Awards for Achievement 2010

AWARDS FOR ACHIEVEMENT CELEBRATES 25 YEAR OF SUCCESS       

Guernsey’s Awards for Achievement will celebrate its 25^th anniversary next year as the search starts once again for the Bailiwick’s top local companies, organisations and individuals. Launched today, the Awards for Achievement nominations process is calling on all local businesses to come and celebrate success at a gala ceremony to be held on Thursday 3 February 2011, where seven trophies will be presented to the elite of Guernsey’s business environment and wider community.

Businesses have a chance to enter three main categories; the NatWest Best Small Business Award, the BWCI Best Medium Business Award and the Healthspan Best Large Business Award. A winner from one of those awards will receive the evening’s top accolade, the Commerce & Employment Guernsey Business of the Year Award.

The Excellence in Training Award, sponsored jointly by the GTA University Centre, NP Group and the IOD, is a highly contested award and applauds those businesses which have shown dedication and commitment to training.

The Commerce & Employment Department, who are responsible for staging the Awards event, says the 25^th anniversary will be a chance to celebrate success on all levels. Its Minister, Carla McNulty Bauer, said the fact that the event was still going strong after so long reflected the achievements of Guernsey as a whole over the past quarter of a century.

‘Just like any successful business, the Awards for Achievement has grown and developed over the past 25 years and is still relevant to the business environment and local community today. We see that with the high number of nominations we receive every year, the sponsors who are willing to support it year after year and the positive feedback from all of those who attend the gala evenings.’

She continued, ‘We would like to invite all local businesses who feel that 2010 has been an exceptional year for them to enter these awards  and get the recognition they deserve from their business colleagues and the Island at large.’

Rothschild has been involved in the Awards for over 10 years as a sponsor of the Champagne reception at the Gala Awards Evening and more recently the launch of the Awards nominations process.

Managing Director Peter Rose said, ‘It is a great testament to the Awards for Achievement that it is still applicable today and a reason why we are proud to have been involved with the event for the past decade. The longevity of the Awards mirrors the success Guernsey has achieved in its business environment over the past 25 years and demonstrates why it is important we continue to acknowledge those who stand out from the crowd.’

The Awards for Achievement also recognises personal success with the Specsavers Unsung Hero Award and the Guiton Ambassador of the Year Award.

The Specsavers Unsung Hero Award reached out to more people than ever last year with the introduction of online voting. Almost 500 people used this method, in addition to the traditional postal method, to nominate someone they felt had worked selflessly behind the scenes to help others within their community. Nominations for this award will begin in September this year.

The Guiton Ambassador of the Year Award is open to anyone who has shown extreme dedication and effort in promoting Guernsey to the wider world. Nomination forms for this award will be published in the Guernsey Press from September.

Organisers are now taking table bookings for the gala awards evening in 2011 and it is advised that companies wanting to attend book early to avoid disappointment. The evening will once again start with the Rothschild champagne reception, and include a two-course dinner, guest speaker, sponsored by the Garenne Group and the awards presentation. Tickets are priced at £700 per table of ten.

Nominations for the three business awards close on Wednesday 3^rd November. More information and entry forms can be downloaded from the awards website www.guernseyachievementawards.com or by contacting Natalie Davidson at The Guernsey Event Company on 728686 or email natalie@eventguernsey.com

For more information about this media release please contact Ali Desforges on 07911 719083.