Twelve companies from the Yorkshire and Humber region are toasting success after winning King’s Awards for Enterprise.
The awards shine a light on the achievements of º£½ÇÊÓÆµ businesses and recognise the role they play in growing our economy and improving lives across four categories, including innovation, international trade, sustainable development and promoting opportunity through social mobility. The Yorkshire and Humber recipients are among 197 winning businesses across the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ operating in a range of sectors, which highlighting the ambition, ingenuity, and success of the business community. Overall, 116 businesses have been recognised for International Trade, 46 for Innovation, 27 for Sustainable Development and 10 for Promoting Opportunity Through Social Mobility.
The companies toasting success include Vuba Chemical Innovations Limited, Solderking Assembly Materials Limited, Technical Services (º£½ÇÊÓÆµ) Ltd and The Group Company (º£½ÇÊÓÆµ) Ltd. Abbey Forged Products Ltd, International Energy Products Limited and Think So Ltd. The list is rounded-off by Turner & Townsend (Holdings) Limited, White Rose Education Limited, Integra Buildings Limited, John King Chains Ltd and AES Engineering Ltd.
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Construction specialist Integra Buildings, based in the East Riding of Yorkshire, has been recognised in the sustainable development category. Gary Parker, CEO, said: “Receiving The King’s Award for Enterprise is a tremendous honour for our business and all of our team. This award reflects and rewards the total commitment we have across our business to excellence in project performance and delivery. It also recognises our commitment to adopting sustainable policies and practices in everything we do. “Modular building has so many advantages over traditional methods of construction; one of those being that it is inherently more sustainable. We passionately believe that the future of construction is modular, and that the companies embracing sustainability will be the most successful for many years to come.”
White Rose Education, a West Yorkshire business exports educational resources for teachers and students globally to drive growth, strengthen º£½ÇÊÓÆµ relations, and promote world-class learning. It has been recognised in the international trade category. Michael Gosling, chair of the White Rose Education Board, said: “Receiving The King’s Award for International Trade is a huge honour and a reflection of the dedication, hard work and passion that drive everything we do at White Rose Education.
“This recognition not only celebrates our global reach but also reinforces our commitment to supporting teachers and pupils around the world with high-quality, accessible educational resources. It’s a proud moment for our entire team and is a testament to the positive impact we’re making in classrooms worldwide.”
Vincent Clancy, chairman and chief executive officer, Turner & Townsend, said: “It’s an honour to receive the prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade. This achievement is the result of the outstanding contribution from everyone across the business, our continued commitment to excellence and our long-standing relationships with our clients around the world.
“Our breadth of experience in delivering the world’s most ambitious and innovative capital programmes ensures our teams can support our clients’ ambitions. Looking to the future, we are building on this momentum – investing in our people, our digital tools and capabilities, to support our long-term growth.”
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ThinkOTB, an innovation and marketing consultancy in Headingley that helps global organisations innovate, has been honoured with a King’s Award for Enterprise. It builds on a previous stamp of royal approval in 2020, when the consultancy was awarded the Queen’s Award for International Trade.
The firm operates in 21 countries with clients ranging from financial services to energy sectors. The majority of its business comes from Germany, Dubai, Singapore, the USA, and Ireland. The specialist consultancy helps global organisations to innovate, from strategy and branding, to creative, and digital design. It has worked for some of the world’s most recognisable and high-profile companies. Clients include Google, Siemens Energy, Visa, NHS, Sellafield, and National Grid.
Mark Davies, founder, said: “It’s a huge honour to follow on our Queen’s Enterprise Award five years ago, with a King’s Award. We’re proud to be one of the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ’s most creative companies operating in a niche marketplace, which combines innovation with marketing, becoming a ‘go-to’ expert for many international businesses. We’ve pioneered highly successful techniques that have helped some of the world’s most recognisable brands to innovate.”
Gerry McMahon, director of Cleckheaton based Technical Services, said: “We are extremely proud of our King’s Award for International Trade, which we will hold for five years as a Royal acknowledgement of excellence for the hard work of our team in achieving such a high standard!”
Vuba Chemical Innovations Limited has won its King’s Award for a product called Easihold, a water-based spray adhesive for decorative stones. Sean Scott, founder, said: “Five years ago we had the third call of the day asking if we had a resin that could hold garden stones together, instead of the professional resin we would normally make. Never wanting to miss an opportunity, we got to work formulating and patenting what is now Easihold.
“From selling two bottles a day to now 250,000 bottles per year. We’re stocked in The Range, B&Q and over 1,000 retailers across Europe. Easihold is regularly a best seller on Amazon, and our new Beverley based £1m state-of-the-art manufacturing facility is going live in July.”
Chris Ward, chief operating officer at SolderKing said: “We are extremely proud to receive the King’s Award for Enterprise in recognition of our international trade growth. This achievement is a reflection of the hard work, dedication, and innovation that has been at the core of SolderKing since we began.
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“From the very beginning, we’ve focused on building strong international partnerships and expanding our reach in key markets. This award marks a significant milestone in our journey, and we are excited to continue growing our global presence, delivering high-quality soldering solutions to our customers worldwide. Our commitment to excellence will remain central to everything we do as we look towards the future.”
Meanwhile, John King Chains, which was founded in 1926 and is based in Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire, has won a King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade - its first King’s Award, following a Queen’s Award in 2020.
Managing director, William Wadsworth, said: “Receiving the King’s Award is a truly proud moment for everyone at John King Chains, particularly as the company approaches its 100-year anniversary of British manufacturing. It reflects the incredible effort the team puts in every day to deliver world-class products and services to customers across the globe.”
Gareth Thomas, Minister for Services, Small Businesses and Exports said: “There are some inspiring businesses from Yorkshire and the Humber recognised in this year’s King’s Awards for Enterprise: from White Rose Education’s success exporting educational resources around the world to Integra Building’s sustainable manufacturing methods.
“I wish the winners every success as they continue to grow, innovate and prosper, and commend the invaluable contributions they have already made to communities at home in Yorkshire and Humber region and abroad, helping to boost the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ economy.”