A glittering night of celebration for the 140 finalists in the UK for the Business Champion Awards.
Over 300 guests filled East Wintergardens in London’s Canary Wharf and again hosted by the nation’s favorite broadcaster, Huw Edward’s, the evening’s guests were treated to a night of champagne, music, laughter and thought-provoking speeches.
Jamie Waller accepts the Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of His Majesty King Charles III and The Prince’s Fund. And he spoke, saying that if the King himself had been present, he wished to appreciate the hard work of his dedicated team in helping his vision come to life, and keeping it alive to the extent that today more than a million young people are supported. And much needed faith.
(embed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6LdUqPxcPw (/embed)
The audience then listened in awe to the three guests James invited on stage with him, who were all believed and assisted by The Prince’s Trust. Each person has experienced incredible hardship from various means – bullying, domestic violence, and addiction. Brenda Beverly, Rebecca Beattie and Dwayne Jackson spoke powerfully about what support has meant to them and how they used the support of The Prince’s Trust to turn adversity into an opportunity to move forward and grow.
Additional awards are given for outstanding efforts in various sectors to reflect the vast wealth of talent demonstrated by the finalists.
Julie Devonshire OBE was on hand to support and celebrate her husband, Simon Devonshire OBE, as he took to the stage to receive his Outstanding Achievement Award. With his life experience in entrepreneurship spanning several sectors as well as dedicating a great deal of time and effort to much needed philanthropy around the world, he has earned the respect of everyone around him. Suggested and unanimously dedicated to him by his peers and friends throughout the judging process, he received the award with incredible humility.
Phill Atkinson, Managing Director at BTS Facades and Fabrications, was the proud winner of the Sustainable Business Award. Completely overpowered with the win praised by the judges:
I had a technical nightmare in every possible way the day of my presentation to the jury. I am so grateful for their patience and how they looked back and instead focused on the tremendous effort and results my team has put into this vital area of our work. We are proud and happy that we won.
The finalists got very emotional that night as they received their awards on stage. The culmination of their hard work is finally recognized when perhaps they are told that what they want to achieve simply isn’t possible.
Against incredible odds of overcoming the status quo, the full list of Silver, Bronze and Champion winners and awards is as follows:
Lifetime Achievement Award
His Royal Highness King Charles III
Outstanding Achievement Award
Simon Devonshire OBE
Startup Giants New Business Award of the Year
Bronze – Liberty Collins
Silver – Lucky Book
Gold – Imagineerium
Business Community Award
Champion Award – Charlie Bitty Beauty
Champion Award – ECASS
Business Winner – Biome Algae
Community Winner – Wanis International Foods
Business Innovation Award
Silver – video recording
Gold – simulation company
Business Growth Award
fed
Score SME App of the Year Award
Bronze – Aberdeen for diving services
Silver – obidan
Gold – Made by London Moves
Exporter of the Year Award
Silver – universal infusion set
Gold – English Soap Company
Eco Foundry Sustainable Business Award
Special honor – crown oil
Silver – Juice Global
Gold – BTS Fabrications Limited
Diversity and Inclusion Award
Simply donuts
Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award
Under 20 – Alfie Jones
Jax Davey, new
Evelyn Partners Entrepreneur of the Year Award
Asher Moses
Business Enabler Award
Well Ballston Training and Training
Business Transformation Award
Make entry limited
Scale Up and Market Disruptor Award
Whiskey and Wealth Club
Commenting on the evening, Awards Founder and Director Richard Alvin said: “We started the Business Champion Awards two years ago with the goal of rewarding businesses across the country. This year, word obviously got around because we had applications from every county across the country. Out of the 140 finalists, only 20 were based in London.
“The administration of these awards is nothing short of inspiring and this sums up the overwhelming feeling I left in the hours that followed; proud of my team for the smooth execution of the awards and great pride in our country’s loyal and dedicated business owners, all of whom deserve their awards.”
Organizing and running a future award program is a daunting task while continuing to honor our dream of creating an awards program throughout the year. Creating behind-the-scenes videos of our winners and promoting their business through PR throughout the year sets us apart from any other award where the focus is on just one night. My team is up for the challenge and we’re excited to stay in touch with the finalists and winners.
However it does not end there, our judges have been of the highest caliber and are already affirming their desire to be involved in the 2024 Awards. The wheels are already in motion… Once again absolutely fantastic work to all present and we look forward to welcoming you again next year.
From inception through to implementation, every award decision made was in line with our planet-friendly set of values
The EcoFoundry’s Living Wall was a popular choice for selfies at night and also featured a link to Canary Wharf’s green area policies. Each resource has been screened for its environmental and sustainability approach, in line with Capital Business Media values, and to this effect, no single-use plastic is used and any leftover food is donated to help the homeless in the city.
Jax Davey, recognized for his leadership and drive to create positive change through his planet-friendly global creative agency: Nuevo, was a worthy winner of the Young Entrepreneur Award:
“It takes a lot of time to run a company, so a night like this is a really good opportunity to stop and take stock of how far you have personally come, and how much the team has achieved. I am incredibly honored to win this prestigious award, especially since the Business Champion Award’s sustainability values are perfectly aligned with Nuevo’s.
Some of our winners had an unusual surprise when they ran into Ed Sheeran on the train home who was quick to congratulate them on their victory and take a selfie.
The host, Huw Edwards, said: “It’s a very complex process to bring these awards into existence and the whole event has been so well organized. Times have been incredibly tough and small and medium business owners, all six million across the country, should be celebrated. It’s been an honor.” To be part of the evening again and ensure they are rewarded for their hard work and effort.”
Final thanks…
A respected group of award-winning global judges have given their time and business acumen to listen to each business pitch, values, team motivations, trials and triumphs over the course of February to ensure each winner. The entire Business Champion Awards team would like to sincerely thank each judge for their time and attention.
The Business Champion Awards team would also like to extend their thanks to all the sponsors and events team who made the night a huge success.
The Business Champion Awards 2024 program will launch on June 25, 2023. Watch this space…