{"id":242840,"date":"2021-11-19T08:41:12","date_gmt":"2021-11-19T08:41:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businessmag.co.uk\/?p=242840"},"modified":"2022-11-08T09:07:26","modified_gmt":"2022-11-08T09:07:26","slug":"thames-valley-250-winners-underline-strength-of-the-regions-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thebusinessmagazine.co.uk\/companies\/thames-valley-250-winners-underline-strength-of-the-regions-businesses\/","title":{"rendered":"Thames Valley 250: Award winners underline strength of the region\u2019s businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Winners of the 12th annual Thames Valley 250 awards have been celebrated at a special dinner. Overall, the 250 businesses in the listing employ well over 100,000 people and their combined sales exceed \u00a326 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hosting the awards ceremony, Richard Thompson, Managing Director of Black Ox, publisher of awards organiser The Business Magazine<\/em>, commented: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is one of the most important regions in the UK in terms of contribution to the economy. It has proved resilient in the past 18 months as businesses were forced to adapt almost overnight to new working practices, including limited contact with colleagues and client alike.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The listing comprises the top privately-owned businesses (by turnover) headquartered in the region, which is defined as Oxfordshire, Berkshire, West Surrey, North Hampshire, and parts of Buckinghamshire. The awards returned after being postponed in 2020 owing to Covid-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guest speaker Mat Lintern, Global CEO at MMR Research Worldwide, gave an enlightening run-through of how his company had handled Covid-19 and adapted as a result. Many in the room agreed with his comment that the pandemic had been a change agent, with new technology driving different ways of working. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One message he has emphasised to his staff is \"be responsive and we will trust you\". Lintern added that when MMR recently polled staff about what mattered most to them the top three answers were sustainability, diversity and mental health - priorities not directly connected with the bottom line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Thames Valley 250<\/a> is sponsored by BDO<\/strong><\/a>, Gateley Legal<\/strong><\/a>, Nouveau Solutions<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>and Dowgate Wealth<\/strong><\/a>. The awards were held at Easthampstead Park<\/a>, Wokingham, on 18 November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the winners are\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CEO of the Year (over \u00a350m) \u2013 sponsored by Gateley Legal<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Winner: Harmeet \u2018Sunny\u2019 Ahuja, Sun Mark<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe tried to adapt as quickly as possible to the changing environment. Our experience of Covid-19 didn\u2019t begin with the first UK lockdown: we started to see it when business in China was cancelled. For us, it was a question of asking how we can best carry on because everything is not okay. It became so much more about planning and forecasting. We were constantly changing our plans, for example, some product routes became pointless during the pandemic. We had to think harder about what we do so we continue to be the best we can be.\u201d Harmeet \u2018Sunny\u2019 Ahuja<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judge\u2019s comments: \u201cThe winner has helped grow his family business from a relatively small FMCG distribution business to one which now has a presence in over 110 countries and is flying the flag for the best of Britain. Through his leadership, the company has achieved an impressive \u00a3130m turnover and most recently secured a management backed investment to take the business to its next phase of growth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finalists:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Arun Bala, invenioLSI<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Jeremy Nash, Centerprise International<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Simon Thake, Rebound Technology Group<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CEO of the Year (under \u00a350m) \u2013 sponsored by Gateley Legal<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Winner: Sean Taylor, Redwood Technologies<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have always relied on having a close team who get on well together. During the pandemic, we kept the connection with video stand-up meetings first thing each morning. Ironically, this brought teams closer together and it makes you more aware of everything that\u2019s going on across the business. But we found we missed human contact so now we\u2019re mixing things up, with people coming in two or three days a week. I don\u2019t always expect to see high productivity - interconnectivity is also important. We are hiring aggressively, increasing our headcount by about 20%-30% per year, but after the culture change we have seen in the business I can\u2019t see us going back to the old ways of working.\u201d Sean Taylor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judge\u2019s comments: \u201cThe winner has enjoyed tremendous growth over recent years, driven by the increasing adoption of cloud services by enterprise and the public sector. A dominant player in the UK market, he now has his sights set firmly on the US with a growth strategy in place aimed a turnover of \u00a31bn in five years\u2019 time. He is a pillar of the Thames Valley community and serves with numerous charitable and voluntary organisations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finalists:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 William Barrett, Francis Construction<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Stephen Brazier, Aquinna Homes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Andrew Brimson, KHIPU<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fast Riser Award \u2013 sponsored by Gateley Legal<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Winner: Rebound Technology Group<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt has been a fabulous last 18 months for the business but we have gone through a difficult time with Covid-19. We were not used to people working from home but everyone has come through this and have all worked hard. That is the reason why we are where we are today. A threefold increase in turnover was a mix of pandemic-led demand and a lot of it relates to the new customers we have developed over the last few years. This has given us momentum and we have added almost 100 staff in the last year because we knew we had to invest in people to keep growing. All this investment is now bearing fruit.\u201d Steve Madley, Managing Director<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judge\u2019s comments: \u201cThe winner has recently tripled its turnover following a boom in sales. Its growth was fuelled by the pandemic, as customers around the world demanded its products just in time. However, it was their quality and service that separated them from the competition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finalists:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 CV Library <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Southern Communications <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Vanderbilt<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Innovation Award \u2013 sponsored by BDO<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Winner: Xtrac<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"The automotive industry is currently in a transition period from internal combustion engines to hybrids and electric vehicles. As a transmission supplier, we are right at the forefront of that transition. A lot of our work is on electric vehicles for motorsport or high-performance cars and in 2020 we received a Queen\u2019s Award for Innovation for our lightweight electric vehicle gearbox. Our work didn\u2019t stop during the pandemic and our factory stayed open. Motorsports paused for a few months, but Formula One and NASCAR in the US soon came back. We also scaled up our production capability to make thousands of components for Covid-19 ventilators.\u201d Adrian Moore, CEO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judge\u2019s comments: \u201cOur winner scored strongly in all areas, demonstrating their passion for innovation, and providing evidence of successful innovative projects, with both short- and long-term objectives. Not only have they made an impact within their own industry, but they\u2019ve also shown remarkable agility and compassion, helping in the fight against Covid-19 by providing masks to local care homes and participating in the Ventilator Challenge UK initiative.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finalists:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Centerprise International<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Roc Technologies<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Ticketer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

