The Member categories for the Chamber Awards 2006 are:
For information about the award categories for Accredited Chambers please visit the Accredited Chamber section of this website
Microsoft Award for Innovation Through Technology
Is your business technology-led? Do you always look to IT to solve problems and increase efficiency? If so, this is the award for you! The judging panel will be looking at the industry that the business operates in, what new technology has been implemented and the issue or goal that it addressed, and the impact that the technology has had on all aspects of the business.
Most Promising New Business
If your business has been operating for three years or less, why not enter the Most Promising New Business award? Entrants will be asked to provide details of how the company has performed and what its future projections are. You will also be asked to explain the background to the business, the markets it operates in, the business vision and the research that was undertaken when the business was in development. By doing so you could receive the reward you deserve for successfully setting up your business.
Skills and Workforce Development
This award will be given to the company that demonstrates excellence in its approach to workforce development. Entrants will be asked to demonstrate why workforce development and training is important to the organisation, how training needs and skills requirements are assessed, and the direct benefit gained by both individuals and the organisation.
Business Commitment to the Community
Does your business have schemes, initiatives or policies which have a positive impact on your local community or environment? Whether you provide employment opportunities for local students, support a local charity or contribute towards community recycling schemes, make sure you enter! Entrants in this category must employ 250 people or less.
Business of the Year
The Business of the Year award will be given to the company that demonstrates all-round excellence in business. The judging will focus on financial performance and future objectives, the competitive advantage of the business, and will especially look at examples of specific strategies which have driven business growth. If your business achievements are impressive then this award is for you.
Entrepreneur of the Year
This is the award for an individual who has been instrumental in the success of a business. It will take into consideration the overall business performance of the business over the last three years, what the entrepreneur believes makes them different, and their vision for the future of the business. So if you stand out from the crowd and think you've got what it takes to be Entrepreneur of the Year, enter now!
Exporter of the Year
Does your business have a history of exporting products and services abroad? Or have you recently set up an export operation that has had a profound effect on sales? Enter this award and provide evidence of the export strategies that were developed, examples of how your products and services have been tailored for export markets, strategies for overcoming language and cultural differences, and how your company has been structured to deal with export trade.
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Chamber Awards 2006 Judging Panel
The national judging panel for the Chamber Awards 2006 includes:
Professor Stephen Hagen, Chairman of the Chamber Awards 2006 Judging Panel
Professor Stephen Hagen is Director of the Mercia Institute of Enterprise, an entrepreneurial partnership of nine West Midlands Universities and three University Colleges, based at Warwick University and funded by the UK Government’s Science Enterprise Challenge.
The Mercia Institute has the mission to encourage enterprise and entrepreneurship across the nine universities and university colleges. The Institute is organised in two groups; the Enterprise Group, which focuses on technology transfer and spin-outs; and the Education Group, which develops innovative Enterprise curricular at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Professor Hagen was Chairman of the 13 UK Science Enterprise Centres Network (UKSEC), which includes the Oxford Enterprise Centre, and the Cambridge Entrepreneurship Centre from December 2001 to February 2003.
Professor Hagen’s research area is business language and international trade, in which he has a Personal Chair. He has also co-founded two small businesses and has been an adviser to British Trade International and is a member of the Advantage Technology Fund of venture capitalists, and the Regional Finance Forum.
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