Our most recent business award winners’ & Judges’ feedback

Every Best Business Award winner receives detailed feedback from our expert judges about why they won. This is invaluable for use in press releases, marketing material, advertisements, on their website, etc. This service is included in the entry fee, with no additional cost. Discover our global award winners below and learn what impressed our judges

Previous winners

Steve Pailthorpe, founder and CEO of Iconic Digital

Commenting on Steve Pailthorpe, founder and CEO of Iconic Digital, the winner in the Entrepreneur of the Year category, the chairman of the judges said::

“Steve Pailthorpe, founder and CEO of digital marketing company Iconic Digital, is a self-motivated social entrepreneur who has stirred up the market by promising to produce a return of ??3 for every marketing ??1 spent by clients. He also lives up to his mantra of Transforming lives through business growth by delivering excellent results for clients and giving 30% of profits to charity. Steve has achieved exceptional success with Iconic Digital and has earned his reputation as a game-changer, an innovator and an inspirational leader.”

Visit Website

Bid Writer Consultancy

Commenting on Bid Writer Consultancy, the winner in the Best Small to Medium Size Business category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Bid Writer Consultancy is an amazing company that has found a niche market helping tiny businesses access lucrative contracts from local authorities and the public sector. Often smaller firms miss out of these contacts because they don’t know how to write the tenders. The company does all the writing and has achieved an incredibly high success rate. Needless to say, with its extraordinary success, Bid Writer’s turnover has grown by more half in the last year. Bid Writer is only three years old and has a brilliant future ahead of it as a leader in its field.”

Visit Website

Homestyle Nationwide

Commenting on Homestyle Nationwide, the winner in the Best Customer Focus category, the chairman of the judges said::

“Home shopping company Homestyle Nationwide has gone out of its way to provide a personalised top-quality service to those who are less mobile or vulnerable or are on a tight budget. The drivers of its mobile shopping vans are trained to be friendly and helpful without being pushy about sales. It also sells via its website and, if required, customers can order visits from the shopping vans. It even has trained personal shoppers available via its website, Facebook and an app to help customer find the right product for them. Congratulations to Homestyle Nationwide for providing people who need extra help with a friendly, relaxed and caring retail service.”

Visit Website

Nick Thompson, Managing Director of DCSL Software

Commenting on Nick Thompson, Managing Director of DCSL Software, the winner in the Outstanding Entrepreneur category, the chairman of the judges said::

“After starting out in life as an office junior, Nick Thompson, Managing Director of DCSL Software, has shown exceptional commercial talent in the way he has transformed his company since buying it from co-owners in 2013. Turnover has tripled, staffing is now 60 from 10 people and the company occupies five times the office space it originally had. After producing such stupendous results, Nick is now using his talents to turn other ventures and startups into thriving successes. Congratulations Nick for showing outstanding entrepreneurial spirit.”

Visit Website

Limak Kosovo International Airport

Commenting on Limak Kosovo International Airport, the winner in the Best Large Business category, the chairman of the judges said:

“After its recent privatization and transformation, Limak Kosovo International Airport (LKIA) has come of age as one of the fastest growing airports in the world. The new airport was built using smart technology – making it the first smart airport in the world - and its 700 former state employees have successfully adapted into the new commercial world. A new marketing campaign has given the airport a positive personality and helped passenger traffic soar by 13%. LKIA has earned its place on the international map as a modern, efficient, high-tech airport.”

Bid Writer Consultancy

Commenting on Bid Writer Consultancy, the winner in the Best Customer Focus category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Bid Writer Consultancy is so committed to helping smaller businesses win lucrative business from the public sector and local authorities that it really does puts customers before profit. To get bids completed on time, its consultant writers work flexibly and even at weekends to meet clients’ needs. By having its writers work remotely, Bid Writer saves on offices costs and passes the saving onto its clients. Congratulations to Bid Writer Consultancy for giving it clients access to affordable bid writing services and new and exciting opportunities in the public sector that will help them build thriving sustainable businesses.”

Visit Website
Previous winners

Akbatbi Shopping Mall

Commenting on Akbatbi Shopping Mall, the winner in the Best Corporate Social Responsibility category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Akbati Shopping Mall in Istanbul, Turkey has brought its shopping venue to life with its educational programme of events held throughout the year for parents and children. Young women are the mall’s most active shoppers and its ‘I’m a Mother’ campaigns, supported by its Facebook page, educates them about important issues such as baby care and child nutrition. Since 2013, its ‘I'm a Mother’ campaign has reached more than 3,650,000 people at the mall and on social media. This is an outstanding social campaign that has educated parents and brought families together.”

Visit Website

Limak Kosovo International Airport

Commenting on Limak Kosovo International Airport, the winner in the Best Corporate Social Responsibility category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Limak Kosovo International Airport (LKIA) has played a major role in alleviating the 30% unemployment rate following the end of the Kosovo War in1999. It developed a new educational programme with a consortium of partners including the Ministry of Education, universities and the newly formed Airport Services Institute (ASI). ASI takes on 30 students a year and provides free training in airport management. Once qualified at ASI, graduates are eligible to apply for jobs at the airport. Congratulations to LKIA for improving the unemployment figures and giving young people a chance to progress their career.”

Visit Website

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority

Commenting on Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA), the winner in the Best Innovation category, the chairman of the judges said::

“Higher levels of demand in the emirates of Dubai put DEWA under pressure to supply more power from its system. However, it was unable to meet demand because its network was suffering from high loading of its medium voltage cable. To solve the problem, engineers came up with the idea of using a backfill mix material, known as Dubai Smart Soil, in the ground alongside the cable to dissipate the heat. Tests show that Dubai Smart Soil has the potential to increase capacity by 9% to 12%. Thanks to DEWA's culture of innovation, it has created new efficiencies that meets growing demand.”

