Open to companies of all sizes from across the member states, this Award will go to the organisation that can best demonstrate exceptional financial returns, strong growth and innovative strategies, plus market leadership in its sector. Good ethics are key and the judges here look at strategy, future growth plans and the company’s workforce. This accolade reflects all the qualities that constitute good business in Europe today. In a word, excellence.

“It is both an onerous and honourable task to judge the Business of the Year Award. The judges have to make sure this award really does go to the crème de la crème of European enterprises as the winner is perceived immediately as a European, if not global, benchmark of good business practice.” Philip Forrest, Chairman of the judges.

2009 Winner:
Q-Cells SE – Germany

Ruban d’Honneur Recipients:
AT4 wireless S.A. – Spain
Bank Pekao SA (Bank Polska Kasa Opieki SA) – Poland
beCogent Limited – UK
Asseco Slovakia, a.s. – Slovakia
Hallin Marine Subsea International Plc – UK
IDE Group – Scotland
Q-Cells SE – Germany
Sotheby’s International Realty France – France
StepStone – UK
TelecityGroup – UK

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This Award will go to the outstanding individual who can best demonstrate exceptional vision and leadership in the establishment and development of an owner-led business. The judges will look for clear identification of the market opportunity, an innovative approach and evidence of strong financial performance in terms of sales and profit growth.

Entrepreneurship, particularly for the European economy, is a key source of jobs, business dynamism and innovation. The people in this category show incredible verve, flair, tenacity and aplomb in business. They come from a variety of industries, backgrounds and countries. Whether they are running a technology company, a recruitment firm or a marketing enterprise – one thing makes them stand out from the crowd – the will to succeed.

On top of the hunger for success, judges expect to see exceptional vision and leadership in establishing and developing their own businesses. They will look for clear identification of the market opportunity, an innovative approach and evidence of strong financial performance, in terms of both sales and profit growth.

2009 Winner:
Duncan Goose, Global Ethics Limited – UK

Ruban d’Honneur Recipients:
ACE Enterprise Slovakia – Slovakia
BrewDog – UK
Europa Technologies Limited – UK
Gameloft – France
Global Ethics Ltd – UK
MENDEZ CHAIN SL- NIGHTBRA – Spain
Secusmart GmbH – Germany
TelecityGroup – UK
Wonga.com – UK
Bacterfield OU – Estonia

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This Award will go to the organisation that can best demonstrate a proven ability to create, grow and develop innovations or processes that substantially improve the commercial performance or prospects of the company. The application can be based on the development of a specific project.

As examples entrants in the 2008 programme were running projects as diverse as staff empowerment programmes and Internet-controlled home security systems. Company size does not matter here; it’s pure innovation in business that impresses the judges.

Innovation is one of the three pillars of the European Business Awards, alongside excellence and ethics, and with good reason. Without the continuing high levels of innovation showcased at the Awards Programme every year there would be little chance for pan-European business to promote their thought leadership and their originality; and in revealing their innovative business ideas and practices, it is hoped others are encouraged to be bolder in business.

2009 Winner:
Tennant Company – Belgium

Ruban d’Honneur Recipients:
B & K Timber Structures – UK
Centre of Registers & Information Systems – Estonia
Dexxon Groupe Holding – France
FreeFlow – Ireland
Honeywell – The Netherlands
Imooty Ltd. & Co. KG – Germany
Intelligent Energy – UK
Nunwood – UK
SES ASTRA S.A. – Luxembourg
Tennant Company – Belgium

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Open to all companies, this Award will go to the organisation that best demonstrates that it has the customer at the heart of its business and organises and manages its resources to most effectively meet the needs of its customer base.

It’s a very common claim that the business put the customer first. Marketing slogans employing the word ‘customer’ are all too familiar. And while customer relationship management moved from buzzword to business strategy years ago, this category aims to unearth enterprises that really do put the customer first.

All the Ruban d’Honneur recipients in this category have proved that if your product proposition is good and you focus on delivering exceptional service to your clients, then your level of repeat and referral business increases significantly, leading to increased financial rewards.

2009 Winner:
Air Berlin Plc – Germany

Ruban d’Honneur Recipients:
Air Berlin PLC – Germany
Carteco S.A. – Greece
Dell – Ireland
Deutsche Telekom Kundenservice GmbH – Germany
Estonian Energy Telenetworks: Televorgu AS – Estonia
Goetz-Gebaeudemanagement RSL GmbH & Co KG – Germany
ICUnet.AG – Germany
Lloyds TSB Scotland – UK
Manchester Rusk Company Ltd – UK
Rackspace Hosting – UK

This Award will go to the organisation that best demonstrates an organic growth strategy (rather than that gleaned from merger and acquisition activity) and has achieved outstanding levels of sales, profit and market share improvement. After all, sound business strategies and great products are meaningless without a growth strategy.

A sound business strategy and a great product are rendered meaningless unless there is growth. Every year, entrants stand as testament to some of the booming economies we are seeing across Europe: turnovers in the hundreds of millions, phenomenal employment rates, and rapid expansion into new territories.

2009 Winner:
Webmart Limited – UK

Ruban d’Honneur Recipients:
Ashtead Plant Hire Company Limited (A-Plant) – UK
Bright Grey – UK
De Nederlandse Energie Maatschappij B.V. – Netherlands
GYS – France
Huxley Associates – Netherlands
Mellon Poland Sp.z o.o – Poland
Petroleum Experts Ltd – UK
TotalPDA Ltd – UK
Webhelp – France
Webmart Ltd – UK

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This Award will go to the organisation that best demonstrates a company-wide commitment to corporate sustainability. The judges will look for evidence of a clearly expressed and widely communicated corporate sustainability strategy, mainly focussing on actions launched to manage risk prevention from a commercial, environmental, governance and social development perspective, above and beyond legislative requirements. Corporate sustainability is taking on increasing importance as companies not only develop heightened ethics and a desire to help the environment, the community and society at large, but also because stakeholders and the public have come to expect enterprises to act in a more socially responsible way.

Judges will be looking for responsible business practices that have positive impacts in the workplace, the market, the environment and the community.

2009 Winner:
Acciona SA – Spain

Ruban d’Honneur Recipients:
Acciona S.A. – Spain
Brakes Group – UK
Enel SPA – Italy
Hewlett-Packard – Germany
ING – The Netherlands
Kingfisher Plc – UK
Lilly France – France
Ricoh Europe – UK
SIVECO Romania – Romania
Terna Spa – Italy

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This Award will be presented to the organisation that can best demonstrate corporate success achieved through well-adopted companies values that stimulate and support the company’s workforce.

2009 Winner:
FedEx Express – Belgium

Ruban d’Honneur Recipients:
Bank Pekao SA (Bank Polska Kasa Opieki SA) – Poland
beCogent Limited – UK
Dell – Ireland
Deutsche Telekom Kundenservice GmbH – Germany
FedEx Express – Belgium
HSBC Invoice Finance (UK) Ltd – UK
Huxley Associates – Netherlands
Lilly France – France
Q-Cells SE – Germany

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The judges of this Award will look for the European organisation that can best demonstrate a company-wide commitment to minimising its impact on the environment, alongside significant success in minimising its carbon footprint. They will look for evidence of a clearly articulated, widely communicated environmental strategy embedded into the company’s business practices. Policies that improve business performance from an environmental perspective and innovative approaches to environmental management will be rewarded. Judges will also look for measurable evidence of how organisations have actively reduced their carbon footprint.

2009 Winner:
Manchester Rusk Company – UK

Ruban d’Honneur Recipients:
Data Electronics Services Ltd. – Ireland
Dell – UK
East Midlands International Airport – UK
Enel SPA – Italy
Ertl Glas AG / ertex-solar GmbH – Austria
Kingfisher Plc – UK
Manchester Rusk Company Ltd – UK
Maximillion – UK
Ricoh Europe – UK
Telekom Austria TA AG – Austria