'Finalists at last year's Lloyd Bank National Business Awards held at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London'
The Institute of Export & International Trade has become an official partner in the prestigious Lloyds Bank National Business Awards.
The annual award, now in its 19th year, celebrates excellence among UK businesses, organisations and individuals across all sectors and is open to companies of all sizes - from SMEs to large corporations.
The ‘Lloyds Bank Exporter of the Year’ award is one of 15 categories and organisers are calling on IOE&IT members to enter, with a special extension of the ‘early bird’ deadline to Friday 22 May.
Winners will be announced at a gala ceremony scheduled to take place on Tuesday, 10 November at Grosvenor House Hotel, London.
The cost of entering by 22 May is £195+VAT, with entries submitted by the overall deadline of 26 June costing £295+VAT.
Call for entries
The competition is seeking entries from “successful British businesses that have achieved the highest and most sustainable levels of international growth through exporting”.
The award category seeks to discover sustainable exporting models and innovative practices.
Marco Forgione, director general of the IOE&IT, said the awards “are an important platform to showcase not just the incredible range of talents and abilities in export in the UK but to highlight the important role of international trade in reshaping the economy post-COVID 19 and as the Brexit transition period comes to an end”.
He welcomed the awards’ emphasis on sustainable business models. “The word ‘sustainable’ in this context has two meanings,” he said. “It denotes a business that exports in an environmentally-friendly way with a structure that ensures it can continue to grow and thrive.”
Criteria
Judges will look for proof that an exporter has:
- achieved a significant export victory for a product or a service following an innovation in the company
- a long term relationship with a business partner overseas that has delivered a significant growth in the company’s sales and profits
- opened an overseas office in the last 12 months to better serve local customers.
Other categories include ‘Small to Medium Sized Business of the Year’ and the ‘Leader of the Year’, which recognises the personal impact of the UK’s most high-profile leader on the culture and success of their organisation.
Organisers of the awards say they hope to stage the awards ceremony in November as a live event, while heeding government advice.
“2020 has been a challenging year for many and we believe now, more than ever, we should be celebrating British business success stories,” said James Montero MacColl, the event’s marketing manager.
“We will, of course, continue to monitor government and public health guidelines regarding COVID-19 over the coming months and factor these in accordingly. It goes without saying our relationships with our customers, and the safety of everybody attending and working on our event, is of the utmost important to us.”
Visit www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk for further information or follow the awards on Twitter @businessawards.
