Business Weekly - Cambridge, UK

The continuing internationalisation of the East of England business scene provides a mouth-watering backdrop to Business Weekly’s 2005 East of England Business Awards.

We welcome entries from the smallest start-ups and spin-outs, who may well be pre-revenue, to large private companies and quoted corporations. The playing field is levelled up across five categories so that companies compete on an equal basis. No sector is barred. This isn’t a jamboree for technology at the expense of traditional business.

Recent years – indeed the winners’ roll of honour over 15 years – demonstrates that manufacturing, engineering, aerospace, transport, childcare, inkjet, electronics, Life Sciences, HR, construction, healthcare & medical devices, design & print, renewable energy, consultancy, and a variety of other segments are represented in the Business Weekly Awards because they reflect the deeper and broader economy that the region now parades to the world.

While commercial success is cherished, we welcome world-leading innovation and disruptive products and services as much as a well manicured bottom line.

And the real beauty of this Awards event is that entrants win all the way, even if they lose out in the final shakedown for the crystal obelisks that have become the hallmark of the competition. Consider the benefits:

• All entrants are showcased in Business Weekly in the physical newspaper and our online version, offering superb free PR to more than 2m readers

• A rare and risk-free chance to benchmark your business against contemporaries

• A showcase for your products and services that could help you woo staff, new customers and even investors

• Wonderful opportunities for networking, notably at the glittering Awards dinner in 2006 where the cream of executive influencers gather

• Free branding throughout the star-studded Awards presentation evening

The criteria and an entry form are included on this page. It is a no-cost and easy process to enter.

BAA Stansted has joined the Awards sponsors for the first time this year, partnering UK Trade & Investment to present the International Trade category.

Leading global law firm Eversheds is main forensic sponsor, backed by Deloitte and Lloyds TSB Corporate.

The new Peterborough Urban Regeneration Company – just rebranded Opportunity Peterborough – is also sponsoring the Awards.

DON’T DELAY – ENTER TODAY

While the official closing date for entries is not until November 30, logistically – given the large number of entries received – the earlier you enter, the sooner we can give you the full attention your business deserves.

Sponsors compiling information on your entry may want to visit your business to vet facilities and talk to key executives. We may need to invite you to talk to judges about certain aspects of your progress. While we do our utmost to prioritise, the judging process is so thorough that we need as much time as possible to be fair to every single entrant.

So don’t delay. Enter today and hand a morale boost to your staff, suppliers, customers and investors.

2005 Awards categories at a glance

INNOVATION

For businesses with innovative technology (hi-tech or biotech) – either developed or under development – which appears to the judges to have strong commercial potential.

GROWTH & EXPANSION

For companies which can demonstrate strong growth in the last 12 months, whether in terms of turnover, staff numbers, physical premises, new products or markets.

PRIVATE COMPANY OF THE YEAR

For the private business which, in the judges’ opinion, has made most commercial progress in the past 12 months.

QUOTED COMPANY OF THE YEAR

For the public business which, in the judges’ opinion, has made most commercial progress in the past 12 months.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

For companies that have launched or expanded their international operations in the past 12 months or significantly broadened their access to global markets with new products or services.

NEW ENTRY

AVEVA Group

• Growth and Expansion

• Quoted Company of the Year

Awards contender AVEVA Group, a world-class engineering software specialist, has had another impressive year and has just issued an upbeat pre-close trading update following the completion of its half-year to September 30.

Trading in AVEVA’s main markets of oil & gas, power and marine and its major geographies of Asia Pacific, the Americas and Europe has continued to strengthen.

Further investment in people and infrastructure in emerging economies around the world has helped generate some early customer wins from these territories and continues to enhance AVEVA’s position as a leader in its markets.

AVEVA expects the full year results to be less weighted to the second half than in previous years and remains "very confident of delivering full year results in line with existing market expectations."

AVEVA Group plc is one of the world’s foremost and fastest-growing lifecycle engineering IT solutions and services providers to the oil and gas, paper and pulp, power, chemical, pharmaceutical and shipbuilding industries.

Listed on the London Stock Exchange, the group reported, for the year ended March 2005, a growth in turnover of 51 per cent over 2004. The group has grown consistently since 1967 on the strength of pioneering engineering technology that protects the information assets of its customers from the volatile nature of the IT industry.

The group’s history of innovation spans five decades and has produced most of today’s major engineering IT technologies. Serving over 1,500 clients, AVEVA has a dominant position in many market sectors both on and offshore.

Clients include leading plant owner operators, shipbuilders and engineering contractors. Still headquartered in Cambridge, AVEVA Group and its operating subsidiaries currently employ more than 500 staff worldwide at offices in England, Australia, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Norway, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sweden, South Korea and the US.

NEW ENTRY

Hunters Solutions

• Growth & Expansion

Gunning for the Growth & Expansion title in this year’s Awards is Hunters Solutions, formed in May 2004 to provide a more personal and flexible approach to traditional staffing issues.

The firm is already thriving despite intense competition. Partner Mark Hunt said the Northampton area was a mature and competitive marketplace with some 130 agencies realising a client spend in the region of £35m.

He said: "In the planning stages of the business we wanted to be sure that we would be positioning Hunters Solutions in a manner that would add value to the local population and give clients a reason to buy from us.

"To ascertain the reality of the market we sent out ‘secret shoppers’ to what appeared to be the top 20 agencies by perceived market share or reputation.

"We wanted to know how the candidates were treated and what did they feel – and did the supplier properly meet their work requirements?

"The results demonstrated that there was a huge opportunity to be realised by focusing on the softer people needs and issues.

"Typically the feedback we got was that the candidates did not feel important and were not treated with respect.

"This forged our strategy – by recognising and catering for the needs of the individual we would be able to add more value to the workforce, who in turn would be less inclined to leave and therefore – through a process of development – would add more value to our clients’ operations."

The second part of the strategy was to set up the team in a manner that Hunters could communicate and deliver the service levels required.

More extensive market research enabled Hunters to devise the structure and direction of its team.

The team of six is split into three disciplines – resources management, business development and administration & payroll.

Hunt said: By choosing Hunters as their work provider, clients get a dedicated team which delivers a service that plugs the gaps traditionally experienced with other work providers."

Candidates follow Hunters Solutions’ Work Force Charter and Equality statement, which underlines adherence to core values and standards, again to the benefit of the end employer.

Despite significant competition, the firm has generated more than 80 new business wins in the first 26 weeks of trading.

Hunt said: "We have built a business that has entered an extremely competitive field and generated a brand that was ahead of budget in 2004 and that will grow by 385 per cent in 2005 to £2m on an average order value of £43 per person.

"This will realise a local market share of 11 per cent in our first full 12 months of trading."