Europe’s best businesses celebrate success across the continent

Over the next three months, the best businesses chosen from 14 European countries will be honoured at exclusive events across the continent to celebrate the ‘National Champions’ in the European Business Awards 2015/16.

At the events, sponsored by RSM and ELITE, and supported by the UK Trade & Investment, local business leaders will come together to represent their country, celebrate their success and network with their peers.

Adrian Tripp, CEO of the European Business Awards, said: “For all citizens of Europe, our prosperity, social and healthcare systems are reliant on local businesses creating a strong, international and ethical business community. These events celebrate the companies doing just that; achieving great success and impressive results.”

A panel of independent judges, including senior business and academic leaders, selected 678 National Champions from 33 European countries this year after the European Business Awards engaged with over 32,000 companies at the entrants stage of the competition. It is a 33% increase from last year and a record-breaking number for what is Europe’s largest business recognition programme, now in its ninth year.

Countries being celebrated, the venue and date:

Ireland - Dublin 17.11.15

Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg - Brussels 23.11.15

Norway, Sweden and Denmark - Oslo 25.11.15

Italy - Milan 27.11.15

UK - London 12.1.16

France - Paris 19.1.16

Austria - Vienna 21.1.16

Greece - Athens 25.1.16

Cyprus - Nicosia 27.1.16

Germany - Berlin 4.2.16 (TBC)

Details of the National Champions for each country can be found at www.businessawardseurope.com The next round of the competition requires the National Champions to make a presentation video, telling their unique story and explaining their business success. The judges will award the best of this group the coveted ‘Ruban d’Honneur’ status. Ruban d’Honneur recipients will then go on be part of the grand finale in June 2016.

Separately, the National Champion videos will be made public on the European Business Awards website www.businessawardseurope.com as part of a two stage public vote, which will decide the ‘National Public Champions’ for each country in the first stage of voting and 1 European Public Champion in the second stage. Videos go live and open for public voting on 11th January 2016.

The European Business Awards’ primary purpose is to support the development of a stronger and more successful business community throughout Europe, and was set up to recognise and reward excellence, best practice and innovation in companies of all sizes and sectors across the European business community. For further information about the European Business Awards and RSM please go to www.businessawardseurope.com or www.rsmi.com.

Ends

EBA: Vanessa Wood at the European Business Awards on +44 (0) 796 6666 657 or email vanessa.wood@businessawardseurope.com

RSM: Gillian Hawkes at the RSM newsroom (gillian.hawkes@rsmi.com)

About the European Business Awards:

The European Business Awards’ primary purpose is to support the development of a stronger and more successful business community throughout Europe. For all citizens of Europe, prosperity, social and healthcare systems are reliant on businesses creating an even stronger, more innovative, successful, international and ethical business community - one that forms the beating heart of an increasingly globalised economy.

The European Business Awards programme serves the European business community in three ways:

• It celebrates and endorses individuals’ and organisations’ success

• It provides and promotes examples of excellence for the business community to aspire to

• It engages with the European business community to create debate on key issues

The European Business Awards is now in its 9th year. It attracted over 32,000 businesses to the competition last year and in the public vote generated over 170,000 votes from across Europe. www.businessawardseurope.com.

THE EUROPEAN BUSINESS AWARDS FACT SHEET

• The European Business Awards is Europe’s largest and most significant cross-sector business recognition programme and is now in its ninth year

• The competition is free to enter and open to organisations of all sizes and from any industry sector

• RSM is the lead sponsor of the Awards, and it has supported them since their inception. RSM is the seventh largest audit, tax and advisory network worldwide with a major presence across Europe

• Last year the Awards engaged with over 24,000 businesses in 33 countries across Europe

• There were over 150 judges and the equivalent of 285 days of judging for the three phases of judging • The two public voting phases for the videos submitted on the EBA website generated over 170,000 votes

• In the 2014/15 competition, all EU member markets were represented plus Turkey, Norway, Switzerland, Serbia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Their combined revenue exceeded €1.5 trillion, and together they generated profits of over 60 billion Euros and employ over 2.5 million people.

• The 2014/15 competition has generated widespread global media coverage, leading to over 5,000 items of coverage across print, broadcast, online and social media, resulting in an advertising value of over €17million and reaching millions of business people. Coverage has included The Financial Times, Reuters, Bloomberg, Euronews, Wallstreet online and many leading European titles.

• There were over 500,000 unique visits to the EBA website during the voting period www.businessawardseurope.com during the competition  

About RSM

RSM is the 7th largest network of independent audit, tax and advisory firms, encompassing over 112 countries, 700 offices and 37,400 people internationally. The network’s total fee income is US$4.4 billion. RSM is the 6th largest provider of tax services and audit and accounting services worldwide.

RSM is the lead sponsor and corporate champion of the European Business Awards promoting commercial excellence and recognition of entrepreneurial brilliance.

RSM is a member of the Forum of Firms. The objective of the Forum of Firms is to promote consistent and high quality standards of financial and auditing practices worldwide.

RSM is the brand used by a network of independent accounting and advisory firms each of which practices in its own right. RSM International Limited does not itself provide any accounting and advisory services. Member firms are driven by a common vision of providing high quality professional services, both in their domestic markets and in serving the international professional service needs of their client base. www.rsmi.com

About UK Trade & Investment:

UKTI works with UK based businesses to ensure their success in international markets through exports and encourages and supports overseas companies to look at the UK as the best place to set up or expand their business. www.gov.uk/ukti

About ELITE:

ELITE is an integrated service designed to help SMEs prepare and structure for the next stage of growth through access to long term financing opportunities.

ELITE targets SMEs with a sound business model, clear growth strategy and a desire to obtain funding in the near future.

ELITE offers an innovative approach, including a training programme, a working zone supported by a tutorship model and direct access to the financial community through dedicated digital community facilities. It is “capital neutral” to any financing opportunity, providing access to Private Equity and Venture Capital Funds, debt products, etc. ELITE was successfully launched in Italy in 2012 and in the UK in 2014. It now accounts for more than 200 companies of different sizes and sectors, more than 150 partners and more than 70 long term investors. It is a European platform deeply rooted in each domestic market, through partnership with local institutions combined with the opportunity to access international support and advice.

It will be a community of excellence: companies, advisors, investors and stakeholders with an interest in supporting SMEs. The larger the community, the wider the range of business and growth opportunities offered to ELITE members.

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