Results of the 2009 Awards for Excellence

On 6th July the Business in the Community Examples of Excellence were presented to 14 businesses and two individuals, recognising their innovation, creativity and a sustained commitment to corporate responsibility.

The recession may have hit hard, but our Examples of Excellence are showing this is no bar to success, nor a reason to stop operating responsibly. Many have shown that it is in fact an opportunity to be embraced.

An unprecedented 358 entries were submitted this year, with 106 Big Ticks being awarded over the past 6 weeks at regional events across 14 categories, recognising innovation, creativity and a sustained commitment to corporate responsibility. Tonight the finalists gathered at Clarence House to hear who would be awarded the ‘Example of Excellence’ in each category.

United Utilities was awarded the top accolade of the night, and named Business in the Community’s Company of the Year for 2009. United Utilities has embedded sustainability deep within their business and with clear links to their overall business strategy. They are making significant impacts and taking innovative approaches in terms of engaging with their local communities and the sector in which they operate.

David Anderson, Chief Executive, The Co-operative Financial Services said: “I am proud to hand over the baton of the Company of the Year award to United Utilities. They are truly deserving winners of the most important responsible business award. United Utilities have shown that by fully integrating corporate responsibility into the business it can result in significant financial and wider societal benefits.”

The awards show that despite the pressures of the recession, UK businesses are taking a sustained approach to corporate responsibility and that being a responsible business is integral to their business model. The high standard of entries shows that as well as having a positive impact on their workplaces, communities, the marketplace and the environment, businesses are recognising the opportunities and benefits of operating responsibly.

Stephen Howard, Chief Executive, Business in the Community said: “The recession may have hit hard, but our Examples of Excellence are showing this is no bar to success, nor a reason to stop operating responsibly. Many have shown that it is in fact an opportunity to be embraced. I congratulate all of the finalists and the Examples of Excellence for getting this far. It is more important than ever that we recognise and celebrate these exemplar organisations demonstrating that being responsible makes sense for business, people and the planet.

“I am truly excited about working with United Utilities as our Company of the Year 2009. Their leadership on corporate responsibility is an asset that we look forward to tapping into in the coming months. These are tough times but we have exciting plans that I know will bear fruit.”

“I must also mention our out-going Company of the Year, The Co-operative Financial Services, for their involvement with us in the past 12 months. We have achieved great things and learnt a lot from this partnership. This is by no means a goodbye, and they remain heavily committed to our aims and plans for the future, and for that we thank them.”

 At the event HRH The Prince of Wales announced his new National Prince’s Ambassador for 2009, Vincent de Rivaz, Chief Executive, EDF Energy. The Prince’s Ambassador Award is presented to individuals whose leadership and commitment to responsible business practice and the actions they have taken personally to promote the Business in the Community agenda, have created a positive impact both inside their company and on wider society. In presenting Vincent the award HRH The Prince of Wales described him as a powerful force for change - someone who not only demonstrated clear leadership personally, but also in his determination to define what energy companies should be doing on climate change

At the event at Clarence House entertainment was provided by Shaun Smith (singer) and Julian Smith (saxophonist) both from Britain’s Got Talent 2009 and Omid Djalili (comedian). Business in the Community’s 2008 Company of the Year, Co-operative Financial Services, kindly supported the event and brought a young peoples’ band from Macclesfield to perform for the guests. The Financial Times is the media partner for the Awards for Excellence.