The success of British industry is annually celebrated with the National Business Awards; held last year on 13 November 2007 at London’s Grosvenor House.

This year’s venue - London’s Grosvenor House. Once described by Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown as ‘the UK’s business Oscars’, the National Business Awards is an independent programme which recognises and rewards excellence, innovation and success, and identifies outstanding businesses of all sizes and from all sectors across the UK.

The Institute of Commercial Management is very pleased to be involved in the awards, which are sponsored by Orange, in association with The Daily Telegraph and organised by CMP Information.

The 2007 programme celebrated organisations large and small, showcasing outstanding examples of best business practice across the board. John Hutton, Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, opened the proceedings and the event was hosted by the revered television presenter Sir Trevor McDonald OBE.

Philip Forrest, Chairman of Judges, commented: “This year showed another step-change in the upward trend in the quality of applications that has become the hallmark of the National Business Awards. It is a continued reflection of the competitive strength of the UK business community.”

The finalist companies together represented a £1,000 billion turnover, generate £95 billion profit and provide employment for 2.5 million people in the UK and over 250,000 people in the rest of the world.

Judging the awards - ICM’s Chief Executive Professor Tom Thomas

Drawn from leading businesses, business schools, government, public sector organisations and think-tanks - the 250 judges are selected for their business acumen, knowledge and experience of the specific subject matter.

Professor Tom Thomas, Chief Executive of ICM, has been a judge for the National Business Awards for four years now, having initially been approached whilst Dean of the Business School at Southampton Solent University. In 2007, Tom was a member of the panel of judges for The Orange Business Leader of the Year Award, which is awarded to ‘the outstanding individual who has best demonstrated exceptional leadership and vision’.

This award counted among its finalists the CEO’s of some of Britain’s leading companies, such as J Sainsbury, Balfour Beatty, British Sky Broadcasting and Diageo. The panel finally chose as its winner Warren East, the CEO of ARM Holdings, based in Cambridgeshire.

Professor Thomas said: “I am delighted to be involved in the National Business Awards. My experience of judging various categories over the past four years has been both rewarding and stimulating. The whole process is run in a most professional manner and the quality of entrants in the various categories seems to be getting even higher year on year.

“Likewise, the professional approach adopted by the National Business Awards is highlighted by the awards ceremony itself. It is a tremendous occasion and provides a real boost to all the participants, not just the award winners. I look forward to continuing involvement with the scheme in the coming years.”

Taking responsibility

With an International Centre for Social and Economic Development, it was natural for ICM to be named as one of the sponsors for the ‘The Corporate Social Responsibility Award’, won in 2007 by Adnams Brewer and Leisure Retailer.

The awards’ Finalists Book stated: “Adnams views CSR as a way of doing business and not a series of initiatives. It has 17 pubs, a retail chain called Cellar & Kitchen, and it sells 97 per cent of its beer products to other pub outlets. It has created The Adnams Charity which is committed to giving one percent of profit and it has recently created a completely eco-friendly new distribution centre on the outskirts of Southwold.”

ICM looks forward to the 2008 National Business Awards programme, where it will see more evidence of business and industry taking seriously their commitment to the wider social and economic environment surrounding us all.

Visit ICM’s projects website to learn more about the social and economic development initiatives it currently supports: http://projects.icm.ac.uk.

Distributing business intelligence

As a publisher of business and management books, ICM is very interested in harnessing the value that lies in the applications submitted to the National Business Awards. As a result, the Institute is working alongside Southampton Solent University and the National Business Awards to create a book of case studies detailing all of the applicants in the programme - culminating in what is hoped to be an indispensable manual for leadership, business development and commercial success.

It is expected that this will be available from April 2008.

For more information, visit: www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk.