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Alan writes articles on the corporate gifts industry for The Corporate Gifts Company

CARDIFF entrepreneur Shazia Awan has been named the UK’s best female Asian entrepreneur.

The 28-year-old took the prestigious title at the annual Asian Women of Achievement Awards at London’s Park Lane Hilton on Wednesday night.

Ms Awan was nominated following the success of her start-up company Peachy Pink. Its ladies anti-cellulite and body-shaping underwear range, PeachyBody, is now sold globally.

Having signed an initial distribution deal with Debenhams last year, Ms Awan has expanded her business into South Korea and is about to sell into the Czech Republic. She has strong ambitions for growth in the coming year and is confident of establishing a £5m turnover business.

The award ceremony was attended by 700 including Princess Michael of Kent and Princess Badiya El Hassan of Jordan.

Ms Awan said yesterday; “It was an absolute thrill to win this award and I’m grateful to the people who nominated me.

“It was amazing to think that the event was attended by royalty and leading politicians and great entrepreneurs like James Caan.

“It was a wonderful evening but the best thing was that my mum and dad, my sister and close friends, including Secretary of State for Wales, Cheryl Gillian, were there with me.”

Ms Awan was shortlisted alongside Jayshree Davé, founder and director of Pipaltree; Farnaz Khan, managing director, eResponse Media; Angela Malik, chef and patron, the Angela Malik School of food and wine and Geeta Sidhu-Robb, founder of Nosh Detox.

Ms Awan received her award from Home Secretary Theresa May.

Judges of the Asian Women of Achievement Awards – chaired by British Red Cross chief executive Sir Nicholas Young and with Cherie Blair as patron – said this year’s winners were some of the most outstanding individuals ever to be honoured in the programme’s 11-year history.

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A Walsall businessman who made a business worth more than a billion pounds after spotting a gap in the market has been named the top entrepreneur in the UK.

Richard Harpin, the chief executive of Homeserve, was given the nod at the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards in London on Monday night.

Homeserve – which offers emergency home insurance and domestic repair coverage – was started in 1993 as a joint venture between Mr Harpin and South Staffordshire water.

It now has a current market capitalisation of about £1.3 billion, with an annual turnover of £555 million and operating profits of £91 million, up 29 per cent on 2007.

From its headquarters in Walsall it oversees operations in the UK, Spain, France and the US. It is also planning to expand into Germany, Italy and the Benelux countries over the next year.

Judges at the event praised Mr Harpin, who started his first business tying flies for fishers as a schoolboy, as a naturally gifted entrepreneur.

He had to compete with dozens of other regional entrepreneurs.

Mr Harpin will now be entered in the World Entrepreneur Of The Year awards in Monte Carlo in May 2009.

AN ENTREPRENEUR who triumphed in the face of adversity has been recognised with a national accolade.

Andy West, from Horsham, won a bronze prize at the prestigious Barclays Trading Places Awards. His company Westie Bears will have the benefit of national publicity and over £1,000 of computer software.

Andy, 48, of Norfolk Road, said: “I am absolutely stunned at the moment – I am on cloud nine and to hear everyone’s stories was stunning.

“I didn’t expect to win anything. I just feel so happy for myself and for my family who support me all the way. But it is also recognition for my product, which is fantastic.”

Andy was presented with his prize by GMTV presenter Lorraine Kelly during a black tie dinner on October 7.

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Lisa Horne, whose company Healthy Paws supplies wholesome dog food with no preservatives or additives, won £100,000 in funding for her business in last year’s The Search competition.

Now Healthy Paws Puppy Complete, its holistic dog food launched in June, was named by the Pet Product Retail Association as its Best New Product 2008.

All Healthy Paws products have been developed to be healthy and nutritionally balanced They con-tain no artificial additives, preser-vatives or colours, and are free from wheat, soya and dairy products. Puppy Complete’s ingredients include rabbit, brown rice, oats and herbs with linseed and fresh salmon.

Ms Horne was presented with The Search award by Cherie Booth last December, winning £100,000 of unsecured business funding guaranteed by inter-national asset management com-pany Dominique Faversham Group and provided through Lloyds TSB.

