The judging panel has been selected for the Hull Live Business Awards - with time running out to get your entry in front of them.
There is just the remainder of this week to finalise nominations for the 14 categories that will make up this year’s event.
Joining returning judges - For Entrepreneurs Only chief executive Jan Brumby, Sewell Estates managing director Jo Barnes and headline sponsor Reach Recruitment’s managing director Benjamin Davis-Rice - is Peter Aarosin. A director and shareholder of several companies, including Danbrit Holdings, Danbrit Shipping and East Trans on the Humber, he is a past chair of bondholder organisation Marketing Humber, former president of the Goole area Chamber and former director of the umbrella Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce and Humber Local Enterprise Partnership.
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He said: “I am looking forward to it. New businesses, and those doing well are the lifeblood for development and seeing the region progress. I am very keen on new SMEs, for the thriving SME of today is the much bigger company of tomorrow.
“It is so important for companies to celebrate success and it inspires others, and the talent and passion on show is so nice to see, with awards and recognition encouraging them to do even better and do more.”
Mr Aarosin has been based in East Yorkshire for more than 40 years. His companies have strong links to long term business conducted in Holland, Portugal, and his Danish homeland, while interests have also developed in Oxfordshire and Essex, with businesses as diverse as packaging and cement.
Of the challenging situations faced by the business community in recent years - with Brexit, Covid then the Russian invasion of Ukraine sending inflation soaring, he said: “I have always believed that when there are changes and there is upheaval, that’s when the biggest opportunities come. They are not often immediate, but can be there for the long term.”
Reflecting on his own experience with Essex Cement, started in May 2020, he said: “It has absolutely grown and grown, it has been fantastic.”
New ways of working have also “empowered” teams, he said. “When Covid struck I had to work from home, but we had the East Trans office that was very quickly determined as an essential company, so too the packaging company in Banbury and then the cement - all working normally - but I couldn’t go and talk to the teams. It switched to Zoom meetings, we did that every day and things were running really well. One of the biggest lessons was that decisions were still made, as everyone is so much more empowered.”
Who will be energised by the Hull Live Business Awards in 2022 will be discovered at the glittering ceremony on November 17.
Taking place at DoubleTree by Hilton Hull, it will be hosted by award-winning newscaster Nina Hossain.
And there’s still time to get those entries in, following the simple online process here at www.HLBusinessawards.co.uk . Now we’ll recap on the categories and the criteria.
Hull Live Business Awards 2022 Categories and Criteria:
Apprentice of the Year
This award is open to an apprentice who has shown outstanding progress and commitment to their own personal development. The apprentice Is defined as a person who is learning a trade from a skilled employer, having agreed to work for a fixed period. The nominee must have been employed by their current employer for a minimum of 12 months before the closing date.
This award seeks to acknowledge and celebrate an apprentice’s exceptional contributions to their workplace. The successful entrant will be measured against the following criteria:
- Commitment: demonstrates commitment to your personal development and progression
- Contribution: shows outstanding contribution to your workplace - in particular, areas or projects where you have exceeded expectations
- Success: demonstrates inspirational levels of achievement and attainment.
Nominations or self-nominations can be made for this category.
Enter here: www.HLBusinessawards.co.uk
Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Sponsored by Hull City Council
For business people under the age of 30 (at September 26, 2022) who have demonstrated a high degree of entrepreneurship, creativity and vision for the future. T
The judges will be looking to identify an individual who has set up a business or has had a significant influence in the business, that has set and achieved objectives within its business plans and established a position of sustainable profitability and success. In addition to this judges will want to see an understanding of the relationship between your own development and the success of the business.
Enter here: www.HLBusinessawards.co.uk
Entrepreneur of the Year
Sponsored by Sewell Group
Open to business people aged 30 years or over (at September 26, 2022) the award will go to someone who has had a big impact, either running their own business or working as part of a business.
Judges will be looking for someone who can demonstrate:
- How their actions and strategies have been instrumental to the success of the business.
- Evidence of strong financial performance, including the clear identification of an opportunity that has had a measurable impact on the success of business.
- Enterprising behaviours such as participation, risk-taking, management and leadership, vision, originality and innovation.
- How they have overcome barriers to achieve at a high standard (ie social, geographical or physical).
- A positive impact on the wider economy and local communities through employment, additional work as mentors or in the voluntary sector.
Nominations can be made by the entrant if they run their own business, or a sponsor or nominee from the business they work for.
Enter here: www.HLBusinessawards.co.uk
Environmental and Sustainability Award
Sponsored by Wykeland Beal
This category recognises outstanding performance in environmental responsiveness and sustainable activity. The winner of this award will be a company that:
- Is working towards sustainable development goals and can demonstrate the impact.
- Taking active green steps towards more environmentally-conscious operations and ethics.
- Made improvements in energy-efficiency, carbon reduction or sustainable working.
- May have introduced environmental policies across the business, isusing green communications or endorsing carbon footprint reduction
- Strategy, policies and foresight will reflect a well-considered green approach – rather than fractional, ad-hoc actions.
Our judges want to feel inspired by a powerful story and are looking to see where nominees have come from, the obstacles faced, and what motivates them to keep going and what their biggest achievements are.
Enter here: www.HLBusinessawards.co.uk
Innovation and Technology Award
The Innovation and Technology Award will reward the company that has developed the most innovative new product, system or process over the past year, and can demonstrate the positive impact it has had on the business. Judges will be looking for businesses that can show:
- A clear vision of what the innovation project, product, system or process had to achieve.
- How the product was developed.
- Gains in revenue or market share.
- The overall benefits to the business or its customer.
Enter here: www.HLBusinessawards.co.uk
Customer Focus Award
This aims to honour firms which give great service and are truly dedicated to their users. Judges will be looking at how customer service strategy has:
- Increased growth or market share.
- Improved financial performance.
- Embedded ethical or sustainable practice.
- Enhanced customer delivery and engagement.
- More effective leadership and management.
- More engaged and motivated staff.
- Optimised innovation and improved operational excellence.
Enter here: www.HLBusinessawards.co.uk
Business in the Community Award
Sponsored by KCom
This award aims to recognise businesses which have made an outstanding contribution to the community within which they are based. Judges will be looking for a business that can show proactive commitment to putting something back into the local community. This could be by:
- Providing financial support to charities or community projects.
- Giving practical assistance in terms of time or expertise.
- Allowing charity organisations, schools or community groups to benefit from the resources of the business. For social enterprises, the activity should be outside their core purpose.
- Particular emphasis will be placed upon the proportionate investment by businesses in terms of time and effort, as opposed to pure cash contributions.
- Entrants need to demonstrate their commitment to corporate social responsibility.
Enter here: www.HLBusinessawards.co.uk
Training and Development
The judges will be looking for an organisation that:
- Demonstrates positive commitment to the ongoing training and education of its employees.
- Can prove how investment in staff training has brought success.
- Shows staff have gained the necessary skills to maximise their contribution.
- Can show how its people development strategies have improved its performance and created a committed, motivated and effective workforce.
Diversity and Inclusion Award
Sponsored by University of Hull
This award recognises organisations for harnessing a truly diverse workforce that excels in their commitment to equality and inclusion across all strands of diversity. The category will cover excellence in all areas of diversity including age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, race and religion.
The judges will be looking for a vanguard in business that can demonstrate an effective inclusion and diversity strategy that goes beyond legal compliance and seeks to add value to an organisation, contributing to employee wellbeing and engagement.
Entries must demonstrate how the business has gone above and beyond their corporate social responsibility, shown commitment and dedication to equality, can exhibit positive results on the organisational culture and prove that they are a true champion of diversity and inclusion.
Enter here: www.HLBusinessawards.co.uk
Employee of the Year
Sponsored by ResQ
The Employee Of The Year Award has been designed to celebrate someone who really makes a difference to their business and who deserves recognition.
It might be someone whose attitude and example really stimulates all those around him or her. Equally, it could be someone who has overcome real difficulties, or someone who shows exceptional customer service.
Enter here: www.HLBusinessawards.co.uk
Start-up Business of the Year
Sponsored by MKM and Horncastle Group
This award will go to an organisation that:
- Has been established within the past two and a half years.
- Demonstrates evidence of entrepreneurship and/or innovation.
- Has defied challenging economic conditions to succeed, grow and thrive.
- Can evidence future growth potential.
Enter here: www.HLBusinessawards.co.uk
Business of the Year (up to 50 employees)
Sponsored by Connexin
This category is open to companies with fewer than 50 employees. The judges will be looking at all aspects of a company's performance, paying particular attention to:
- Managerial and financial performance.
- Evidence of success against targets set.
- Potential for growth.
- Long-term plans and company strategy.
- Product and service development.
- Staff training and development.
Entries should include financial performance, be it turnover, net profit, year-on-year performance.
All information will be treated in the strictest of confidence.
Enter here: www.HLBusinessawards.co.uk
Business of the Year (over 51 employees)
This category is open to companies with more than 51 employees. Judges will be looking at all aspects of company performance, paying particular attention to:
- Managerial and financial performance.
- Evidence of success against targets set.
- Long-term plans and company strategy.
- Product and service development.
- Staff training and development.
Entries should include financial performance, be it turnover, net profit, year-on-year performance.
All information will be treated in the strictest of confidence.
Enter here: www.HLBusinessawards.co.uk
Lifetime Contribution Award
Sponsored by Reach Recruitment
This accolade will be awarded to a key business person in the region who will be heralded for making positive, lasting differences to the local economy and community.
This is a closed category with no nomination process, the winner will be decided by the editor and the headline sponsor.
