Region’s best urged to enter National Business Awards

YORKSHIRE businesses are being urged to enter United Business Media’s flagship awards programme the National Business Awards in partnership with Orange, which are supported by TheBusinessDesk.com.

TheBusinessDesk.com will take part in the judging of the awards for the first time, profile entrants to the awards, as well as launching a new initiative to ensure the best of businesses based in the West Midlands and the North is taking part in the National Business Awards 2011.

It is the first time this has been agreed with any regional online business publisher.

Under the agreement, winners of TheBusinessDesk.com’s own Masters Awards, that recognise organisations for their contribution to their regional economies, will automatically be entered into the National Business Awards, as well as the publishers sharing content to encourage entries to the UK’s leading national award for business.

Now in their tenth year, the National Business Awards has launched its 2011 Pride of British Business campaign with the support of influential business leaders such as angel investor and entrepreneur champion Julie Meyer, chief executive of Ariadne Capital and Richard North, chief executive of Wow! Stuff,

The awards are also backed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, who is to speak at the awards ceremony in London on November 8.
 
More than 100 chief executives and senior directors participated as judges in 2010, and businesses such as Innocent Drinks and moneysupermarket.com have been brought to national attention through the awards programme.
 
Martin Stiven, vice president of business at Orange, said: “In order to encourage confidence in UK business, we need to showcase those companies that are leading the pack and have demonstrated real innovation in the past year.

“Orange is a key supporter of Britain’s businesses, large and small, which is why we believe it is so important for people to highlight their success by entering The National Business Awards.”
 
Organisations operating in the public and private sector are invited to register for award categories ranging from the Orange Innovation Award, to the Santander SME of the Year Award, through to the ICAEW Sustainability Award.

New award categories for this year include BlackBerry Business Enabler of the Year and WorldPay Online Business of the Year.

In addition to the open to enter categories, there are five nomination only categories where the wider business community can nominate the UK’s leading businesses and individuals to be considered as finalists.

These include the Orange Leader of the Year, the Daily Telegraph Award for a Decade of Business Excellence, the Coutts & Co Large-Cap Business of the Year, the Grant Thornton Mid-Cap Business of the Year and the 3i Private Business of the Year.

To enter or nominate for this year’s campaign, telephone 0207 2348755 or visit www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk.

Finalists will be announced on July 28.

The full list of categories open to entries are:
 
•         The Excellence in Marketing Award
•         The WorldPay Online Business of the Year
•         The Online Small Business of the Year     
•         The Customer Focus Award
•         The Employer of the Year
•         The ICAEW Sustainability Award
•         The BlackBerry Growth Strategy of the Year
•         The BlackBerry Business Enabler of the Year
•         The Orange Innovation Award
•         The Entrepreneur of the Year Award
•         The Santander Small to Medium Sized Business of the Year Award

Categories run by nomination only are:

•         The 3i Private Business of the Year                          
•         The Grant Thornton Mid-Cap Business of the Year          
•         The Coutts & Co Large-Cap Business of the Year                               
•         The Daily Telegraph Award for a Decade of Business Excellence
•         The Orange Leader of the Year