Winners of UK's First Ever National Business Awards.
(29th October 2002)

The winners of the first ever National Business Awards, sponsored by Orange, were announced today at an Oscars style London gala attended by more than 1,000 UK business leaders and VIPs.

Winners and Runners Up by Award Category

Business Leader of the Year Award, sponsored by Computer Sciences Corporation - to the outstanding individual who has best demonstrated exceptional leadership and vision.

Winner: Luc Vandevelde, Chairman, Marks & Spencer plc

Runners Up: John Clare, Chief Executive, Dixons Group plc; Charles Dunstone, CEO, The Carphone Warehouse; Paul Gratton, Chief Executive, Egg; Jim Spowart, Chief Executive, Intelligent Finance

The Business of the Year Award, sponsored by Charter Intelligence - to the outstanding organisation that has best demonstrated exceptional financial returns, strong growth and innovation strategies and market leadership in its sector.

Winner: Sage (UK) Ltd, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Runners Up: Egg; The Royal Bank of Scotland, UK Business Banking; BBC WorldWide Ltd; Direct Line Group

The Entrepreneur of the Year Award, sponsored by KPMG - to the outstanding individual who has best demonstrated exceptional vision and leadership in the establishment and development of an owner led business.

Winner: Nasa Khan, Chief Executive, The Accessory People plc, Chessington, Surrey

Runners Up: Henry Engelhardt and David Stevens, Chief Executive and Pricing & Claims Director of the Admiral Group Ltd, Cardiff; Zef Eisenberg, Managing Director of Maximuscle Ltd, Watford; Vijay Patel, Chief Executive of Waymade Healthcare plc, Essex; Richard Doyle, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Esteem Systems, Wetherby, Leeds

The Non-Executive Director of the Year Award, sponsored by Edengene - to the independent director or chairman who, in a non-executive capacity has demonstrated as outstanding contribution to safeguarding and promoting shareholder interests.

Winner: Simon Burke, Non Executive Director, Majestic Wine plc

Runners Up: Rana Talwar, Non-Executive Director, Pearson plc; John Grieves, Non-Executive Chairman, New Look (Dorset); Martyn Rose, Non-Executive Chairman, Ingenta plc (Bath and Oxford); Gary Sullivan, Non-Executive Chairman, Business Link for Essex

The Employer of the Year Award, sponsored by Croner Consulting - to the organisation that best demonstrates how through the provision of stimulating and supportive workplaces and development of employees it has achieved financial success.

Winner: Claridge's, London

Runners Up: The Carphone Warehouse, London; Marks & Spencer plc; Capital One Bank (Europe) plc, Nottingham; AstraZeneca European Business Services, Manchester

The Investors In People Award for Small to Medium sized Organisations, sponsored by Investors in People UK - to the organisation that has best demonstrated how through innovative people development strategies, the company has improved its financial performance (Investors in People accreditation is not a requirement).

Winner: Innocent Drinks Ltd, West London

Runners Up: 23red (Marketing Services), London; Farrelly Facilities & Engineering Ltd, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands; Happy Computers (IT training), London

The Corporate Venturing Award, sponsored by Edengene - to the best example of a successful corporate venture launched this year by a blue chip company.

Winner: Psytechnics, Ipswich, Suffolk

Runners Up: beprofessional, Kingston, Surrey; Venation, Ipswich, Suffolk; Cahoot, High Wycombe, Bucks; Intelligent Finance, Edinburgh

The Customer Focus Award, sponsored by Siebel Systems - to the organisation that best demonstrates that it puts the customer at the heart of its business and deploys and manages resources to most effectively meet the needs of its customer base.

Winner: Connaught plc, Exeter, Devon

Runners Up: The Carphone Warehouse, London; Fujitsu Services Ltd, London; The Virgin One Account, Norwich, Norfolk; TUI UK, London

The Customer Service Strategy of the Year Award, sponsored by Charter Intelligence - to the organisation that can best demonstrate a customer service strategy that has achieved high levels of commercial success and created sustainable competitive advantage for the company.

Winner: BT Retail

Runners Up: Abbey National plc, Milton Keynes; HSBC; Vauxhall Motors, Luton, Beds; Travel Inn, Luton, Beds

The Marketing Strategy of the Year Award, sponsored by Fielden-Cegos - to a specific marketing campaign that has achieved high levels of commercial success for the relevant product or service.

