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www.corp-vis.com
Mathieu Gorge, VigiTrust Information Security CEO of the
Year
Events.comMitch Thrower - Chairman and Visionary of the
YearGregg Parise - Event Software CEO of the Year
ExecutiveAwards 2015
Hardie Polymers LtdBest Independent Polymer Supplier 2015
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Editors NoteWelcome to the 2015 Executive Awards!
With the worlds economy slowly recovering from the recent
European crisis, many firms have worked tirelessly to ride out this
global issue and come out on top in their industry. The
ramifications of this
issue have been felt internationally but many companies have
managed to survive and thrive in this tough corporate climate.
Despite a select number of headline grabbing names in the
spotlight, highlighting their firms successes, the majority of the
dedicated executives who have worked so hard to secure their place
in their
industry have, unfortunately gone unrecognised.
That is what the Corporate Vision Executive Awards 2015 aims to
rectify; paying tribute to these pillarsof the executive world who
form not just the backbone of their individual firms, but of their
wider
sectors and industries. There are many aspects of business which
form the backbone of corporateexcellence, including creativity,
innovation and passion for the product or service. These awards
celebrate the individuals who, through their commitment to these
areas, are thedriving force behind their firms growth and
prosperity despite these trying economic times.
So, to take a closer look at these leading lights, please read
on...
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Contents
4. Events.comChairman and Visionary of the Year & Event
Software CEO of the Year
6. Mathieu Gorge, VigiTrust Information Security CEO of the
Year
8. Trevor Gilbert & Associates Education Executive of the
Year 2015
9. Gowanda MS Education Executive of the Year 2015
10. Vehicle Preparation Services Ltd. Automotive Contracting
Director of the Year
11. Taylor Interiors Ltd Best for Residential Interior
Design
12. ServicePower Technologies PLC - Marne Martin Field Service
Management CEO of the Year & Best for Mobile Workforce
Management Solutions
13. Technology Associates Limited - Kelvin Kirby Business IT CEO
of the Year 2015
14. ExploringU Counselling Ltd Counselling Services Executive of
the Year 2015 & Best Counselling & Psychotherapy
Provider 2015
15. Hardie Polymers Ltd Best Independent Polymer Supplier
2015
16. Quarsh RPO Executive of the Year 2015
17. Synexus Clinical Trials CEO of the Year 2015 - Christophe
Berthoux
18. Mark Boidman - Peter J. Solomon Company Investment Banking
MD of the Year 2015
19. SpringTide Best for Supply Chain Consultancy Services
20. Blackburn Alarms Ltd Alarm Systems Provider of the Year
21. Smart Utility Systems SaaS CEO of the Year
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4 Corporate Vision Executive Awards 2015
Events.com is a leading online marketplace uniting event
organ-izers and event participants in one single place. Its
cloud-based application bridges the gap between event organizers
and event goers, giving the event ecosystem an improved solution to
planning and finding events. We got in touch with their Chair-man
and Founder, Mitch Thrower, as well as their CEO, Gregg Parise, to
find out the secrets behind their success.
First of all, how does it feel to have been named Chair-man and
Visionary of The Year?Mitch Thrower: It is a true honor to be
acknowledged as a visionary, but it is also important to
acknowledge that the true power of a visionary is derived not only
from the capacity to communicate that vision, but also the capacity
to surround oneself with the people who will make that vision a
reality. Its one thing to imagine the future, but its another to
ignite the fires of creativity and motivation in others. As a
founder, it is my responsibility to encourage the team to get
excited about creating the future I imagine, and a successful
vision is a shared vision. Its been wonderful to work with skilled
and motivated people that share my vision of ensuring that
Events.com is the center of the global event ecosystem.
You have already founded a profitable billion dollar company, as
co-founder of active.com (The Active Network, Inc.). Additionally,
you also launched Ac-tiveEurope.com (Active Europe Network) as
Co-Founder and CEO. Active went public before selling to Vista for
over one billion dollars. Please tell us a more about your career
background, and why do you think Events.com is the next chapter in
the event world? MT: Entrepreneurship is an endurance sport and you
learn valuable lessons along the way that you can apply to your
next venture. Events.com is a much bigger opportunity than any past
venture I have been involved with. The event space represents a 500
billion USD global market opportunity and I am proud
to say that Events.com is positioned to capture a large part of
that opportunity.
Before Events and Active, I was the President and Chief
Operating Officer of Triathlete Magazine, the worlds largest
triathlon magazine. I also served as Chairman of the magazine.
Your notable investors in Events.com include Tomorrow Ventures,
Chris Burch via Burch Creative Capital, Sil-verstein Properties
President Tal Kerret, Moore Venture Partners, DLA Piper Venture
Fund and Wilson Sonsini Investment Company, and Vandaele Capital.
