Finalists revealed for Swansea Bay Awards
THE best in business and entrepreneurship across the Swansea Bay City Region can be revealed. The finalists for this year’s Swansea Bay Business Awards include established businesses to entrepreneurs in the early stages of their careers.
The winners will be announced at black tie awards event at Swansea’s Brangwyn Hall on March 6.
From the 14 category winners the overall Business of the Year will be revealed at the awards dinner.
A special Lifetime Achievement Award will also made on the evening to an individual demonstrating an outstanding contribution to business and the region’s wider economy.
Journalist and TV presenter Frances Donovan will compere on the night and the event will include special guest speaker Helena Langdon, head of digital and communities at Innocent.
As head of digital and communities at Innocent, it’s Ms Langdon’s job to talk to people on the internet.
Ms Langdon leads Innocent’s digital and customer service team, and does everything from writing tweets on the train to writing and producing campaigns across digital, outdoor and on TV, to dealing with serious (and ridiculous) customer service issues, and pretty much everything else in between.
She also takes the credit for creating the #DogsAtPollingStations hashtag on Twitter – so she says she’s pretty sure her career is all downhill from there!
Ms Langdon’s presentation will look to shed an entertaining light on Innocent’s approach to social media and customer service, illustrating how a willingness to communicate openly and naturally with the people who buy their goods has proved invaluable to Innocent’s digital success.
It will also show you how to make a stapler go viral – “It’s worth coming along for that, if nothing else,” says Ms Langdon.
Overall sponsors again this year are Bevan Buckland. Category sponsors include Gower College, NPTC Group of Colleges, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Development Bank of Wales and HMT Sancta Maria, Swansea Bay Business Club, Homestore Interiors and Openreach.
Alison Vickers, from overall sponsor of the awards Bevan and Buckland, was joined on the judging panel by Megan Colbeck, head of planning and supply chain at last year’s Business of the Year Cyden; Danni Watts-Jones, the 2019 winner of Women of the Year at the Women in Business Awards; and Chris Pyke, editor of Swansea Bay Business Life.
Ms Vickers said: “This is Bevan Buckland’s
second year as the event’s main sponsor and again it was an honour to be a judge for the awards. It proved just as difficult to choose the nominees this year, with the standard of the nominations being incredibly high. What particularly impressed me was the growth and success shown by all the nominees.
“Swansea Bay continues to be an exciting place to do business with so many high quality organisations based within the region. Bevan Buckland is proud to be situated within the heart of Swansea Bay and to be part of the region’s growth and success.”
Ms Colbeck added: “As last year’s winner of this award it was a privilege to be asked to join the judging panel. The shortlist was surprising in both the diversity and quality of the applicants which made deciding the eventual winner a particularly difficult choice.”
Mr Pyke said the event is now a huge date in the calendar for the Swansea Bay region and gives a real opportunity to champion the businesses that are thriving in this region.
Tickets are available at £70 each, which includes a three-course meal, live entertainment and the awards. For all event and ticket inquiries, please contact Regional Events Manager, Isabel Goodman, on 01792 545511 or isabel. goodman@mediawales.co.uk
THE FINALISTS:
Social Enterprise Award, sponsored by Openreach
■ Bee 1
■ Burns Pet Nutrition Ltd
■ Cymdeithas Caer Las
Green Business of the Year
■ Clenergy EV
■ Midas Mead
■ Power and Water
Entrepreneur of the Year, sponsored by NPTC Group of Colleges
■ Cameron Reardon @ Bug Box UK
■ Imad Khalid @ Trimology
■ Sarah NcNena @ Drop Bear Beer Co
International Trade Business of the Year
■ Atlas AV
■ CDSM Interactive Ltd
Best Business Start-Up
■ Bosco’s Holistic Pantry
■ Drop Bear Beer Co
■ Web Marketer
Young Business Person of the Year, sponsored by University of Wales
Trinity St David
■ Cameron Reardon @ Bug Box UK
■ Danielle Davies @The Mama Collection
■ Michaela Bennett @ Work Wales
■ Ross Jones @ Ouma
Tired
Apprenticeship Development
■ Pisys.net
■ RDM Electrical & Mechanical Services
Manufacturing Business of the Year
■ AB Glass
■ MMEngineering
■ Victorian Sliders
Tourism & Hospitality Business of the Year
■ JR Events & Catering
■ Margam Park
■ Plantasia
Innovation Award, sponsored by HMT Sancta Maria
■ CPR Global Tech
■ NetBop
■ Power and Water
Family Business of the Year, sponsored by the Development Bank of Wales
■ Gavin Griffiths Recycling Ltd
■ Kardomah Cafe
■ LBS Builders Merchants
■ Oldwalls Collection
Business
of
the
Year
0-25 employees,sponsored by Hometore Interiors
■ Inspire Training
■ Lens360
■ Tough Runner UK
■ Vortex IoT
Business of the Year 26-149 employees, sponsored by JCP Solicitors
■ CDSM Interactive Ltd
■ Character.com
■ Low Cost Vans
Business of the Year 150-plus employees, sponsored by Gower College, Swansea
■ Castell Howell
■ LBS Builders Merchants
■ M&D Care