Winner: Toyota (GB) plc, Epsom, Surrey

Runners Up: Britannia Building Society, Leek, Staffs; PC World (Dixons Group plc), Hemel Hempstead; BP plc, London; and IBM UK Ltd, Feltham, Middlesex

The Advertiser of the Year Award, sponsored by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising - to a specific advertising campaign that has achieved high levels of commercial success for the relevant product or service.

Winner: British Telecom for the "Bringing People Together" campaign

Runners Up: McCann-Erickson for The Bacardi Breezer campaign; BMP DDB for the Volkswagen Passat campaign; Marks & Spencer for the Perfect Campaign: HBOS Business Banking for the Made of Money Campaign

The Sales Strategy of the Year Award, sponsored by Miller Heiman - to the organisation that has developed a clear strategic vision of the role and expected contribution of sales to company success.

Winner: O2 UK Limited, Slough, Berkshire

Runners Up: Telegen, Brighton; newjob4me, Maidenhead, Berks; Greencare Environmental Ltd, Kent: DHL International (UK) Ltd, Middlesex

The Best Use of Technology Award, sponsored by CMG - to the organisation that best demonstrates it has effectively used technology to create a significant and exploitable competitive advantage within its business.

Winner: Liverpool City Council

Runners Up: BP plc, London; Cable & Wireless plc, London; WHSmith Retail Ltd, Swindon, Wilts; Raymarine Ltd, Portsmouth, Hampshire

The Business Innovation of the Year Award, sponsored by Telewest Business - to the organisation that best demonstrates its ability to create, nurture and develop ideas, products, services or processes that substantially improve the commercial performance or prospects of the company.

Winner: Success Photography, Reigate, Surrey

Runners Up: Mindpearl, London; Transco North West, Bolton; Innovision Research & Technology plc, Wokingham, Berks; Cambridge Consultants Ltd, Cambridge

The E-Business Strategy of the Year Award, sponsored by Siebel Systems - to the organisation that best demonstrates how its e-Business strategy has given it a significant competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Winner: The AA

Runners Up: Balfour Beatty plc, London; Ideal, a subsidiary of Bell Microproducts Europe, Chessington, Surrey; Eversheds, London and UK wide; National Britannia, Caerphilly, South Wales

The Supply Chain Strategy of the Year Award, sponsored by FWL Technologies - to the organisation that demonstrates how, through a well developed and executed supply chain management strategy it has bought measurable improvements to its and its suppliers business performance.

Winner: 3663 First for Foodservice, High Wycombe, Bucks and Basingstoke, Hampshire

Runners Up: TM Property Service Ltd, Swindon, Wilts; BAA plc, London; allhotels Ltd, Edinburgh; Blue Chip Feed Limited, Sheffield

The Growth Strategy of the Year Award, sponsored by Microsoft Business Solutions - to the organisation that best demonstrates how an organic growth strategy has achieved outstanding levels of sales, profit and market share improvement.

Winner: Alternative Networks Ltd, London

Runners Up: Telecom One, London; Betfair.com, London; BizzEnergy Ltd, Worcester; KWI, London

The Small to Medium Sized Business of the Year Award, sponsored by NTL Business - to the organisation with less than £10million turnover in the last financial year that best demonstrates significant growth and innovation in its market sector underpinned by strong financial performance.

Winner: Innocent Drinks Ltd, West London

Runners Up: Maximuscle Ltd., Watford, Herts; Corven Group Ltd, St James's, London; Stream Foods Ltd, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire; City Analytical Services Ltd, Coventry

The New Business of the Year Award, sponsored by Navision and Microsoft Business Solutions - to the organisation launched on or after January 1, 2001 that best demonstrates significant growth and innovation in its market sector underpinned by strong financial performance, evaluated against initial targets and forecasts.

Winner: alldaypa.com, Salford Quays, Manchester

Runners Up: Eutopia Solutions Ltd, Elstree, Herts; 5one Marketing Ltd, West London; Norwood Systems, Richmond, Surrey; People Logic Ltd, London

The Environmental Awareness Award, sponsored by the Environment Agency - to the organisation that has a clearly articulated and widely communicated environmental strategy that is incorporated into the company's overall business strategy.

Winner: ScottishPower plc

Runners Up: BP plc, London; Interserve Project Services Ltd, Birmingham; Birds Eye Wall's Ltd, Walton on Thames, London; DHL International (UK) Ltd, Hounslow, Middlesex

The Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by HSBC - to the individual who has, through success, hard work and dedication made a significant contribution to the UK's business community.

Recipient: Sir John Harvey-Jones

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