Solent 250 Awards highlight the region’s top performers
Solent 250 companies provide a hefty economic contribution to the region and the best-of-the-best were honoured at the ninth annual Solent 250 Awards. Held at the Harbour Hotel & Spa in Southampton, the awards celebrate the achievements of the region’s top privately-owned businesses (by sales turnover) headquartered in the Solent region.
Richard Thompson, Managing Director of The Business Magazine, said: “This year’s Solent 250 employs more than 96,000 people and generates a turnover of just under £18 billion. The listing is a testament to the vibrancy of the region we live and work in.”
The Solent 250 listing is compiled by The Business Magazine and sponsored by HSBC UK, Irwin Mitchell, RSM UK, University of Southampton Business School, Vail Williams and CMA Recruitment Group.
Two guest speakers from HSBC shared their expert thoughts on the current state of play with generative artificial intelligence (AI). Roland Emmans, who heads up the bank’s Technology Sector & Growth Lending Teams, outlined why AI is a key component of the fourth industrial revolution.
Despite some trepidation about the direction AI may take humanity, this is a “fantastic time for people to start using this technology,” believes Mark McDonald, Head of Data Science and Analytics for HSBC Global Research.
The Solent 250 winners, announced during the Awards dinner, were:
International Business of the Year
Winner: Neal's Yard Remedies
Winning the award is a true honour and a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone at Neal's Yard Remedies. We are proud to be recognised for the successful integration of our vision of natural and organic health and beauty into multiple global markets, as well as our commitment to sustainable, ethical practices on a global scale. We look forward to continuing to make a positive impact globally." Anabel Kindersley, Co-Owner
Finalists:
• Captec
Entrepreneurial Business of the Year
Winner: PVC Building Supplies
"We have a strong history of listening to everyone in the company and embracing the ideas they come forward with. One example was the suggestion to move to a nightshift system for picking and loading supplies for plumbers at large building sites. To our knowledge, that is unique in our sector. We began with a branch in Southampton and opened another in Kent five years ago. This year, we opened a Huntingdon branch that can do more business than the other two put together, and I am about to sign a lease on a site in Bristol. We are on a faster growth track than I expected and a lot of that is down to our team, where Managing Director Steve Davies plays a key role." Spencer Wright, Owner
Finalists:
• Airsys
CEO of the Year
Joint winner: Gary Orr – Abri
"We are a large organisation and a complex business, like any other, but as a housing association we bridge the dimension between having a commercial head and a social heart. We are careful in the way we steer the business so the next generation of colleagues will be able to continue providing services to our customers. We have a workforce of about 1,600 and a track record of improving our talent. Many have worked their way up through the business and now hold senior positions. The best thing about my job is being able to lead a talented and motivated workforce that does great things and ensures our customers have high quality, affordable housing across the south of England." Gary Orr, Chief Executive
Joint winner: Mark Langford – Breeze Motor Company
“I think that what makes a good CEO is to be selfless, have humility, listen, accept you have people around you that are far better at certain things than you and never be threatened by that. Learn every day, have fun, be empathetic, make bold decisions, be accountable and – the most important thing for me – have unwavering integrity. The motor trade is a challenging environment and has always been a good barometer for the economy. We have faced many challenges over the past three years with the pandemic, difficult vehicle supply restrictions and challenging economic predictions all at a time when we have diversified and grown our business. All of this puts huge emphasis on the importance of strong leadership and I am fortunate to have a management team that has risen to the challenge. As business leaders, our role is to challenge, push, pull, reward, mentor, encourage and coach but above all else, communicate clearly and listen.” Mark Langford, Managing Director
Finalists:
• Bill Bullen – Utilita
• Brian Cooney – Canford Healthcare
• Martin Flick - Onecom
• Spencer McCarthy – Churchill Retirement Living
Business Culture Award
Winner: Apollo Motor Group
"Changing the culture of our people has been a long journey for us. As a family-owned business, we don't think of them as employees but as part of that family. We try and do lots of things that make a real difference for them, like giving everyone their birthday off. We have a strong communications ethos, with weekly calls involving all of our 20 sites. These are not just about making sure we are delivering performance but also finding out what we need to do so we can improve together. Attention to staff welfare is another important aspect of our culture. We carry out 2,500 car repairs a month, so our business is very much about selling labour. We have 400 staff and only eight positions are currently open. A key part of our customer focus is to contact every customer to ask how the experience was for them and learn from this to make ourselves better." Graham Eyles, CEO
Finalists:
• FatFace
Growth Story of the Year
Winner: Portsmouth Aviation
"Our growth rate has exceeded our expectations. We have achieved this by investing over a number of years in our plant and people, looking at new overseas markets, entering partnerships, moving into sustainability and expanding our engineering skills. We have introduced lean management and supply chain improvement initiatives that help us to focus on delivery, performance and quality. We keep everyone up to speed by communicating with our teams three times a week. We are also diversifying into humanitarian and environmental solutions, particularly in the Middle East." Simon Escott, Managing Director
Finalists:
Leadership Team of the Year
Winner: FatFace
"If you don't have a people-centric organisation you will always struggle. Our management team has to be in tune with that. We are very 'low ego' – we work closely with all our teams, having collaborative conversations, not issuing diktats from the top. Knowing your brand and how it can operate and knowing its limitations and where the opportunities are is essential. If you achieve a balance between these things, then you should get good financial growth. Another of our strategies is to 'fail fast' – we trial and test products with consumers and if they don't work, we learn quickly and move on. Given the recent economic uncertainty, it has not been easy to be flexible in our product development but we are starting to get there again. Sustainability is also at the heart of everything we do. We are always trying to control our impact on the environment and to do business in the right way." Will Crumbie, CEO; Nick Stevenson, Trading Director; Kate Brown, Product Director
Finalists:
• Onecom
