The brilliance and importance of SMEs across Britain was celebrated at a gala awards evening at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane at the SME Awards 2016 – the inaugural event designed to showcase the best in UK business.
With their capacity to adapt in an ever-changing business environment, SMEs are vital for the growth of the UK’s economy and these awards recognised excellence across the business landscape – from social media and sales growth to customer experience and export. According to government figures, SMEs employ 14.4m people and account for 99.9pc of all private sector business in the UK, generating a combined £1.6 trillion in income.
The event was organised and hosted by SME magazine, part of Zinc Media, and was sponsored by KPMG, Experian and Bright HR. The judging was done by Vintagevibe.co.uk, BOL foods, Computer Conquest and the Institute of Export.
Louise Naughton, managing editor of SME magazine, said: “Covering the small business market is an absolute joy and privilege. To be allowed access behind the scenes to see the talents, passions and dedication of so many small business owners is truly inspiring. Tonight shows how important it is to celebrate SME success. Congratulations to all of our short-listed companies and especially our winners.”
Bivek Sharma, a partner at KPMG where he runs its small business accounting service, said: “This is a great event. There are not many events out there which celebrate SMEs and all they’ve achieved. We see SMEs as the backbone of the UK economy so this event is something we feel privileged to be part of. ”
Christine Durkin, head of marketing for Experian SME, said: “We decided to sponsor this event because we are passionate about the SME community. Events like this are a wonderful opportunity for SMEs to get together and share best practice and discuss shared problems.”
Paul Tooth, CEO of Bright HR, said: “Recognising the talents and innovation that SMEs bring to the British economy is absolutely vital. All of our big companies come from small companies.”
SME AWARDS 2016 – WINNERS
Standout Service of the Year: The Fit for Work Team
Standout Product of the Year: Trading.co.uk
Start-up: One to watch: Jeeeni
Entrepreneur of the Year: Emer MacSweeney from Re:Cognition Health
Expert Export: Bridger Howes
App of the Year: ClinicJot
Social media Pioneer of the Year: Careers in Audit
Best SME to work for: Love Energy Savings
Small business insurer: Zurich
Corporate finance/commercial Bank of the Year: TSB
Alternative funder: LDF
SME software solutions: FreshMail
Customer service champion: Perfect Profiles
SME Website of the Year: Businesscomparison.com
Legal provider: Rradar
Logistics provider: European Freight Limited
Accounting solutions provider: KPMG
HR provider: Bright HR
Auto enrolment provider: NEST
Best Family Business of the Year: Harvey Cooper Cars
SME is a quarterly magazine that is distributed to 160,000 SMEs. It is targeted at small and medium-sized enterprises within the UK with the fastest growth. Our readers are those business leaders with the entrepreneurial spirit, looking to break out of the SME mould and challenge the mid-market businesses dominating their industries. Our readers are disrupting their marketplace with innovative ideas and concepts.
For more information contact:
Daniel Evans, editor, on [email protected] or call 0207 074 7721
Joe Mills, advertising manager, on [email protected] or call 0207 878 2340
