Devon Delivers event at Bovey Castle. Photo by Tim PestridgePosted on: 15 June 2016
Business leaders from a wide range of Devon companies and organisations gathered yesterday (Tuesday 14 June) at a joint celebration of the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise and the Devon Delivers Ambassadors’ programme.
The event at Bovey Castle was organised jointly by the Devon Lieutenancy and the Devon Delivers Ambassadors’ programme run by Devon County Council to promote the awards to Devon’s business community.
Devon Delivers Event Queens Award: Picture by Tim Pestridge
Alongside the Devon Delivers Ambassadors, businesses that attended included Dartington Crystal, TDK Lambda, British Ceramic Tiles, Midas, PKF Francis Clark, Michelmores, as well as organisations like the Heart of the South West LEP, UKTI, Devon and Cornwall Business Council, Institute of Directors and Devon Chamber of Commerce.
The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise (QAE), which are in their 50th year, are the UK’s most prestigious business awards. They are run by the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills and awards are presented by the Lord-Lieutenant, the Queen’s representative in the county.
Councillor Andrew Leadbetter, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Economy and Growth, said: “Devon is fortunate to have plenty of businesses that have received the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise over the years, which highlights the strength of our local economy. This celebration was an inspiring and informative event which hopefully may have encouraged more of our Devon businesses to enter the awards and achieve the national recognition they deserve for their successes.”
Lord-Lieutenant of Devon David Fursdon said: “I am delighted that, with the Devon Delivers Ambassadors’ programme run by Devon County Council, we have been able to bring the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise to the attention of a wide cross section of Devon’s business community. I hope that many more of them will be inspired to seek and achieve this national recognition for the excellence of what they do.”
This year, 243 businesses from across the UK received the honour and the winning businesses are able to use the esteemed Queen’s Awards emblem for five years.
Sajid Javid MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, said: “The Queen’s Awards are a great way of celebrating the best of British business. Whether you’re a disruptive start-up making life easier for your customers or a large company with a blockbuster product, these awards recognise your contribution to enterprise. Devon is full of exciting and innovative businesses that deserve to be celebrated.”
Awards are given to companies who are outstanding in their field – covering international trade, innovation, and sustainable development. Newton Abbot based Centek and Devon Delivers Ambassador Simpleware, based in Exeter, addressed the audience about their experience of winning the award.
Tony Cutmore, CEO of three-time QAE award winner Centek, which develops engineering solutions for the oil and gas industry, said: “We’re proud to be a Devon-based business that is a world leader in our industry. Since expanding our factory in Newton Abbot in 2014, we have become the largest capacity manufacturer of centralisers to extract oil and gas. We are an innovative company and we’re delighted that this has been recognised by the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, twice for innovation and once for international trade.”
Professor Philippe Young, Managing Director of two-time QAE award winner Simpleware, which develops 3D image processing, analysis and model generation software, said: “Our company started life at the University of Exeter and remaining in Devon has served us well, providing the perfect balance for our staff and our business. Our radical new approach to generating models has achieved outstanding success internationally and receiving the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise has been a great honour for us. It’s testament to the effort made by the whole team at Simpleware over a number of years.”
Other Devon Delivers Ambassadors that have previously been recipients of the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise include Aero Stanrew, based in Barnstaple, and Moo Free Chocolates in Holsworthy.
The Devon Delivers Ambassadors programme is part of the County Council’s campaign to attract business to Devon. The programme promotes the county as a business location through its ambassadors – some of the most successful businesses and major stakeholders such as the University of Exeter, the Met Office, Exeter International Airport, Axminster Tools, Foot Anstey, Darts Farm and many more.
For more information about the Devon Delivers Ambassadors’ scheme visit www.investdevon.co.uk/ambassadors.
For more information about the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise visit www.gov.uk/queens-awards-for-enterprise
For more information about Devon’s Lieutenancy visit www.lordlieutenantofdevon.org.uk or phone 01392 383042