Businesses recognised by prestigious award
Seven Yorkshire firms have been placed amongst the crème de la crème of British business after winning prestigious Queen’s Awards for Enterprise. With the region’s businesses being recognised for strong international trade and innovation.
Wakefield-based AES Limited, headed by entrepreneur, James Fawkes, was honoured with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade. Also recognised for its international trade efforts is listed technology firm Kromek Group, which has its R&D centre in Huddersfield.
Tech firm, BigChange has been recognised in the 2020 Innovation category for developing JobWatch, a mobile workforce management. The Leeds firm first launched its system in 2013 as a cloud-based service and sold it on a per-user basis making high end mobile workforce management systems more affordable and accessible to businesses of all sizes.
The fourth organisation to be recognised by the awards is OTB Agency. The creative marketing agency has achieved a rise of 560% in export sales from 22% to 52% of its overall business within three years. With the Queen’s Award specifically recognising its overseas work in markets such as Eire, CEMEA, Asia Pacific, and the USA.
Market leading safeguarding, pastoral and wellbeing solution, CPOMS and online educational publisher Twinkl, have also received an award for Innovation 2020. CPOMS is recognised as its software was the first of its kind on the market and the online system has seen a 28 per cent increase in the roster of schools – now more than 12,000 – utilising its software over the last 12 months, marking consistent year-on-year growth since its inception in 2011. Twinkl’s innovation award is for its collection of resources called Twinkl PlanIt, deigned in 2014 to allow for maximum flexibility and inclusion. The system which saves time is credited with giving teachers extra time to spend with pupils in the classroom.
Finally, packaging manufacturer, Loadhog has been presented with a Queens Award for international trade. The Sheffield-based firm has remained at the forefront of the global campaign to stop the use of single-use plastic and invested significantly in new manufacturing capacity and tooling, gearing up for the global opportunities. Ultimately increasing exports by 181% and entering developing markets.
Now in its 54th year the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious business awards in the country recognising a firm’s contribution to International Trade, Innovation, Sustainable Development and Promoting Opportunity (through Social Mobility.
James Fawkes, of AES said: “For a small business from Wakefield to share such an achievement with the giants of British industry is staggering, and we are just thrilled to have won this award. I started this business in my 10 x 8-foot garden shed and spotted ‘a gap in the market’ to distribute conduit systems and connector interfaces that protect critical wiring in commercial and off-highway vehicles. Today, we are global leaders.”
Jo Waddington and Mark Davies
Martin Port, founder and CEO of BigChange, said: “We are delighted to win such a prestigious award. This recognises the efforts of our people who have worked so hard to develop and deliver JobWatch, as well as the customers that inspire and use it everyday to grow and transform their own industries. We have global ambitions for BigChange and this honour will open doors for us around the world.”
Jo Waddington, managing partner at OTB Agency said: “Appropriate for B2C and B2B, our work develops new ways to deliver fully coherent and joined up product and marketing tools for our clients and it is a privilege to be recognised for our overseas work with this exceptional award.”
Mark Davies, chairman of OTB Agency added: “Yorkshire has an outstanding reputation for finance and digital communications (now, over 33% of the UK’s internet traffic passes through Leeds, making it one of the most important regional internet centres in the UK). We feel we are particularly well placed to help support the reputation of Leeds for being a centre of excellence in marketing and communications. If our experiences can help and support other local business (as they support us), then this is a responsibility we enjoy.”
Dr Arnab Basu, CEO of Kromek, said: “It is an honour to receive this prestigious award following a period of significant international growth for Kromek. We have secured contracts worth millions of pounds through our deepened relationships with governments and companies worldwide.
Shaun Khan, Loadhog managing director, said: “This is an exceptional and notable award which is testament to the hard work by everyone who played a significant part in achieving this highly prestigious recognition – a huge ‘well done’ to all the team. I am confident that this great company will continue to flourish and challenge the industry to do more to reduce single-use resources.”
John Wild, managing director at CPOMS, said: “The key aim of our software has always been to improve safeguarding practices and to save time for teachers and school staff so they can focus on their pupils. For it to be recognised with a Queen’s Award in this way, as a truly innovative solution, is fantastic and we’re very proud to say we’ve created something that has revolutionised safeguarding practices in schools across the UK, and now internationally.”
Jonathan Seaton, CEO and Co-founder of Twinkl, said: “We have always tried to bring something different and exciting to everyone who uses Twinkl and we’re completely over the moon that our innovative approach has been recognised in this way.”
BigChange, OTB, Loadhog, Twinkl, CPOMS Kromek Group and AES will celebrate their awards during a royal reception for Queen’s Awards’ winners in the summer at Buckingham Palace.
