Previous Winners & Judges Feedback

Gold Bank

Best Marketing

Commenting on Gold Bank, the winner in the Best Marketing, the chairman of the judges said:

“When it comes to marketing Gold Bank London, a specialist in buying and selling gold and silver, has the Midas touch. After running a series of localised low-budget marketing campaigns using strategically placed billboards and social media platforms, the bank has attracted new clients and driven more visitors to its website. As a side-line, the campaigns gave a welcome boost to turnover. Well done to Gold Bank London for using its cleverly planned marketing strategy to shake off fierce competition and raise its profile.”

Beaverswood

Best New Product / Service (less than 2 years old)

Commenting on Beaverswood, the winner in the Best New project (less than 2 years old) category, the chairman of the judges said: :

“Congratulations to Beaverswood for responding to customer research and launching a mini racksack, which is smaller than the original version. Whereas the original racksack is designed to collect and segregate waste and recycling materials at industrial premises, the mini does the same job but it is more suited to offices and smaller packing benches. Based on the same high-quality material and design, the compact mini enables Beaverswood to expand its reach into new markets via resellers and direct to customers.”

Yapi Kredi

Best Communication

Commenting on Yapi Kredi, the winner in the Best Communication category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Congratulations to Turkey-based commercial bank Yapi Kredi for using a wide range of communication tools to encourage staff across 40 departments to take up voluntary work. The company’s website for volunteers keeps staff up to date with all the company’s social responsibility work, allows them to communicate with others and join new social projects. The bank also uses webinars and newsletters to reach its staff. The communication initiative has produced great results with almost 2,000 members of staff joining up for voluntary work and more than 135 voluntary projects being undertaken.”

Pinter

Best New Business

Commenting on Pinter, the winner in the Best New Business category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Here’s to London-based home brewing company Pinter, for transforming the home-brew market with an innovative device that simplifies the brewing process and gives beer lovers a better tasting, fresh pint. Since launching in 2020, Pinter has pulled in more than 106,000 home brewers, and attracted many high-profile investors. Amazingly in October 2022, Pinter was listed as the fastest growing UK online business, and it is now working on continuous product development and expanding overseas to the US. Well done to Pinter for turning the home-brewing market on its head.”

Bombay Palace

Family Business of the Year

Commenting on Bombay Palace, the winner in the Family Business of the Year, the chairman of the judges said:

“Bombay Palace restaurant in Earlsdon, Coventry, is a brilliant example of a family business where father and son work hand in hand. Mr Siraj Ali set up restaurant businesses in 1967 and became a successful entrepreneur with restaurants and a property portfolio. Entrepreneur and property investor Junaid Siraj is following in his father’s footsteps and is now taking Bombay Palace to a new level with plans to franchise the business. With a great business model and strong family foundation, Bombay Palace is on course to be a national chain.”

Templeton Recruitment

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Award

Commenting on Templeton Recruitment, the winner in the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Award category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Congratulations to London-based tech recruiter Templeton Recruitment for taking forward the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda and putting it into practice. With less than 20% of tech specialists in the UK and Europe female and even less from black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, Templeton has turned this around with its workforce spanning 20 nationalities and four generations. Templeton is making its mark and leading its international customers to become more diverse and develop a more creative and innovative workforce.”

Osmangazi Elektrik Dagitim INC. (OEDAS)

Best Corporate Social Responsibility

Commenting on Osmangazi Elektrik Dagitim Inc, the winner in the Best Corporate Social Responsibility category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Turkey-based electricity distribution company Osmangazi Elektrik Dagitim Inc (OEDAS) can’t be praised enough for its Can Dostlar project (True Friends) to help the 10 million animals that live in the streets across Turkey. Since the launch of Can Dostlar in May 2021, thousands of cats and dogs have been fed, received veterinary treatment and been placed in shelter. Many of the shelters are made from scrap material from OEDAS’ warehouses – yet another brilliant idea. Congratulations to OEDA? for taking the lead with Can Dostlar and helping to the improve the health of stray animals across Turkey.” ”

Flare

Best Innovation

Commenting on Flare, the winner in the Best Innovation category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Congratulations to Flare for developing a life-saving app that helps cyclists, walkers and drivers stay safe. Sensors on a mobile phone monitor the situation and a unique algorithm calculates dangers and risks, warning users of nearby hazards or incidents and giving them time to move to a safer place. Another unique feature is that users are rewarded with a new digital currency called Sweatcoin. The Flare app has already saved many lives and is a must-have safety device for all types of travellers and adventurers.”