Visit Website

Iconic Digital

Commenting on Iconic Digital, the winner in the Best Customer Focus category, the chairman of the judges said::

“Iconic Digital is a dynamic business-to-business digital marketing company that lives up to its mission statement of delivering excellent results for its clients. It has achieved spectacular success and growth through its unique active social scheduling platform and guarantees to deliver a return of £3 for every £1 spent on digital marketing. Iconic Digital has seen turnover shoot up by 400% in the past three years with customer retention rates high. What impressed the judges most is that the company donates 30% of profit to charity.”

Visit Website

Dogus Holdings AS

Commenting on Dogus Holdings AS, the winner in the Best Corporate Social Responsibility category, the chairman of the judges said:

“The creation of the Dogus Children’s Symphony Orchestra (DCSO) by the Dogus Group AS, one of Turkey’s largest conglomerates, has given gifted young people the chance to showcase their musical talents and perform in a real orchestra. Formed in 2006, DCSO has given more than 65 concerts in Turkey and elsewhere, allowing 800 young musicians to perform. The company has made a great contribution to society and many of the youngsters with the orchestra have gone on to get a scholarship with a music college. Music brings people together and Dogus Group has done a great job at expanding the appreciation of classical music to wider audiences.”

Visit Website

SIMBA Sleep

Commenting on Simba Sleep, the winner in the Best Innovation category, the chairman of the judges said::

“Simba Sleep has shaken up the mattress sector with the first ever dual spring and memory foam mattress. After a year in R&D, Simba has come up with a hybrid bed, made of memory foam and patented conical pocket springs, topped with a soft comfortable synthetic latex, that is suitable for everyone. The company is backed by an impressive number of high-profile investors and from launch in March 2016, it has become a leading European direct-to-consumer mattress provider. By combining technology and textiles, Simba Sleep has given the industry a wake-up call.”

Visit Website
Testimonials
Previous winners

Agent42 EMEA

Commenting on Agent42 EMEA, the winner in the Best Employer category, the chairman of the judges said::

“Marketing agency Agent42 EMEA has defied convention and turned the virtual office into a reality. Realising that having a swanky office was an expensive luxury, the MD Lauren Taugen decided that virtual was the way forward. Supported by cloud-based servers and mobile IT, staff are able to work in a way that suits them. Each partner employee works on projects that matches their skills, giving them the chance to excel and do work they enjoy. Five years later, Agent 42 has become an international phenomenon and a model for the workplace of the future.”

Visit Website

Think Tenders Ltd

Commenting on the award to Think Tenders, in the Best Small to Medium Business category, the Chairman of the Judges said::

“The government is keen for smaller businesses to get a bigger slice of the lucrative public sector market and Think Tenders provides an easy route to enter. Businesses using its expertise in writing bids for public sector work can save themselves a huge amount of time and effort. The company has impressive conversion rates and in its first three years, it helped its clients secure ??500 million in public sector contracts. Brilliant business model and a must-have partner for companies trying to get a foothold in the public sector.”

Visit Website

Our IT Department

Commenting on the award to Our IT Department, in the Best Customer Focus category, the Chairman of the Judges said::

“Growing quickly from a staff of four home workers to a business with 50 employees in multiple office locations in the UK, Our IT Department has achieved remarkable success by working closely with clients to understand their needs. The company manages its clients' IT network infrastructure and because it does not tie customers into a long-term contract, it relies on high service levels to retain them. Offering a wide range of customer services and focusing on feedback ensures the company is highly responsive to its clients' fast changing needs.”

Visit Website

PJ Lhuillier, Inc.

Commenting on the award to Cebuana Lhuillier Inc, in the best Corporate Social Responsibility category, the Chairman of the Judges said::

“Congratulations to Cebuana Lhuillier for educating the masses in financial services literacy. In the Philippines, only 63% of cities and municipalities have banking facilities, leaving a large percentage of the population unbanked and uninsured. Through its brilliantly orchestrated financial inclusion educational campaign involving branch staff, agents, seminars and a mobile roadshow, it got the message across to business owners and individuals in 514 communities about managing their finances. More than 19,000 people undertook Cebuana Lhuiller's financial literacy programme with almost 17,000 passing. A great outcome and a step forward in helping marginalised people become more educated in financial matters.”

Visit Website

Limak Kosovo International Airport

Commenting on Limak Kosovo International Airport, the winner in the Best Customer Focus category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Limak Kosovo International Airport (LKIA) has turned itself into a modern, customer-focused organisation that puts passengers’ needs first every time. Followings it privatization, the airport went through a complete transformation. Staff had to be trained and learn how to multi-task, a new marketing strategy was developed and new IT had to be implemented. Passengers were naturally skeptical about the privatization but have been pleasantly surprised with new routes and destinations; great customer service and glowing media reports. Well done to LKIA for achieving customer satisfaction rates of 8.7 from two (on a scale of 1 to 10) and for increasing passenger traffic.”

Visit Website

PJ Lhuillier, Inc.

Commenting on the award to Cebuana Lhuillier Inc, in the Best Product/Service Range category, the Chairman of the Judges said::

“Philippines microfinance company Cebuana Lhuillier has made huge strides in helping marginalised communities across the Philippines protect themselves from natural disasters by giving away free insurance to one million people. The Insurance Commission has a target of getting half the population people insured against disaster by 2020, and Cebuana Lhuillier's generous giveaway goes a long away to meeting this target. The offer will also have an important impact on the economy. With more people insured, it means that in the event of a natural disaster, such as a typhoon, the country can get back on its feet quickly.”

Visit Website