LAST CHANCE FOR BEST BUSINESSES IN EUROPE TO ENTER PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS

Europe’s best businesses are called to enter the 2015-16 European Business Awards sponsored by RSM, as the deadline approaches, to see their achievements recognised across the world.

Entries for Europe’s largest business competition will close on 15 July 2015. (see www.businessawardseurope.com for details).

Last year’s European Business Awards engaged with over 24,000 organisations in 33 countries and final entrants had a combined revenue of over €1.2 trillion and profits of over €50 billion. The Awards also generated significant outside attention. To choose the ‘European Public Champion’, the public cast over 174,000 votes, and each stage of the Awards’ attracted extensive global media coverage.

Adrian Tripp, CEO of the European Business Awards said: “We want to show the world the strength of businesses in Europe. So if you are proud of what you are doing, then enter. Everyone who enters benefits from the benchmarking the competition provides, and success brings a lot of visibility and exposure along with a highly regarded and valuable endorsement. ”

Jean Stephens, CEO of RSM, a leading global audit, tax and advisory network, said: "Since 2007, the European Business Awards has recognised hundreds of businesses, from multinational corporations headquartered in Europe to start-up entrepreneurial businesses that are breaking new and innovative grounds in their industries. Our member firms across Europe and I have had the pleasure to interact with many of the leaders of these successful and thriving businesses and we are looking forward to another successful programme".

The stages of the competition include written submissions, video entry judging and face-to-face interviews with an esteemed panel of European business leaders, academics and entrepreneurs.

Supported since their inception by lead sponsor and promoter RSM, the European Business Awards’ is now in its 9th year and its primary purpose is to support the development of a stronger and more successful business community throughout Europe. Additional partners and sponsors include UKTI, ELITE and PR Newswire.

Join the best of European businesses and register your interest online at /profile/register

For contact detail by region go to: /contact Or contact our entries team on + 44 (0)20 7234 3535

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For media enquiries relating to European Business Awards contact:

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 Executive Office on +44 (0)20 7601 1080 or email 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 of the citizens of Europe, our 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 24,000 businesses to the competition last year and in the public vote generated over 170,000 votes from across Europe. www.businessawardseurope.com

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. 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.

About PR Newswire

PR Newswire is the leading global provider of PR and corporate communications tools that enable clients to distribute news and rich content. We distribute our client’s content across traditional, digital and social media channels in real time with fully actionable reporting and monitoring.

Combining the world's largest multi-channel, multi-cultural content distribution and optimisation network with comprehensive workflow tools and platforms, PR Newswire enables the world's enterprises to engage opportunity everywhere it exists. PR Newswire serves tens of thousands of clients from offices in Europe, Middle East, Africa, the Americas and the Asia-Pacific region, and is a UBM plc company.

For more information on PR Newswire please visit www.prnewswire.co.uk