesses who are confident about fulfilling all aspects of their customers’ requirements, but, at the same time, innovate and move their organisation forward and have excellent working conditions for their staff. They will have succeeded in establishing themselves in their industry, yet do not stand still but continually strive to improve both their customer satisfaction and their position as an outstanding provider of goods and/or services. They will be confident in their plans for the future and show an excellent return on investment.

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9

Best Merger or Acquisition

Organisation Wide

Mergers and acquisitions are complicated transactions, beset with difficulties, that necessitate extensive and careful consideration and planning. But businesses can, and do, benefit hugely if the decisions taken are in their best interests. Show us how your organisation has profited in this way. What have been the key advantages and how have these contributed to the health and success of the business, both now and in the future? What difficulties did you have to overcome and what changes were necessary to your management style, organisational structure, and corporate values? Tell us of your strategic considerations, such as brand, product/service, customer base, geographic range, and technological capabilities.

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12

Health and Wellbeing Initiative of the Year

Organisation Wide

Good health and wellbeing are considered essential to the overall efficiency of any organisation and to its success. Initiatives might encompass any programme, strategy, or change introduced with the aim of supporting the physical and mental wellbeing of employees. Let us know of an initiative that your business has introduced and the effect it has had on your workforce. What were the reasons for the initiative, the targets you set during the planning stages and the ways in which have you measured its impact against these? Will you be taking any further action to embed any of the significant benefits achieved?

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13

Outstanding Fast-Growth Business

Organisation Wide

Growth can result from the introduction of a unique new product, exploitation of a new market or because of improved sales methods. If your business has seen supersonic growth over the past few years in terms of turnover, product sales, distribution, overseas expansion, and staff numbers, then this award will give it the recognition it deserves. Entries need to outline the background to the business, the reasons behind the growth, the impact this has had organisation wide, how growth is being managed and future plans. Figures to back up the claims should be included.

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14

Outstanding Educational Initiative (Teaching)

Organisation Wide

Aimed at educational institutions or organisations, who have introduced a new initiative that has met specific objectives and had amazing outcomes for those involved. This could apply to any department, at any level and targeting any age group, and entries for this award need to demonstrate changes which have led to motivated and engaged students. The judges want to hear what initiated the project, how it was conceived and what actions were taken. Alongside this, we would expect information about objectives, and how these were met, measurable outcomes, financial efficiency, and how this has had a transformational effect on those who have benefited from its introduction.

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16

International Trade Award

Organisation Wide

Significant penetration into international markets is a huge challenge for many businesses, especially when considering the difficulties facing many companies during the pandemic and post-Brexit. To what extent are you a significant player in the international market relative to your size and sector? What important changes were necessary to gain traction, and how are you continuing to thrive? We want to hear of your success story and the impact it has had within your business sector. How do you plan to build and scale your business in the global marketplace?

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17

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative/Programme

Organisation Wide

We would like to know of a specific initiative or programme that your business has undertaken to advance the values of equality, diversity, and inclusion. This could be, for example, a short-term programme to keep your staff updated and educated on the need for, and benefit of, equality, diversity and inclusion within the business, or a dynamic initiative such as a company-wide recruitment drive of people from a disadvantaged background, or those who have been unemployed long term. Tell us of how this project has emphasised these values and embodies the practices of the business in a global context.

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18

Black, Asian, Ethnic Minority Business of the Year

Organisation Wide

This award recognises Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority owned SMEs that have demonstrated a high degree of excellence, innovation, leadership and people first values.

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20

Disruptor of The Year for Product/Service

Organisation Wide

A disruptor is a business that changes the conventional way an industry operates, especially by utilising new, efficient and inventive ways of running that business. Are you a disruptor in your industry? What, for example, are the new and original systems, methods and/or product/service that has enabled your company to disrupt the market and benefit from standing out from the crowd? Show us the impact that you have had, and how you intend to maintain this position in the future to ensure you remain at the cutting edge.

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21

The Work-Life Balance Award

Organisation Wide

It is essential to ensure a healthy work–life balance for those who work for an organisation if the business is to enjoy high levels of staff retention, a good reputation and a healthy, happy workforce. In what ways does your organisation lead by example and communicate to staff the principles of how to achieve and maintain a good work-life balance? Do you have specific programmes in place that benefit your staff? Are they encouraged to engage in these? Finally, what has been the impact of this specific focus, both on your staff and business, and how is this measured?

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24

Best Business Transformation

Organisation Wide

To maintain success and see this continue it is sometimes necessary to transform a business in some way. How did your organisation identify the goals for strategic development and what was involved in terms of planning and execution of the transformation? The judges want to hear how this has secured and improved the company’s standing in the market, customer reaction, and what measurable benefits were achieved.

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27

Best Staff Training & Development Programme

Organisation Wide

Opportunities for staff to develop their skills and to learn others is an important part of any business, regardless of the size of the organisation. We would like to know what your business has in place in terms of an exceptional staff training and development programme. How do staff, and your organisation, benefit from this? If opportunities for promotion are limited, how are individuals encouraged to progress their career? What processes and procedures do you have in place that effectively monitor staff training, and how are staff provided with a safe environment to discuss their individual needs?

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28

Best Place To Work Award

Organisation Wide

How content and valued are your employees? Have you created an outstanding workplace, based on a set of principles, that has led to a committed, effective and motivated workforce? We want to hear from organisations who have established an exceptional working environment, with outstanding benefits for staff. How do you ensure the needs of your staff are met and that your retention rates remain consistently high? Tell us of the exceptional systems you have in place that nurture and safeguard the wellbeing of your staff, and how these compare favourably with other companies.

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29

Best Product / Service Range

Organisation Wide

Aimed at organisations with a suite of new or established products or services. Do you offer a range of solutions that represent outstanding value, or that work together in a special way? Or perhaps the range is cleverly developed to appeal to specific niche markets. Tell us what is special and how and why the range of your company’s products or services meet a clear demand.

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30

Best Innovation

Organisation Wide

This category seeks to highlight organisations that have identified new and innovative ways of working, and/or created something that is unique to the marketplace. This could involve adapting an existing product for a new market or the introduction of something original and exciting. Entrants must be able to clearly demonstrate that there was a demand for the innovation and that it has proved successful in line with the objectives set and been available on the market for at least 2 years.

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31

Best Health & Safety

Organisation Wide

Health and Safety is a vital consideration for all companies but if you can demonstrate an outstanding commitment in this area and have raised standards across your organisation we would love to hear from you. The judges will be looking for measurable achievement resulting from any innovative initiative, programme, team or campaign.

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32

Best Customer Focus

Organisation Wide

Many organisations pay lip service to great customer service but in reality few truly deliver. Customers of any business should be secure in the knowledge that their enquiries, and any problems they may have, will be dealt with efficiently. If you go that extra mile and build your organisation around the needs of your target audience, we want to hear from you. Tell us how you have identified customer needs and managed and monitored their expectations to set you apart.

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33

Award For Export Growth

Organisation Wide

To trade internationally is a logical step for many successful businesses, but to develop beyond your domestic market to gain a foothold in the international market is a big challenge. We want to hear how your business has succeeded where others have failed and how you plan to expand and grow into new markets. What action did your business take to export goods or services successfully, and what challenges did you overcome along the way? How were your strategic goals delivered?

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