Olivier Mythodrama

Best Product / Service Range

Commenting on Olivier Mythodrama, the winner in the Best Product/Service range category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Congratulations to leadership development consultancy Olivier Mythodrama for combining the drama of Shakespeare with leadership training. Using the characters in Shakespeare’s plays, such as Julius Caesar for influential leadership and Henry V for inspirational leadership, trainees can explore how they deal with challenges. The company was founded by Richard Olivier, son of actor Sir Laurence Olivier, who had the idea when playing a part in Shakespeare’s Henry V. Realising the educational value of the bard’s great writings, Olivier Mythodrama has created a popular and exciting new style of leadership training.”

Bombay Palace

Commenting on Bombay Palace, the winner in the Best Outstanding support during COVID-19, the chairman of the judges said:

“Congratulations to The Bombay Palace restaurant, based in Earlsdon, Coventry, for being one of the first businesses in the West Midlands region to support front-line staff during the pandemic by delivering free meals to Coventry Hospital and Beechwood Garden Care Home. The restaurant also provided free meals to people who were struggling financially. This is a brilliant initiative from Bombay Palace that helped provide more than 1,000 free meals to NHS and healthcare staff as a way of saying thank you.”

Akbank

Best Business Transformation

Commenting on Akbank TAS, the winner in the Best Business Transformation category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Congratulations to Akbank TAS for introducing a new omni-channel platform called Integro that is part of its digital transformation for its corporate, small and medium-sized enterprises and commercial clients. By giving business customers access to dashboards, cashflow, transactions and tailored information on easy-to-read charts, Integro enables its customers to run their businesses more effectively and make more informed decisions. This an outstanding new platform that will help Akbank TAS stay ahead of the competition and build better working relationships with customers and attract new ones.”

THRIVE Learning

Best Customer Focus

Commenting on THRIVE Learning, the winner in the Best Customer Focus category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Global education solutions company THRIVE Learning is preparing for expansion by investing in its global success team. The core of THRIVE’s business centres around its customer success teams. By incentivising customer service staff and giving them flexible work conditions, it helps to motivate them to do their best. Customers benefit from live chat and round-the-clock service. The latest client service is data lab, which can help them make better use of data to meet their organisational goals. The investment in customer service is working brilliantly because THIRIVE has an enviable customer retention rate of 99%!”

Flare

Best Product / Service Range

Commenting on the Flare, the winner in the Best Product/Service category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Flare, an app that uses sensors on mobile phones to warn travellers of potential hazards and incidents, is one of the best new apps on the market. It’s also the first app of its kind and since its launch in November 2019, it has saved four people’s lives and is attracting worldwide interest. This is a must-have app for all types of travellers, such as cyclists, walkers, drivers and adventurers, and a brilliant application of advanced technologies that keeps people out of harm’s way.”

Akbank

Best Website

Commenting on Akbank TAS, the winner in the Best Website category, the chairman of the judges said::

“Akbank’s stunning new employee website called Kolektif is much more than an employee self-service service. It acts as social media platform as well as providing a range of easy to use HR services, where staff can link up with other members of staff, thank individuals on their timelines and post stories. The development and design of Kolektif was based on in-depth research with staff so it meets their requirements. Well done to Akbank for developing a brilliant digital platform that enables staff to connect with each other.”

Worldwide Education

Best Place to Work

Commenting on Worldwide Education, the winner in the Best Place to Work category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Congratulations to Worldwide Education for creating an outstanding workplace for its employees in London and Liverpool and for its hundreds of supply staff. The company has done everything to ensure staff can enjoy rewarding and fulfilling careers, supported by a range of great benefits. During the pandemic, a number of brilliant innovations were introduced including an app where temporary workers can submit timesheets, availability and apply for posts. By supporting staff with training and great benefits, Worldwide Education is attracting and retaining staff enabling it to achieve strong growth.”

Alma Real Estate Hellas

Best Website

Commenting on Alma Real Estate Hellas, the winner in the Best Website category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Congratulations to Alma Real Estate Hellas for launching a refreshingly, different website that is innovatively simple. All contact details for the company are upfront and easy to find, which is a bonus, and all services are clearly laid out. Customers can choose from a range of languages and make use of an easy-to-use currency converter. Rather than following the crowd and using ready-made content management systems, Alma Real Estate Hellas developed its own system making it easier, cheaper and more secure to upgrade its website.”