From your experience, what is the most important criteria you look
for in investors?MT: With investors, we see our relationship as
more of a partnership than anything else. From our experi-ence, its
important to work with powerful, patient and supportive capital,
and we are so fortunate to have the investors we do.
Tell us about the work you do behind the scenes. What measures
do you take to ensure that your visions and in-novations are
manifested into the services you provide?MT: As Founder and
Chairman, my role is essentially to make sure that everyone has
what they need to be effective, especially the leadership team.By
focusing on fundraising and investor relations, generating leads
for key positions and client sales, Ive been able to share my
experience and provide resources to the wider team. In a small,
growing com-pany, communication is key so I focus a great deal of
my time ensuring the lines of communication are open and asking
questions.
Most of my time is spent working with our Board of Directors and
our CEO, Gregg Parise, who is a true
Chairman and Visionary of the Year & Event Software CEO of
the Year
Company: Events.comMitch Thrower, Chairman and Visionary of the
YearGregg Parise, Event Software CEO of the YearEmail:
[email protected] Web Address: http://www.events.com Address: 10955
Vista Sorrento Pkwy. Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92130Telephone:
858-257-2300
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Executive Awards 2015 Corporate Vision 5
leader and certainly deserving of the Event Software CEO of the
year Award. Gregg has done so much of the heavy lifting to build a
team of rock stars and grow revenue for Events.com. Gregg joined
the company when it was breaking out of its tree-fort stage, and
now, the com-pany is on its way to over 100 employees with
increasing revenue and a growing client base.
In the competitive events industry, youve been named the Event
Software CEO of the Year. Please tell us more about your
background, and how you add value to the role of CEO.Gregg Parise:
Prior to Events.com, I built a reputation as a leader within the
entrepreneurial business community, leveraging my investment
background of 20+ years of portfolio management and financial
market experience. My investment career began in the institutional
trading department of Hambrecht & Quist (1992-1997). I was the
founder and portfolio manager of two successful long/short equity
hedge funds, including Calimar Capital and Dorado Capital
Management, as well as a partner and co-manager of a $400 million
hedge fund portfolio at JLF Asset Management.
Ive been featured on the cover of Investors Business Daily, CBS
MarketWatch, The Wall Street Journal, The Wall Street Transcript
and Barrons. Furthermore, I have spoken at Tony Robbins financial
conferences alongside T Boone Pickens, Mark Faber, and Kyle Bass.
Currently, I serve on the Board of Directors for ServInt,
GreekRush, and Cardiff Capital.
In terms of my qualifications, I earned a BS in Finance from San
Diego State University and my MBA from The Marshall School of
Business at the University of South-ern California.
Your company has been named No.1 for Cloud-Based Event
Management Services. So you must be doing a host of things right,
what do you think is the driver of your success personally and
professionally?GP: I believe my passion, communication and
leadership by example permeate the culture throughout the
organi-zation. From passion comes perseverance. You will have small
failures along the way but at the end of the day, failure as a
company is not an option.
What areas have you focused on and what challenges have you
overcome to be named winner of these awards? GP: Events.com was
born from an incubator where there were multiple opportunities. We
have divested in oppor-tunities that presented themselves that may
have been promising but as we grew the business we set those aside
in order to focus on our core business. We have moved rapidly into
a competitive industry and have become a key player in an
ever-changing environment.
Working as an executive typically requires a great deal of
people management. Please tell us about you approach towards
running a team as well as attracting the right talent for your
business.GP: Your team is the key to success. I have interviewed
every single person who works at Events.com and I always will. I
think it sets a good example to ensure that potential candidates
see that the CEO cares to meet a potential hire, no matter the role
in the organization.When it comes to leading a talented team, it is
impera-tive to lead by example and with passion. No matter how
great your technology is, the area where you really win is with
your people.
Chairman and Visionary of the Year & Event Software CEO of
the Year
Tell us about your overriding philosophy when it comes to your
clients. What do you see as the most vital areas to focus on when
it comes to providing the best possible service?GP: We incorporate
our core values into everything we do. We live by 4 core values:
User First, Innovation, Commit-ment to Team and Winning. Winning is
a by-product of the success of the first three.
These values really speak for themselves. If our users are not
put first, then we have failed our users and ourselves. We are in
business for our users.
Additionally, in order for us to attract and retain the best
clients, we need to constantly be innovating. Innovation is the key
to success in technology.
