Finalists for the South and Vale Business Awards gathered together on Friday 15 March for a glittering business awards ceremony at Williams F1 Conference Centre in Grove.
Attended by representatives from 24 different organisations, local councillors and invited guests, the event was the first time both South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils’ held the joint awards.
Luke Smith from Heart’s Drivetime show hosted the event and all nine award winners were presented with a winner’s trophy and certificate. The biggest winners of the night were Reaction Engines, who scooped two prestigious awards – they received the Employer of the Year Award and were joint winners of the Large Business of the Year Award with Bremont, the international watch maker company from Henley.
Mark Wood, Chief Operating Officer, from Reaction Engines said, “We are extremely delighted to have won Large Business of the Year and Employer of the Year at the South and Vale Business Awards. These awards are a fantastic celebration of local businesses and provide organisations of any size with the platform and opportunity to showcase their achievements. As a company, we are at an important development stage and this recognition highlights our successes, growth and ambition for the year ahead. We would very much like to thank the sponsors Royds Withy King and Richardsons for their support”.
Other winners on the night included HR Wallingford, who were delighted to receive the Established Innovation Award for their continued expertise and cutting edge innovation on flood and water management and Howbery Park were presented with the Best Business Space of the Year Award for their environmental initiatives and arranging various events to help to bring a community feel to the park.
Cllr Paul Harrison, Cabinet Member for South Oxfordshire District Council, said, “This was a great event and the perfect opportunity to showcase the most talented leaders and best organisations based across the South district. Well done to all the finalists for being shortlisted and congratulations to all the winners.”
Cllr Mike Murray, Cabinet Member for Vale of White Horse District Council, said, “We have made these awards for a couple of years now and continue to be amazed by the high calibre and expertise of our local business. Innovation, drive and passion are what makes the Science Vale area unique and having awards like these really help to highlight our successes.”
Simon Bassett, lead partner from UK Top 100 law firm and lead sponsor, Royds Withy King, said, “For the second year running, we are delighted to be lead sponsor of the awards and the Large Business of the Year Award. With some of the most innovative and, often, ground breaking businesses in the country, the awards are the ideal platform for these businesses to showcase their work and their ambition for the future. We were thrilled to celebrate the successes of all of the finalists and would like to congratulate all of the winners!”
The full list of winners were:
South SME of the Year Award – SYLO Associates
Vale SME of the Year Award - Montala
Large Business of the Year Award - Bremont AND Reaction Engines
Social Responsibility Award - SOFEA
Early Stage Innovation Award - Zap&Go
Established Innovation Award - HR Wallingford
Business Space of the Year Award – Howbery Park
Business Leader of the Year Award – John Harris (OBN)
Employer of the Year Award – Reaction Engines