Flare

Best App

Commenting on Flare, the winner in the Best App category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Well done to Flare for giving travellers a brilliant new safety app that warns them of trouble ahead. It can be used by walkers, cyclists, and drivers to obtain live alerts of hazards and incidents so they can move to safety. The app is powered by a highly accurate incident detection algorithm that calculates risk. Amazingly, since Flare was launched in November 2019, it has already saved four lives and, not surprisingly, it is attracting worldwide interest. This is an amazing app that keeps people safe and gives peace of mind to loved ones.”

HUB

Best Sustainable Product/Process

Commenting on Hub, the winner in the Best Sustainable Product/Process category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Congratulations to Hub for inventing a paperless way of helping fleet management operators keep track of fuel consumption and emissions. Using Hub’s fleet management software, fuel and emissions can be viewed online in a few clicks for the whole fleet, individual vehicles or by driver. Having transparency over fuel and emissions helps transport operators make savings, helping to keep supply chain costs under control. Hub’s fleet management system is a brilliant must-have software for fleet and heavy good vehicle operators to help them provide more sustainable services.”

ENERJISA ENERJI

Best Business Transformation

Commenting on Enerjisa Enerji (Gelecegin Yolunda Project), the winner in the Best Business Transformation category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Congratulations to Enerjisa Enerji for having the foresight to plan for the future with its Gelecegin Yolunda (journey to the future) project. The aim of the programme is to predict how ways of working will change and prepare staff for the future with training. After implementing some of the changes, it is great that flexible patterns have been introduced, giving staff an improved work/life balance and, coincidently, producing higher staff satisfaction rates of 71%. Gelecegin Yolunda is creating a pathway to the future and enabling Enerjisa Enerji to build a high-performance, flexible workforce.”

The Will Writing Partnership

Best Small to Medium-sized Business

Commenting on The Will Writing Partnership, the winner in the Best Small to Medium-sized Business category, the chairman of the judges said:

“In only 23 years after launching in 1999, The Will Writing Partnership has grown from being a small family operation to a national brand, yet it still retains its warm, friendly and professional approach. The founder’s commitment to professionalise operations has played an important part in improving customer services. A high-quality service, a rebranding in 2021 and a move to expand introducer business has helped The Will Writing Partnership grow and achieve solid strong growth in turnover.”

The Will Writing Partnership

Best Customer Focus

Commenting on The Will Writing Partnership, the winner in the Best Customer Focus category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Launched as a family business in 1999, The Will Writing Partnership has continued in this vein as it has grown to become a national brand. It is commendable that it has kept to its core values of offering a high-quality, friendly service. Its policy of giving staff additional training well above requirements is excellent, helping it to provide a top-quality, professional service. The key to its success is placing customers at the core of the organisation, helping it to offer a warm and personalised service with prompt delivery.”

The Will Writing Partnership

Best Brand Development

Commenting on The Will Writing Partnership, the winner in the Best Brand Development category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Congratulations to The Will Writing Partnership for making its media and marketing activities more appealing by introducing a new mascot Ollie the elephant, representing the elephant in the room and softening the difficult subject of will writing. Ollie is used extensively across all marketing material and the merchandising, including a stuffed toy and a range of branded items, fully supports the brand. Customers love Ollie and he has helped the company project a warm and friendly image. Watch this space because the next step is an animated Ollie.”

ENERJISA ENERJI 

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative

Commenting on Enerjisa Enerji (Equal Access Project), the winner in the Best Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Turkey’s electricity distributor Enerjisa Enerji is a role model when it comes to equality, diversity and inclusiveness. As part of its equal access project launched in 2021, it implemented physical alterations to sites, introduced new technologies across all service points and trained staff in diversity so that all customers receive the best service. The project has produced fantastic results with accessibly improving dramatically across all service points as well as customer satisfaction. Well done to Enerjisa Enerji for catering for the differing needs of all its customers.”

ENERJISA ENERJI

Best Staff Training & Development Programme

Commenting on Enerjisa Enerji (Corporate Sales Academy), the winner in the Best Staff Training and Development Programme category, the chairman of the judges said:

“Enerjisa Enerji has implemented a brilliant strategy to prepare its staff for the future by giving them training in new skills and competences they are expected to need. As part of its future of work project, the training and development is helping staff get ready for the jobs of the tomorrow today, helping them to secure their employment prospects for years to come. Congratulations to Enerjisa Enerji for thinking ahead and giving its people continuous training opportunities that been welcomed and much appreciated by staff.”