Tell us about the culture within your firm and the things you do
to maintain and develop it. How does it influence your interactions
with and results achieved for your clients?GP: Culture is
everything. I am dedicated to building and fostering an incredible,
winning start up culture. All of our core values grow from the
leadership teams commitment to our wider team and ensuring that we
win together.Furthermore, accountability is huge, and we strive to
always underpromise and overdeliver. For example, every Tuesday and
Thursday during lunchtime theres an open invitation to anyone who
wants to run the Events.com 5K, which is a designated lap around
the office. Many people participate regardless of skill level, and
its an amazing way to get outside and refresh in the middle of the
day. In addition, we do something similar with a bike ride
start-ing from the office on Wednesday mornings. We all love to
push ourselves to be healthier people both in and out of the
office.
Finally, what sets you apart from your competitors and peers and
how do you use this differentiation to your advantage?GP:
Events.com was conceived at a time when the online registration
space was prime for disruption. We saw a sea of companies that had
not evolved and we knew the indus-try was ready for something new.
With a mission to reinvent the space, we built a software platform
that delivers what event organizers want most tools to maximize
customer acquisition while minimizing administrative oversight. We
deconstructed and rethought each component of the event management
lifecycle and created an enterprise-grade, global-ready,
mobile-first set of tools.
the true power of a visionary is
derived not only from the capacity
to communicate that vision, but
also the capacity to surround oneself
with the people who will make that
vision a reality.Mitch Thrower
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6 Corporate Vision Executive Awards 2015
Mathieu GorgeVigiTrustSituated in the heart of Dublin city with
regional offices in New York and Paris and sales office in London,
VigiTrust has been providing information security and data
compliance solutions for over 10 years. Behind this innovative
company is Mathieu Gorge, who spoke about the development of the
company his philosophy on running a major business.
VigiTrust is a security software vendor specialising in the
provision of cloud based eLearning programs and security compliance
portals. They provide security strategic workshops and mentoring
services based on the 5 Pillars of Security Framework. Furthermore,
they specialise in the promotion of security aware-ness and
assessments through the provision of cloud based e-Learning
solutions and compliance portals. They also provide advisory
services for their interna-tional clients in the healthcare, retail
and government sectors and cyber fintech. Perhaps cyber fintech is
the sphere that best defines where VigiTrust adds value to its
worldwide clients, says Gorge. It brings cyber security and cyber
compliance expertise to the Fintech sector.
VigiTrust operates in the global data security, govern-ance and
security area where they help organisations protect Personally
Identifiable Information (PII), Pro-tected Health Information (PHI)
and Credit Cardholder Data (CHD). In todays world attacks are
global and unfortunately most of them are either state sponsored or
driven by hard core criminal groups, notwithstand-ing
cyber-terrorism, says Gorge. This means that the industry ecosystem
must work as a team to combat threats which include large
enterprises, SMEs, secu-rity subject matter experts, law
enforcement agencies and security associations.
From VigiTrusts perspective, this creates a number of commercial
and non-commercial opportunities. We must embrace the new market
opportunities
whilst adding value to the overall security and com-pliance
market, says Gorge. This involves our CSS project but also active
participation in information security associations. Also from a
delivery view-point, VigiTrust works with global partners such as
Verizon on the PCI & GRC front and with TrustLabs, a division
of Gemalto. This way VigiTrust addresses global opportunities which
can be serviced by global partners with local presence.
Over the past 18 months, Vigitrust has grown substantially. The
company has more than doubled in staff and expects to double again
in 2016 with similar growth expected in 2017 and 2018. As a company
growing at such a phenomenal pace, Gorges main focus has been to
build a strong team around him that can deliver to these high
demands and challenges it presents.
Information Security CEO of the Year
We must embrace
the new market opportunities whilst
adding value to the overall security and compliance market
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Executive Awards 2015 Corporate Vision 7
I had to recognise that I couldnt manage such growth without a
Number 2, says Gorge. My main focus and next step was to recruit a
second in command with experience of growing businesses and putting
the above mentioned structure in place so that, as a CEO, I could
concentrate on the solution strategy, sales and company growth
itself.
Throughout that process I ensured that key team members who were
with the business for over 10 years were continually updated to
explain the transformation the business was going through and the
opportunities it was creating for everyone involved. The
recruitment of VigiTrusts COO was a turning point for the whole
original team and allowed VigiTrusts whole team to bring the
company to the next level.
Within a year of recruiting its COO, VigiTrust transformed
itself and is now at a turning point on-boarding major new clients
such as credit-agricole cards and payments and signing EMEA &
APAC distribution deal with Verizon, to name a few. This is
something I am proud of as the Founder and CEO as I believe this is
just the beginning of good things for VigiTrust, its team and its
ecosystem of authorized partners.
With the security compliance market currently facing major
changes, VigiTrust has strategically launched new midmarket and
enterprise solutions over the last two years which meet the current
and foreseen demands of the market. Gorge believes that there are
three reasons for these new requirements: Firstly, regulatory
pressure is mounting and data protection authorities are finally
enforcing information governance frameworks and laws such as HIPAA,
US State PII and national laws based on EU Data Protection .
