Launch of the Thames Valley 250 Awards programme

The awards and event programme to celebrate Thames Valley 250 listing and the companies named on it has begun. The Business Magazine originally published the annual listing in the September/October issue of the magazine last year – the 11th edition.

The listing is sponsored by law firm Gateley Legal, accountancy and business advisory firm BDO, technology consultancy Parity, specialist IT services company Nouveau Solutions and Wealth Management firm Dowgate Wealth. It celebrates the top-performing 250 privately-owned businesses (by annual sales turnover) headquartered in the Thames Valley region. Companies on the listing have a combined sales of well over £25 billion and employ over 100,000 people.

At the top of the 250 tree once again is Westcoast, the IT products supplier based at Theale. The Westcoast product range spans across the whole IT, consumable software, and electrical spectrum. Westcoast is one of the UK’s great success stories, and it has outgunned Thames Water for yet another year – with sales approaching £2.8b.

Based at Reading, Thames Water, the UK’s largest water and waste-water company, remains at number two in the chart with Marlow-based Urenco, an international supplier of enrichment services and fuel cycle products for the civil nuclear industry, at three. At number four is CALA Group, the housebuilder, which was founded in 1875, and has built a reputation in the past 30 years for building premium homes with an emphasis on quality. With its head office at Wooburn Green, Bucks, CALA’s sales came in at £973.6 million.

The caterer and hospitality giant WSH completes the top five at £933m. WSH is the parent company for leading brands such as BaxterStorey and Benugo.

For many companies their position in the 250 reflects the pre-Covid period, with year-ends in 2019 before the pandemic struck. It remains to be seen how the companies will fare in this year’s list.

The listing programme will culminate in an exclusive private awards dinner at Easthampstead Park on 18 November – a night to celebrate the regions leading private companies, recognising outstanding achievement across six categories. All companies featured in the listing are now invited to enter nominations for these awards. 

Andrew Peddie, partner and office head for Gateley Legal in Reading said:

“Gateley Legal is proud to sponsor the Thames Valley 250 Awards for the fifth consecutive year. As legal and business advisers, we work with exceptional businesses that deliver growth, innovation, jobs and economic success. We are looking forward to being part of the 2021 awards which celebrate business success across our region.

“Regional businesses are the bedrock of strong economic growth and there are lots of opportunities for regional businesses to thrive. We would like to see the winners of the Fast Riser award demonstrate how they have risen to the challenge by being forward-thinking in their business or market.

“The CEO of the Year Award (under 50m) recognises the outstanding contributions made by chief executives in the Thames Valley region. We are looking for individuals who are role models within their organisation, exhibit qualities of extraordinary leadership, and have made a real impact throughout what has been a challenging year for everyone.

“Being shortlisted is a great motivator, a chance to take a moment to reflect on what has worked really well for your business. We all need moments of positive reflection wherever we are in our business journey. If you are thinking of submitting an entry, do it.”