She also won a tailored 12-month programme of coaching, expert professional advice and practical business assistance from companies that supported The Search, including GB Finance, Griffiths & Armour, Hill Dickin-son, KPMG, Lloyds TSB, Peak Marketing & Communication Ser-vices, and Windsors Motor Group.

Ms Horne said: “It was with huge delight that I opened the letter announcing that we had won this year’s Best New Product as it came completely out of the blue. I am extremely proud to have this accolade as it is an award that is voted for by the retail members of the PPRA.

“2008 has been a triumphant year for Healthy Paws. Winning The Search was a significant turning point and we plan to continue into 2009 with the same momentum.”

The PPRA awards were formed in 2005 to recognise and reward excellence within the pet industry.

The Retailer of the Year award is voted on by industry suppliers while PPRA members, who are all independent retailers within the pet industry, vote in the other categories.

PPRA chairman Simon Carr said: “PPRA Retailers feel that Healthy Paws supports the independent market with an excellent product that makes and keeps dogs healthy.”

Mix jewellery, hair wax and a little touch of glue and what do you get?
 
No, it’s not New Zealand’s version of Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
 
It’s the big night out in Auckland for business brains, the annual awards from Ernst and Young and the competition to be the entrepreneur of the year.
 
On Thursday night the judges of the awards announced the winner of 2008 to be jewellery mogul Michael Hill from Michael Hill International.

Hill won the overall Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year title, joining an elite alumni of past winners.

Hill was selected from a field of five entrepreneurs who were all named category winners last month.

The categories are products, services, technology, master entrepreneur and young entrepreneur.

It is “an absolute privilege to win this year’s Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year,” says Hill.

For part of the prize Hill will travel to Monte Carlo next year to compete with 50 others in the World Entrepreneur of the Year awards.

“I’m going to give it my best shot for New Zealand at the world awards in Monte Carlo,” he said.

Chairman of the judging panel, David Johnson, who is chief executive of Trends International and who won the inaugural Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 1998, said Hill ticks all the boxes.

“He’s achieved everything he set out to achieve but what impressed the judges most was a desire to keep setting and achieving goals,” Johnson said.

 

A BUDDING entrepreneur, who is registered blind, has scooped a regional award.

Adam Flavell, 17, from Bagillt is celebrating success after picking up the Sir John Moores Award at the Young Enterprise North West Final at Aintree Racecourse earlier this month.

Adam worked alongside fellow students from St. Vincent’s School for the Blind and Partially Sighted in Liverpool in creating a revolutionary new business, called VIP.

The company’s slogan, ‘Visually Impaired Products for Very Important People’, saw the young entrepreneurs produce menus for restaurants and cafes in Braille and large print.

Adam quickly became the driving force of the business and set up a website to promote its services.

Adam, who suffers from severe learning difficulties and has a severe speech impediment, was nominated for the award in recognition of the ‘excellent entrepreneurial skills’ that he displayed while taking part in the Young Enterprise Team Programme.

Adam also impressed business banking specialist Peter Johnson, who has invited the young Flintshire entrepreneurs and his fellow VIP directors to a finance meeting at HSBC in Old Swan, to talk about getting VIP off the ground.

The victory has come as part of a remarkable run of success for Adam, who also won the Liverpool Achiever of the Year Award in April 2008.

Teresa Maloney, programme manager for Young Enterprise, which is the UK’s largest business and enterprise education charity, said: “Adam was reluctant to take part in Team Programme at first but soon showed excellent leadership skills.

“His innovative approach and friendly manner made him the prime choice for this prestigious award.

“With customers from the private and public sectors, VIP is going from strength to strength and with the support of link teacher Heather Douglas and volunteer business adviser Helen Thomas from United Utilities, the directors have ambitious plans to develop their unique company.”

Adam’s father, Stephen Totty, 51, said: “I am so pleased he won an award. He is very dedicated and determined and he has never let his disability hold him back.

“I am very proud of what he has achieved and it was great to see him up there on the night dressed to the nines.”

The UK Young Design Entrepreneur Award is the newest award in the British Council’s Young Creative Entrepreneur programme.