Secondly, compliance budgets are increasing because board of
directors are under pressure not to be the next Target or Sony
breach headline. Finally, global standards such as PCI DSS are
gaining traction not just in the US but also in Europe and APAC.
This really is a turning point for the industry and we are ready to
maximize on this opportunity.
VigiTrust is now launching a new completely re-engi-neered
version Enterprise Solution for PCI DSS called SAMS, Security
Accreditation Management System, which allows organisations to
centrally manage all their compliance related tasks based on
pre-defined templates, controls and official reports. At the
moment, it is available for PCI DSS and 3rd Party Assurance. In the
first quarter of 2016, it will be available for ISO 27001, HIPAA
and EU Data Protection. This is a natural exten-sion of the
mid-market compliance portal already in use at thousands of outlets
worldwide.
I am also very happy that VigiTrust is now working actively with
Europes largest acquiring bank on their PCI Compliance, says Gorge.
In addition, the partnership with Accor Hotels has grown
substantially and Accor is now an official reference for VigiTrusts
PCI Compliance Portal and training, and is even speaking at the
official PCI Community Meeting in Nice (3-5 November 2015) together
with VigiTrust.
Another major success for Gorge in 2015 was the third edition of
the VigiTrust Advisory Board which he leads personally. VigiTrust
has been organising Advisory Boards in Dublin, London, NY, Paris
for the last three
Information Security CEO of the Year
years and more recently in Sydney and San Francisco. It is a
group of CEOs, CFOs, CSOs, legal and compliance officers, payments
experts, security specialists and fraud experts from financial
services, payments industry, health-care, retail, higher education
and government. The format is a 90 minute information exchange
ses-sion followed by an evening out. Furthermore VigiTrust
organises a two day event in Dublin once a year to bring all groups
together. It is a non-commercial event where they all share
brainstorming sessions during the day and all go out in the
evenings. Themes for the 2015 edition included mobile payments
innovation and security, IoT security, third party and cloud risk
management amongst other legal and industry issues such as the
impact of the new EU Data Protection and PSD2. The group also
looked at the evolution of banking, cryptocurrencies and risks
within. Speakers included FBI, Stephen Orfei General Manager of PCI
SSC, Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, Verizon etc.
As the face of the company, I regularly speak at events around
compliance, security and data governance, says Gorge. I also do
regular podcasts with ComputerWeekly and have been appointed
Contributor and Speaker for Ex-ecSense, a division of the Financial
Times with responsibili-ty for cybersecurity content. All this
though leadership work contributes to raising not only my profile
but the profile of the company and every time a new article or
podcast is published, VigiTrust gets new leads and is further
elevated as a thought leader in the cyber fintech domain.
Speaking about the awards, Gorge is delighted to have been
recognised for this achievement. Its a great honour to be named
Information Security CEO of the Year, says Gorge. It means a lot to
me personally and to the whole VigiTrust team. It is a special time
for the company as we are growing tremendously and are embarking on
next phase of our expansion plans which are already seeing us
double in team size and sales every few months. I truly appreciate
the fact that it is a privilege to be recognised as an industry
leader. It has energized me even further and it gives me even more
belief that VigiTrust will do well in the years to come.
And of course, my team has been supporting me in every new
strategic direction or project I choose for VigiTrust. From
strategic advice I get from my management team through to the extra
mile my whole team goes to see us de-liver high quality software
and customer projects, we have been lucky to build excellent team
ethos and spirit.
The company has more than
doubled in staff and expects to
double again in 2016
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8 Corporate Vision Executive Awards 2015
Trevor Gilbert & Associates Trevor Gilbert
Established for 25 years, Trevor Gilbert & Associates is a
renowned expert witness practice providing reports on loss of
earnings in cases of personal injury, clinical negligence,
survivors of child abuse, matrimonial matters and employment
tribunals for use in civil litigation. As employment experts they
are the leaders in their field, delivering authoritative and
persuasive reports to their clients in the legal sector on the
employment opportunities of claimants.
When it comes to leading a business, Trevor believes very much
in the Henry Kissinger quote; The task of the leader is to get his
people from where they are to where they have not been. His team of
experts are not employed by TGA, but self-employed as it is
important an expert keeps their feet in the water and not be
perceived as a professional expert. Nevertheless, it is critical
TGAs associates feel they are an important part of the team and to
do this they engage with them on a daily basis, provide continuous
training such as giving evidence under cross-examination, or report
writing.
Furthermore, the in-house team benefit from numerous corridor
meetings and training where necessary. Trevor much prefers to
operate an open door policy where consideration is given to anyones
opinion and how that may fit with the practices culture and
vision.
