Rail operator wins Excellence accolade
A YORKSHIRE-BASED rail operator is celebrating success after being named as a winner in the prestigious North of England Business Excellence Awards 2009 last night.
Northern Rail, which is based in York, was named as the winner of the Special Award for Leadership at the annual awards dinner at the Royal Armouries in Leeds. The company received its award from the Rt Hon Rosie Winterton MP, Minister for Yorkshire.
Northern Rail is the biggest train operator in Britain, providing 2,600 local and regional train services every day across the North and serving a population of nearly 15m. It currently carries 83.5m passengers a year.
Entries for this year’s awards were amongst the highest since their launch in 1994. Organisers North of England Excellence believe this reflects increased interest from the Yorkshire region and greater determination by businesses to improve their competitiveness in the face of recession.
Established in 1994 in the North West, the awards were extended four years ago to also cover Yorkshire and the North East. They judge organisations against the Business Excellence Model, a management tool for assessing business performance.
David Teale, chief executive of North of England Excellence, said: “The assessor team thought it was clear that Northern Rail was a forward looking company with a knowledgeable board that helped to provide a clear direction.
“Award winners like Northern Rail are setting an example to other businesses by leading the way forward in the face of recession. Organisations which can raise standards and improve their business processes and performance will be well placed to cope with the current downturn and will be in better shape when the upturn arrives.”
Ms Winterton, who is the Minister for Yorkshire and The Humber and Minister for Regional Economic Development and Co-ordination, said: “I congratulate the winners of these prestigious awards and thank all the businesses and organisations from the North of England who took part.
“This is a great opportunity to showcase the excellent business management we have in the North of England and celebrate the commitment to continuous improvement.”
The full list of winners was:
Private sector – fewer than 250 employees: Brand-Rex, Leigh
Private sector – 250 employees or more: Liverpool Direct, Liverpool
Public sector – fewer than 250 employees: The Valley Community School, Bolton
Public sector – 250 employees or more: Cheshire Probation Area, Chester
Charity and not-for-profit sector: Gentoo Group, Sunderland
Special award for customer and customer results: Wincanton plc – HJ Heinz NDC,Wigan
Special award for people and people results: Contact Burnley – Burnley Borough Council
Special award for leadership: Northern Rail, York
Urenco Award for Corporate Social Responsibility: Manchester Airport
Business of the Year: Liverpool Direct