International Business Award \u2013 sponsored by BDO<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Winner: invenioLSI<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"We have invested in growth, especially in the US with a major acquisition that has enhanced the business. We immediately won three or four public sector customers there and we are also expanding in the Middle East and across the globe. Our focus during the pandemic has been on our staff and it has always been on employee care, especially through our academy. Our philosophy is to invest in people and engage with customers.\u201d Arun Bala, Group CEO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judge\u2019s comments: \u201cThe winner has a proven track record in their international markets, demonstrating strong growth and high performance, and are becoming the clear market leader in their field. This vision-driven organisation ensures consistency in quality with a robust recruitment process that invests in staff development, as proven by the implementation of their academy and ensuring a clear progression path for each employee.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finalists:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 ESP Global Services<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 KHIPU<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Rebound Technology Group<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 RH Amar<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Sun Mark<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Special Recognition Award \u2013 sponsored by Nouveau<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Winner: BAP Pharma<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\"My priority has been to continuously motivate staff. We have had to think of new ways of doing this and making ourselves accessible. And we have looked for alternative solutions to grow the business during the pandemic. For example, with many countries taking a nationalist approach and not sharing vaccines we have had to look for different markets, including the Far East and Latin America. We have introduced two new divisions to the business and achieved record growth of 50% last year. We are looking to grow 40% next year.\u201d Bashir Parkar, Founder<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judge\u2019s comments: \u201cWe were very impressed with their overall strategy and leadership quality and skills were demonstrated across the business. In a highly compliant and regulated industry, they demonstrated a clear vision to build trust with their customers and look for solutions with customer excellence as their end goal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finalists:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Blue Sky Intermodal<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Southern Communications<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Xeretec<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Xtrac<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Owner-managed Business \u2013 sponsored by Dowgate Wealth<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Winner: Redwood Technologies<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSupporting the local community has been a key driver since the very beginning for me. There\u2019s always time pressure at work and outside work but I have always wanted to do something in the voluntary space. I think for our younger staff this is also a really big thing. It\u2019s what we look for on job applicant resum\u00e9s. It ticks a box for us as volunteering is part of the company ethos. It\u2019s an easy win because it is so important to many people today.\u201d Sean Taylor, CEO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judge\u2019s comments: \u201cSean Taylor and his team have done a fantastic job over the last 25 years of growth through their hard work. They also do a tremendous amount for the local community, so very much deserved the owner-managed business award.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finalists:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Blue Apple Contract Catering<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 KHIPU<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leadership Team of the Year \u2013 sponsored by Dowgate Wealth<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Winner: Sun Mark<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe pandemic forced a lot of things to happen more quickly than expected. We pulled in a lot of new IT as soon as possible. An SAP implementation was also going on and we had a mass outbreak of Covid-19 at the company. We had to get people trained in new technology as fast as we could so we could carry on working. And it made us realise that we could no longer work the way we used to. In addition, we had been working on a major investment as my family sold the business. One of the key things for me has always been helping everyone to fulfil their potential.\u201d Harmeet \u2018Sunny\u2019 Ahuja, CEO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judge\u2019s comments: \u201cWe were fascinated to hear about how Sunny Ahuja and his team had dealt with Covid-19 lockdowns at a time when they were putting in all their new systems. We think Sunny should be recognised for his great leadership style.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finalists:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Centerprise International <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 invenioLSI<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Reading Transport<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Xtrac  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Winners of the 12th annual Thames Valley 250 awards have been celebrated at a special dinner. Overall, the 250 businesses […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":242872,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[32028,34670,45,34705],"taxonomy":[37432,37431],"listing_catagory":[35342],"acf":[],"category_names":["Business News"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebusinessmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242840"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebusinessmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebusinessmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebusinessmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebusinessmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=242840"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thebusinessmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242840\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebusinessmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/242872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebusinessmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=242840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebusinessmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=242840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebusinessmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=242840"},{"taxonomy":"taxonomy","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebusinessmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/taxonomy?post=242840"},{"taxonomy":"listing_catagory","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebusinessmagazine.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/listing_catagory?post=242840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}