In terms of their clients, Trevor makes great efforts to engage
with them on an individual basis because lawyers are notoriously
difficult to appoint with. Additionally, he and his admin team
fully utilise LinkedIn and other social media to broaden their
penetration. Expert witness practices are not known for their
business acumen (most are individuals) and so that TGAs vision of
kaizen and market penetration is achieved Trevor delivers
presentations to insurers, universities, barristers chambers and
law firms.
The expert practice is client centric, but never forgets that as
an expert witness the overriding duty is to the court and not the
law firm which pays them. We must not be influenced by them in any
way, Trevor says. TGA is extremely well regarded for its
independence and unbiased reporting and the corporate culture is
simply to ensure that it is maintained.
As a small firm led by one of the UKs foremost expert witnesses
the culture in a sense revolves around Trevor who will not accept
second best under any circumstances. As a company, there is a
culture of openness and knowledge sharing which is recognised and
appreciated by clients as they have one simple objective;
instructing an expert they know they can rely on.
Perhaps what distinguishes TGA most from its competitors is that
they operate as a business, whereas the majority of experts are
individuals. The
practice has developed an informative web site, designed and
launched the first mobile app of its kind in the world
(pocketwitness.com) to help members of the public give evidence in
court (in the UK and US jurisdictions) and achieved quality
standards such as ISO 9001 and 14001. Trevor ensures high quality
training is provided to their team of experts such as from QCs and
are regular contributors to sector press. Trevor is a much
sought-after seminar speaker.
Keeping costs appropriate to the case is a major challenge in
the face of the requirement for proportionality following law
reforms in 2013. To overcome this, TGA has focussed on new areas
such as survivors of child abuse so that they may broaden their
scope of service. TGA focusses on delivering a service which meets
these changes but not to the detriment of quality, for which they
have a deserved reputation.
As for the award, Trevor says it was both surprising and
delightful to be nominated, let alone win it; It seems this may be
an exceptional year for us having already received notification we
are short-listed for two personal injury awards, all of which is
put down to the quality of our reporting and the recognition we
receive in our specialist sector.
Our success would not be possible without a solid team of
experts and great administrators supporting TGA. Achieving the
international quality standard ISO 9001 and the environmental
standard 14001 are just further examples of the lengths this
practice will go to ensure excellence of service delivery.
Our plans for 2016 are to maintain our position as the UKs
leading employment expert witness practice and to further develop
our penetration of all our target markets.
Expert Witness of the Year 2015 & Best Employment Experts
2015
Our success would not be possible without a
solid team of experts and great administrators
supporting TGA
Trevor Gilbert, probably the UKs most well-known expert witness,
is forever seeking continuous improvement. We got in touch with him
to find out more about his expert witness practice, Trevor Gilbert
& Associates, and how he consistently delivers results for his
clients.
Company: Trevor Gilbert & Associates Limited Name: Trevor
GilbertEmail: [email protected] Address:
www.employmentexperts.co.ukAddress: Westerfield Business Centre,
Westerfield, Ipswich IP6 9ABTelephone: 01473 28818
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Executive Awards 2015 Corporate Vision 9
Gowanda MS
As Principal, I am fair and firm in my expectations.
When having an opportunity to hire employees, I look
at the whole person and what talents and abilities
they bring to enhance our climate. We find that life
experience is just as important as formal education.
I believe that the adversities people have overcome
help them to have empathy and an open heart to help
our students learn and grow.
Within our school, we have built a culture of care. For
some of our students, school is the only structure in
their life. They can count on receiving nourishment for
their body with breakfast and lunch provided at school,
and enrichment for their minds in classrooms where
teachers do their best to help them overcome and learn
to grasp the concepts to the best of their ability.
I have also worked diligently on decreasing bullying in
our school community. I firmly believe that young peo-
ple are better able to learn when they feel comfortable
and accepted by their peers. Challenges for me have
been many over the years, and I have worked hard to
hone my skills in management of staff and getting the
very best effort out of my employees.
From my experience, everyone needs someone to be-
lieve in them. That one person can make a world of dif-
ference in the success of a child. As a result, I am strong
on building relationships with our students and helping
them to grow, learn, and contribute to our community.
Overcoming adversity in my growing up years, gave me
first-hand experience in dealing with any challenge that
comes along, finding strength inside myself as well as
working hard to achieve goals. My perspective on life
helps me to bond with students from all walks of life,
and encourage them to succeed and never give up.
We work in an area that is always changing and we
are always looking to deal with any challenges that
may come ahead. For teachers, much time is taken
up with changes in the APPR process, and the
effects on their profession. As for students, changes
in the NYS testing process have complicated the
learning environment.
As for the award, I am deeply humbled by this honor.
My success is based on hard-work, determination, the
ability to overcome adversity, and the trust to rely on
those around me to build a solid team that shares my
vision for our school community.