Created by the British Council in partnership with the Cultural Leadership Foundation, the award recognises the potential of an individual, aged between 25 and 35, working within the design industry, to be a future leader of the sector in the UK, and indeed internationally.

The winner of the award and two runners-up will visit India in early 2009, to find out about India’s design industry, meet leading industry figures, and learn, first hand, about the dynamics of the sector and how business is done there.

There are now nine international awards, for young creative entrepreneurs in the communications, design, fashion, interactive, music, performing arts, publishing, screen and visual arts sectors.

The breadth of these awards ensures that all of the creative industries are covered by this programme.

UKYDE is one of nine awards for young creative entrepreneurs that are being developed by the British Council with support from NESTA, the Cultural Leadership Programme, trade associations and professional bodies within the creative sector.

Dowload an application form here.

West Midlands PR director Ranbir Sahota has picked up a prestigious award for women’s enterprise at a ceremony held in Birmingham.

Ms Sahota, director of Vitis Public Relations in Solihull, scooped the regional Ethnic Minority Business Woman of the year title in the 2008 Prowess Awards held at the Hyatt Regency.

“Winning this award is a fantastic accolade,” said Ms Sahota. “I am very proud to be amongst the fabulous business women who were nominated for this award and who are making a real difference to the UK today.”

The Prowess awards, now in their fourth year, celebrate people who contribute to the growth of women’s enterprise throughout the UK.

Winners include inspirational businesswomen who support and motivate others, the business support advisers and mentors who provide exemplary advice and encouragement and the researchers and journalists who support the sector through compelling and progressive ideas.

Ms Sahota started her company, a virtual PR company for the technology sector, after moving from London to the West Midlands in 2006. She noticed a gap in the market for PR services for the growing number of technology companies based in the West Midlands.

Prowess executive director Erika Watson said: “We received over 300 nominations, many of which were of an exceptionally high standard.  Ranbir is to be strongly congratulated for her achievement.”

Jackie Brierton, director of the Birmingham-based Women’s Enterprise Centre of Expertise (WECOE) who sponsored the award category said: “Ranbir is a great role model for West Midlands women. She has drawn on the strengths of our regional economy to create and grow a dynamic cutting-edge business.” 

Judges at the awards included leading women entrepreneurs Penny Newman of Café Direct, chief executive of Nichols Employment Agency Joy Nichols and founder of the SEED Women’s Enterprise Network Lynne Franks.

Ms Franks said: “The sense of empowerment that is achieved by becoming an entrepreneur is life changing and these awards celebrate all those who are inspiring and supporting women to achieve that goal.

“Encouraging women to reach their full potential in business and life is an on-going passion of mine”

Other winners were:
Business Support Professional of the Year:  Ellen Kerr, Co-Director of the Women in Business for Merseyside Project;
Business Mentor of the Year: Elain Owen, Managing Director, Designated Associates ;
Outstanding Contribution to Women’s Enterprise Development: Sally Goodsell, Chief Executive, Finance South East Ltd (Sponsored by HSBC);
Inspirational Business Mum: Karen Mattison, Director, Women Like Us (Sponsored by Yell.com);
Women in SET Enterprise: Jeanette Forbes, Managing Director, PCL Group  (Sponsored by the UK Resource Centre for Women in SET)
Female Social Entrepreneur: Karen Mattison, Director, Women Like Us (Sponsored by the Office of the Third Sector)
Inspirational Woman: Suzanne Liversidge, Managing Partner of Sheffield Office, Halliwells LLP (Sponsored by WEConnect)
Ethnic Minority Business Woman (National): Lisa Tse, Director, Sweet Mandarin (Sponsored by the WECOE, which is supported by Advantage West Midlands);
Ethnic Minority Business Woman (West Midlands): Ranbir Sahota, Director, Vitis Public Relations (Sponsored by the West Midlands Women’s Enterprise Centre which is supported by Advantage West Midlands)
Women’s Enterprise Researcher of the Year: Dr Rebecca Harding, Managing Director of Delta Economics 
Press Award: Margaret Heffernan, for ‘Changing the rules? BBC Radio 4