Business News

Recognising leadership, financial performance, growth, customer focus, staff engagement and innovation, finalists for the nominated Business and Business Individual of the Year categories highlighted achievements among some of the UK’s best big companies.

As businesses have explored new ways to differentiate themselves while achieving more with less in the downturn, finalists in the Customer Service and Innovation categories of the National Business Awards have set new benchmarks in collaboration and creativity.
 

Representing exemplary performance in a diverse range of sectors, finalists of this year’s 3i Private Business of the Year Award gathered to share insights on how they have risen to the challenge of growth in a downturn.

With Britain’s oldest person living to the grand age of 111, many have realised the opportunity that exists in care for the elderly - with several businesses recognised for related services in this year’s National Business Awards.

With seven recruitment companies represented among the 150 plus finalists for this year’s National Business Awards, and two in the Business of the Year categories, is this an early sign of recovery for UK plc?
 

Employing 5,000 people, HMV Group is one of the world's leading retailers of music, video and electronic games and the leading retailer of books in the UK and Ireland in terms of total sales. It is also a major contender for this year’s Coutts & Co Large-Cap Business of the Year, having maintained growth despite tough market conditions.

The 12 finalists for this year’s Small to Medium Sized Business of the Year Award have all demonstrated the qualities that banks look for when considering corporate finance – so it’s no surprise that one of the UK’s friendliest business lenders, Santander, is sponsoring this award.

As part of its ongoing campaign to identify the UK’s most resilient and outstanding businesses, the National Business Awards teamed up with Grant Thornton, sponsor of the Mid Cap Business of the Year Award, to gather some of the best business leaders in the Midlands to talk about how they have achieved growth during the recession.

The success stories identified by the National Business Awards in partnership with Orange have all achieved great things in a recession; but while their resilience, creativity and ambition have helped them to succeed, many feel this is in spite of unnecessary obstacles created by government.

Each of this year’s 30 finalists in the 3i Private, Grant Thornton Mid-Cap and Coutts & Co Large-Cap Business of the Year categories offer insights into the approaches and industry sectors that have defied the recession over the last year.