Looking further ahead, it is my hope that we will con-
tinue to stay strong and move in a positive direction,
with our focus on the students and helping them learn
to the best of their abilities. We will remain consistent
in our vision, and this will provide stability for our
students and a good learning environment.
Education Executive of the Year 2015
Overcoming adversity
in my growing up years, gave me first-hand
experience in dealing with any challenge that
comes along
GMS is a unique community, with students in grades 5 through 8
(ranging in age from 9 to 14), comprised mainly of Native American
and Caucasian descent. We spoke to David Smith, Principal at
Gowanda MS, about how he sets a climate of respect, inclusion
(strong on anti-bullying) and an excitement for learning.
Company: Gowanda MSWeb Address: www.gowcsd.orgAddress: 10674
Prospect St, Gowanda, NY 14070, United States
Telephone:+1 716-532-9497
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10 Corporate Vision Executive Awards 2015
Richard Davidson
Vehicle Preparation Services Ltd.
Specialising in the automotive sector, VPS has consider-able
experience and knowledge in the supply of staff and one of the
companys core aims is the provision of high quality personnel and
services at very competitive rates.
VPS recognises the demanding challenges within the automotive
industry and the necessity to actively respond to customers
requirements. Over the years, the company has established a
comprehen-sive database of records which includes the previ-ous
history of a technicians duties, qualifications, skills,
achievements, licences, unique talents and abilities. Benefitting
from these details, our compa-ny therefore can rapidly find the
precise person for the position available.
Quality is paramount in the motor industry and VPS prides itself
on ensuring that all staff supplied work to a very high standard.
VPS is also committed to a robust technician training and
improvement programme, and in conjunction with our customers we can
assist tech-nicians to further their product knowledge by enrolling
them in manufacturers training programmes.
VPS is proud of the quality levels achieved by its staff, who
have constantly achieved over 99% Right First Time on enhancement
fitments. At the same time, the company continues to find more ways
to improve its products and services.
We offer a wide range of services for the automotive sector.
Among these include fully and semi-skilled general auto technicians
for work including braking sys-tems engines, air-conditioning ,and
auto electrical from alarm to ICE installs / PDI (pre-delivery
inspection)
We also provide fully skilled body-shop technicians for work
involving vehicle spraying, jig work, cold panel repair, polishing,
prepping and strip-fitting. Furthermore, we offer a complete
solution for used vehicles including wash, engine steam, full
valet, and showroom valet.
VPS have recently added LINE-X to its range of services, LINE-X
is a durable hard-wearing protective coating, dominant in the
automotive lining. LINE-X exhibits one of the highest tensile
strengths, one of the highest tear strengths and one of the highest
abrasion resistance than most other spray-in liner available.
This makes LINE-X one of the highest performing bedliners
available today.VPS currently apply LINE-X as an optional extra to
TOYOTA on their Hilux vehicles in the UK. VPS not only manufacture
thousands of finished number plates per week, but we also supply
number plate components to the automotive industry and in most
cases the qualified PDI staff to fit the plates giving our
customers the total package at an unbeatable price.With these
services, we have quite an extensive and prestigious family of
satisfied clients which include Honda, Mitsubishi, Toyota, GBA and
Paragon.
In terms of our certifications, VPS is proud of the fact that it
passed its ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Audit as well as its
ISO 14001:2008 Environmental Management Audit earlier this year.
ISO 9001 is a family of standards related to quality management
systems and is designed to help organisations ensure that they meet
the needs of customers. ISO 14001 is the internationally recognised
standard for the environmental management of businesses. Both these
combined are a testament to the truly top standard of services we
provide at our company.
Automotive Contracting Director of the Year
Quality is paramount in the
motor industry and VPS prides itself on ensuring that
all staff supplied work to a very high
standard.
Vehicle Preparation Services Ltd (VPS) has been supplying
skilled technicians throughout the automotive industry for many
years and is now a leading contract supplier. We got in touch with
them to find out more about the diverse range of services they
provide.
Company: Vehicle Preparation Services Ltd.Address:Unit 14,
Gordano 19Garonor Way, PortburyBristolBS20 7XE
Telephone: 01275-372097
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Executive Awards 2015 Corporate Vision 11
Taylor Interiors Ltd
I consider myself to be a very creative person, but at the same
time very organised in what I do. My team fully understands that
the success of every project depends not only on our creativity,
but also on our reliability to complete everything on time, as well
as providing excellent quality and of course within the budget. Our
team is very versatile, and each member of the team is invaluable
and does their on very ad-vanced level. Above all, we communicate
well and we support each other.
Over the years, our projects have increased in terms of size and
scale. We furnished two villas which were both were valued at over
20 million pounds. The expectations of clients such as these are
extremely high, and we have to deliver stunning interiors which
include many bespoke items. As you can imagine, this involves
complex production and logistic issues which must be properly
managed.
