Member Article

Annual search for 2016’s best family businesses underway

This year’s search to find the Midlands’ best family businesses and their leaders has begun, as entries for the seventh Midlands Family Business Awards open this week.

The Awards are the Midlands’ only initiative dedicated to celebrating and recognising the region’s family run and owned enterprises, and launched with a drinks reception at Derbyshire’s spectacular Donington Hall on Wednesday 18th May.

The full line-up of categories and their sponsors and supporters were unveiled by the Awards’ organisers’ The Wilson Organisation at the event.

Entries for the 2016 Awards are free, can be made via the Awards website www.familybusinessawards.co.uk, and open on Monday 23rd May 2016 until the 18th July.

Family business Bonnington Plastics is headline sponsor of the 2016 Awards and its flagship Midlands Family Business of the Year award.

The ten categories for 2016 are:

Family Business of the Year – sponsored by Bonnington Plastics

Best Small Family Business – sponsored by Bedrock Tax

Director of the Year – sponsored by RSA

Employer of the Year – sponsored by Royal London

Fastest Growing Family Business – sponsored by PwC

Manufacturing Excellence

Service Excellence

Including three all-new categories added for 2016:

Entrepreneur of the Year – sponsored by Barclays

Best Use of Digital

Corporate Social Responsibility.

Brand new for 2106 is the People’s Choice Award sponsored by Streets LLP. The new Award will see all finalists that are shortlisted in the Awards ten judged categories automatically entered into the People’s Choice Award, with the overall Winner and Highly Commended businesses decided purely by public vote.

Speaking at the launch event, Charlotte Perkins, MD of The Wilson Organisation, said:

“The Awards are now very well established on the Midlands’ awards calendar, and last year attracted entries from an impressive and diverse range of family run and owned businesses.

“The Midlands Family Business Awards are a truly unique, independent, not-for-profit initiative in the region that recognise and celebrate the work and achievements of family owned businesses and their leaders. Year-on-year, the Awards grow in strength, popularity and awareness – they bring together a network of 1,000 family businesses that is also an incredible community of individuals and businesses all with one common goal: to raise awareness of the contribution the family business sector makes both in the Midlands and nationally, and to reward and acknowledge their work, successes and sustainability.

“As their organisers, we continue to strive to build on the Awards’ amazing legacy and incredible support, and this year is no exception with a number of new ideas and a simplified entry process, details of which will be unveiled at our launch.

“As a not for profit set of Awards we are indebted to the support of our sponsors, without whom the Awards would simply not be possible.”

Ian Fisher, Managing Director of Bonnington Plastics, who won the Director of the Year title in 2015, added: “The family and business are proud to be taking a lead role in The Midlands Family Business Awards in 2016, and to helping other family business gain recognition for their achievements.”

Guests at the Awards’ launch event included family business owners from across the Midlands, past Awards’ finalists and winners, as well as this year’s judges, sponsors and supporters.

Prior to the launch, guests were treated to a tour of the Norton Factory as guest of Norton’s MD Stuart Garner, a member of the Awards’ independent judging panel.

For updates, follow @FamilyBizAwards on Twitter and for more information about the Awards, the categories, how to enter, sponsors and judges, visit: www.familybusinessawards.co.uk.

For more information contact: Wilsons’ Ped Briggs: pbriggs@wilorg.com or on 0115 942 7506.

Now in their seventh year, the Awards are organised by their founder Nottingham insurance and financial solutions firm The Wilson Organisation, itself a third generation family business. Since their launch in 2010, the Awards have raised over £20,000 for charities supporting young people and enterprise.

For more information about the Awards’ founder The Wilson Organisation, visit: www.wilorg.com, or Tel: 0115 942 0111.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Midlands Family Business Awards .