Queen’s Award for North East England’s Innovative Businesses

Tuesday, 21 April 2009

Ten North East companies have been honoured in the 2009 Queen’s Awards for Enterprise.

The awards, which were announced on the Queen’s 83rd birthday are the UK’s most prestigious awards for business and recognise and reward outstanding achievement by UK companies.

They are presented in three categories of International Trade, Innovation and Sustainable Development and North East England’s export strength, it is the only UK region which has a positive balance of trade, is reflected in the fact that six of the winners came in the International Trade Category.

The winners from North East England are:

International Trade
• Sunderland’s Arriva plc has trebled the size of its bus and rail business in mainland Europe in just six years. With over 20,000 staff in the UK, Arriva is the larger employer to win this year’s award.
• Cleveland Cascades Ltd in Thornaby, Tees Valley that makes bespoke retractable loading chutes
• HRV International Ltd in Jarrow manufactures Resistor discs and assemblies for high voltage/high energy applications.
• Liebherr Sunderland Works Limited, a crane manufacturer employs almost 200 people in the city.
• Nissan’s Washington plant in Sunderland wins an award for the fourth time.
• Torque Tension Systems limited in Ashington Northumberland who manufacture Hydraulic bolt working equipment used in everything from the oil and gas industry to railways.

Innovation
• IHC Engineering Business Ltd in Riding Mill, Northumberland that design and manufacture systems for offshore oil and gas, telecom, renewables and defence.
• Tracerco in Billigham, Tees Valley who produce radiation and contamination monitors.
• Greenstar WES Limited based at Wilton in the Tees Valley wins an Award for continuously developing plastics recycling technologies.

Sustainable Development
• Northumbrian Water Ltd, based in Pity Me, Durham received The Queen’s Award for Entreprise for their continued commitment to responsible business practise.

In the individual awards, Professor Allan Gibb, OBE, former director, Small Business Centre, Durham University is the recipient of the lifetime achievement award, the highest honour in this years Queen’s Awards for Enterprise Promotion for his outstanding efforts to inspire and support business start-ups.

Professor Gibb has made a profound contribution to enterprise and education support in the UK for more than 30 years. He has acquired a national reputation for his innovative and practical approaches to educational and business development programmes for new and existing entrepreneurs, educators and policy makers. The National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship say he has had a greater impact on the way we think and deliver enterprise learning opportunities to others than any other UK individual.

David Irwin also received a Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion. Mr Irwin is a partner at Irwin Grayson Associates, Stocksfield, Northumberland

He undertook ground breaking work as co-founder and CEO of one of the first enterprise agencies, Project North East (PNE) during the period 1980 to 2000. Mr Irwin has undertaken long term and continuing voluntary work with Northern Youth Business Fund and Sunderland Youth Enterprise Trust. He was the first Chief Executive of the UK Government’s Small Business Service from 2000 to 2002.

Business Minister, Lord Mandelson, said: "I heartily congratulate all today's winners of The Queen's Awards. These inspirational firms have proved they are amongst Britain's very best businesses. They are flying the flag for British enterprise, innovation and corporate responsibility, both here and abroad. They have achieved the UK's most prestigious standard of business excellence, and set the standard for other businesses to follow as they help lead Britain out of recession."

The UK's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, HRH The Duke of York, said: "I'm delighted to see so many companies applying for, and winning, The Queen's Award for Enterprise this year. Over the years, I've visited many Queen's Award winning firms, and have seen first hand just what a boost this Award brings to their business and their employees. My sincere congratulations to this year's record haul of winners, and the individual recipients of The Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion, for their exceptional achievement in gaining this prestigious Award."

The Awards are made each year by The Queen, on the advice of the Prime Minister, who is assisted by an Advisory Committee that includes representatives of Government, industry and commerce, and the trade unions.