We are fortunate to have several luxury properties in our
portfolio and have received very positive reviews from our wealthy
clients. Importantly, these clients did not doubt our ability to
undertake such extensive projects. This makes the process a whole
lot easier, and there is a great deal of trust and confidence
between us.
Youll find that no project of ours is the same, and we do not
copy the style of any other project. We always
adapt to our clients desires, and can create interiors in old
traditional English style, traditional Italian, Luis XIV, art deco,
art nouveau, contemporary, modern, minimalist, Mediterranean,
country style, ethnic and many more. Providing such a diverse range
of services requires a wide knowledge of the industry and years of
experience.
From our experience, it is critical to listen to the client and
this is something we always ensure when working with them.
Furthermore, we create interiors which are not only beautiful, but
practical and func-tional. From our perspective, the perfect
interior is in a cosy home where the family feel relaxed and happy
with their surroundings. We make sure that each family member is
satisfied by the clever distribution of rooms and furniture.
Across the board, we are a company that are very enthusiastic
and we have a very positive atmosphere
in the office. Our duties are a combination of very cre-ative
and technical work, where we have to concen-trate and cover all the
technical aspects of the design process and to pay great attention
to details whist ordering the production of all items. We are used
to working under pressure to meet deadlines and this requires a
great deal of teamwork from people who genuinely want to be part of
this process. We really enjoy working on these projects and the
icing on the cake is to finally see the project finished, with
photos taken and published on our website.
In terms of the major trends happening in our industry, I work
very much at the high-end of luxury interiors where a lot of
companies are moving towards utilising products and designs that
are truly bespoke. This is translating into products like
double-weight silk wallpaper from China, with embroidery
patterning, which is unique and also looks very contemporary.
Likewise, the rugs made in Asia, which are artworks in themselves.
For these rugs, 200 colours can be selected to create a completely
individual item. I also see new materials and finishes being
utilised in inno-vative ways, from special moulds to fine veneers.
More recently, a lot of copper and brass has been used too.
As for the award, we are very proud to be recognised as Best for
Residential Interior Design. We have been nominated for 13 interior
design awards resulting from four different projects in UK and
Spain. This success is down to a team effort which has consistently
allowed to completing the projects on time and within the agreed
budget.
Best for Residential Interior Design
As for the award, we are very proud to be recognised as Best
for
Residential Interior Design.
Yvette Taylor is the inspirational Founder and Creative Director
of Taylor Interiors, an interior de-sign practise specialising in
high end residential projects in London, Surrey, Berkshire, as well
as holiday resorts in France and Spain. We get in touch with her to
find the philosophy behind her success.
Company: Taylor Interiors LtdEmail:
[email protected]:
www.taylor-interiors.comAddress: 65 Sloane St, London SW1X
9SHPhone: 020 3751 3700
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12 Corporate Vision Executive Awards 2015
ServicePower Technologies PLCMarne Martin
ServicePower Technologies, Plc has offered intelligent,
innovative field service management solutions since 1996. We
provide mobile workforce management software solutions that
incorporate the latest technologies to deliver enhanced
productivity, improved customer experience and a true return on
investment across multiple labour sources, all in one single vendor
solution.
We also work closely with the analyst community and cutting edge
technology vendors to understand emerging technologies that impact
the field service management industry. Furthermore, we have
strate-gic partners who incorporate new technologies, and this
creates opportunities to expand and develop our services.
Perhaps more importantly, we work closely with our clients to
ensure that our mobile workforce manage-ment software solutions are
delivered on time and on budget. We ensure that the solutions
deliver the high-est levels of customer satisfaction, as well as
ROI for the organisation. It is crucial for us that the solutions
in the long term support the competitive and changing environments
we work within.
In terms of my own background, I firmly believe that I am where
I am today because of my independence and drive, and the ability to
say no, while offering solutions to problems. I gained these traits
while grow-ing up on the various ranches in the West (Montana and
Wyoming). My personal values such as having integrity, treating
people with respect, and having a passion for enjoying ones work
are key mantras I have instilled in ServicePowers culture. The
ability to be
patient, get ones hands dirty, and invest in long term client
partner relationships are attributes we seek out and instil in
current staff.
We are a company that continuously invests in our people. Our
team is comprised not only of software developers, but of business
experts, whom have managed employed and contracted workforces.
Amoung our employees are business consultants and deployment
managers with Six Sigma training and implementation experience at
some of the largest systems integrators.
We work with our clients to deliver implementations on time and
on budget, as well as to provide consulting throughout our
relationship, ensuring the software is achieving the anticipated
ROI, but also, evolves with their changing business requirements.
