Member Article

North East firms honoured at Queen's Awards

The annual winners and recipients of The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise were announced on Monday, The Queen’s birthday. In the North East, Awards have gone to five companies, with three winners in the International Trade category, one for Innovation and one for Sustainable Development.

This is the fourth year of The Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion (QAEP), an Award for individuals who have played an outstanding and significant role in promoting the growth of business enterprise and entrepreneurial skills and attitudes in others. There are ten standard Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award. John W Eversley MBE, Director and Vice-Chair of Tyne and Wear Enterprise Trust, Newcastle received the Lifetime Achievement Award, while Michael Leithrow, Executive Director of Northern Pinetree Trust, Birtley,County Durham received a standard Award.

North East winners in the International Trade category were Cummins Ltd of Darlington, DUCO Ltd of Newcastle upon Tyne, and TRW Occupant Safety Systems based in Peterlee. DuPont Teijin Films from Middlesbrough were named in the Innovation category, and Newcastle’s Shared Interest Society received a Sustainable Development award.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: “Queen’s Award-winning companies are standard-bearers for the very best of British business. These firms embody the spirit of enterprise and innovation that is so vital to the future of Britain’s economy. Whether large or small, every one of this year’s winning organisations has achieved outstanding success in its field. I congratulate them all on their diverse and remarkable achievements.”

John Hutton, Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform said: “We want more new and growing businesses in the UK and more companies and people acting on their enterprising ideas - and these outstanding Award-winners are all great examples of that. “I’d urge other British-based businesses which can prove outstanding success to apply for the prestigious Queen’s Awards. Winning companies of all sizes as well as individual entrepreneurs are great examples of British business success and it is an accolade I believe all successful businesses should aspire to.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .