The best in Welsh business celebrated at prestigious awards ceremony

The winners of the highly anticipated Welsh Business Awards were announced at the annual awards ceremony, attended by over 360 people, at City Hall in Cardiff last night (5 March).

Businesses from across Wales came together to celebrate their achievement and success through 2019 across 10 categories including ‘Welsh Business of the Year’, and the President’s Award.

The South Wales Chamber of Commerce welcomed Minister for the Economy, Transport and North Wales Ken Skates AM to address guests at the event.

The Minister said: “The award winners tonight represent the best of Welsh business in 2020. We’ve seen some of the most innovative and cutting-edge companies growing their firms and reaching out into new and expanding markets.

“Importantly, it has been great to see so many of them doing it in a way that prepares for the future. It’s inspiring to see so many of the winners break new ground in areas such as decarbonisation, new technology and in building a more diverse workforce.”

Taking the title of Welsh Business of the Year was Euroclad Group Ltd, who were also finalists in the Export Business of the Year and High Growth Business of the year categories.

The Cardiff-based company supply sustainably credible metal roof and wall products to offer high performance, cost effective solutions to their customers.

Aiveen Kearney, Managing Director of Euroclad Group said:

It’s an honour to have been named Welsh Business of the Year and it’s a great testament to the hard work and dedication of the team we have built at Euroclad Group. We are proud of our involvement with many of the UK’s most prestigious building projects and hope to continue to grow internationally through our robust export strategy. We have achieved this through the hard work and strength of our team and are thankful to them for their dedication and support”

Huntingdon Fusion Techniques Limited took home the Export Business of the Year award as well as their CEO Managing Director Georgia Gascoyne, picking up the President’s Award.

With headquarters in Carmarthen, the world leaders in gas weld purging techniques have offices across the world and provide a number of weld purging products. Founders of the company have more than 50 years of experience in welding metallurgy and gas physics.

The Welsh Business Awards organised by the South Wales Chamber of Commerce provide an important opportunity to highlight the best of the best of business across the nation.

Heather Myers, CEO of South Wales Chamber of Commerce said:

We saw an incredibly high standard of entrants this year, giving our judges a difficult task yet again. Considering the continued uncertainty many businesses have faced it is clear in Wales they are still rising to the challenge.

It has been inspiring to see so many hard-working businesses celebrating their success with their teams and gaining the recognition they deserve for all they have done to enhance the Welsh economy.

Euroclad is a home-grown success story, expanding from a small team in 1981 to the global leader it is today. The company’s ambition has always been routed in their drive to operate in a way that is safe and respectful to people, their surrounding communities and the environment.

It was also a great privilege for us to hand the President’s award to Georgia Gascoyne Georgia  has been a huge advocate for what the Chamber can do to support  business growth, using the local networks in Wales, the UK networks of Chambers,  and the international support that being a Chamber member provides. Leading an exemplar Welsh Business, the winner is also a huge advocate for women in manufacturing and an inspiration.
Georgia demonstrates how active engagement with the Chamber had led to improved sales, access to new markets and growth for her business.”

Nine other businesses from across Wales also scooped awards on the night, including: Boss Brewing Company, Glamorgan Telecom Limited, Reid Lifting Limited, Caerphilly Funeral Services Ltd, Morris’s of Usk, Convey Law, EvaBuild, Team Metalogic ltd, Bearmach and Tarian Technology.

Headline sponsors for the awards were USW Exchange, part of University of South Wales. Chris Wright, Manager at USW Exchange said:

The Welsh Business Awards are a real opportunity for us to celebrate and applaud the achievements of the talented businesses in our region, and we are delighted to be supporting them again this year.

The University supports businesses in the region to reach their full potential, not only by providing talented, work-ready graduates but by providing continuing development opportunities for people in employment, and access to R&D expertise & technical facilities through our USW Exchange engagement hubs.

Sponsoring the awards is important to the University, helping us to build relationships with organisations working hard to grow, and we look forward to sharing in their celebrations again this year.”

 

Karolo and Harlequin Print Group sponsored the design and print for the ceremony, with Bevan Buckland LLP sponsoring the drinks reception on the night. Awards category sponsors included Welsh Government, Atradius, Cardiff Blues, Aspen Waite, Celtic Manor and ICC, Western Power Distribution, Milford Waterfront, CGI, Wales Start-Up Festival, NPCT Group and Metro Bank who presented the Small Business of the Year award.

Award Winners

• Euroclad Group Ltd

Welsh Business of the Year

• Huntingdon Fusion Techniques Limited

Export Business of the Year, sponsored by Welsh Government

Presidents Award, awarded to Georgia Gascoyne

• Boss Brewing Company

Marketing Campaign of the Year, sponsored by Celtic Manor and ICC

• Glamorgan Telecom Limited

Customer Commitment Award, sponsored by Atradius

• Reid Lifting Limited

Small Business of the Year, sponsored by Wales Start-up Festival

• Caerphilly Funeral Services Ltd

Employer of the Year, sponsored by NPTC Group

• Morris’s of Usk

Family Business of the Year, sponsored by Cardiff Blues and Aspen Waite

• Convey Law

Workplace Wellbeing Award, sponsored by CGI

• Huntingdon Fusion Technologies Limited

Export Business of the Year, sponsored by Welsh Government

• EvaBuild and Team Metalogic ltd (joint winners)

High Growth Business of the Year, sponsored by Milford Waterfront

• Bearmach

Ecommerce Business of the Year

• Tarian Technology

Best Use of Technology, sponsored by Western Power Distribution