We even provide strategic guidance related to when and how to mix
employed and third party labour to achieve cost, margin and
customer satisfaction goals.We view our clients as long term
partners, as opposed
to the typical client vendor relationship. Our workforce
management software experts work side-by-side with clients to
define business objectives and design efficient processes. We then
implement our work-force management software to improve operational
efficiency and effectiveness, reduce cost and improve the customer
experience. We offer expert, global deployment services including
planning, executing and validating the results of our Mobile
Workforce Management Software.
Our vision is to be the leading workforce management innovator
in the market, while delivering increasing value to our clients and
shareholders. Our software platform supports clients throughout the
globe and spanning across a variety of industries. Clients utilize
our mobile workforce management software to intelligently deploy
the best employed field resources for their work, while achieving
corporate metrics like productivity, efficiency, cost, margin,
cycle time and customer satisfaction.
Furthermore, our platform is the only mobile workforce
management software which seamlessly integrates multiple labour
resources. The platform works in the cloud, intelligently
dispatching either employed or contracted labor while also
providing fully, configurable, cross-platform mobile dispatching
which increases first time fix rates. ServicePower has also
incorporated the latest emerging technologies, like Iot/M2M,
wearables, social, mobile, cloud and analytics such that our
platform provides a truly connected mobile workforce management
solution, deployable anywhere in the world.
As for the award, we are simply elated to be honoured by the
2015 Executive Awards. We firmly believe that the innovations in
our product suite really have set ServicePower apart from other
vendors in our space.
Field Service Management CEO of the Year & Best for Mobile
Workforce Management Solutions
Our focus is on creating
world class mobile workforce
management software
As the CEO, Marne Martin manages through adaptive leadership.
Her focus is on developing com-petent managers in ServicePower so
they can continue to support their customers with expanded software
capabilities, delivered bug free and in a timely manner. We got in
touch with her to find out the unique relationships they have with
their clients.
Name: Marne MartinCompany: ServicePower Technologies PlcWeb:
www.servicepower.comAddress: Petersgate House, 64 St Petersgate,
Stockport SK1 1HEPhone:0161 476 2277
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Executive Awards 2015 Corporate Vision 13
Technology Associates Limited Kelvin Kirby
Technology Associates provides consulting, training, support and
development services to a wide range of customers based on the
following technologies:- Mi-crosoft Office 365, Microsoft Project,
Project Server, Project Online, SharePoint and Microsoft Azure.
They also develop custom solutions for their clients and help
companies to fully realise their investment in the Microsoft
technology stack. Through this they deliver integration solutions
that provide greater efficiencies and guaranteed ROI.
As a company immersed in the tech sector, devel-oping and
adapting to changes has played a pivotal part in their success. I
think every business goes through changes some enforced and some
that
might be unpredictable, says Kirby. Providing an enormous
challenge for us was getting our organisa-tion to embrace the cloud
technologies which involved numerous changes in staff training,
compensation, and retention. However, Im glad to say weve come
through that and developed a model that I am now advising other
companies on and even extending this to an advisory capability of
the business to develop another revenue stream.
Across the industry, this move towards cloud com-puting is
clearly still very visible and will be for some time, says Kirby.
We have seen this in the demand for our services and its certainly
the way forward. Companies can remove a whole layer of
infrastructure (and support) by moving to the cloud and we offer
public, private and hybrid cloud solutions for all of our customers
depending upon their needs. On-premise is essentially dead for all
but legacy systems but of course we continue to support and build
line of business integration solutions for customers whether
on-prem or cloud based.
As a company that is always keen to grow and develop their
services, Kirby has adopted an open and transparent way of working,
where they en-courage staff to contribute feedback and
opinions.
Everything we do is a team effort, says Kirby. I need my staff
to know their voice will be heard, considered and acted on if
appropriate. I prefer to get it right at the first approach but
recognise that mistakes are a way for people to learn and grow. As
long as they learn from them, thats OK. We offer an environment in
which people can grow personally and professionally and we try to
make it fun. Weve had customers stay with us for more than 15 years
so we must be doing something right!
In terms of their approach towards customer service, Technology
Associates treat all of their client assign-ments as a working
partnership. We listen carefully to our clients needs but also try
to understand the over-all IT strategy and needs of the business,
identifying the most challenging areas so we can use our exper-tise
and knowledge to help that business develop and make the most of
their IT investments.
Although we may start with a simple assignment, our consultants
seek to understand the business and make suggestions for solutions
that provide a strong ROI, and clear efficiencies in the business.
Because of our approach, we have a very high client retention rate
and we are able to develop strong relationships with our client
companies. In many cases we have clients that have been with us for
over 15 years.
Speaking about the award, Kirby is delighted to be recognised
and believes this is also down to the dedication and support from
his team at Technology Associates. Receiving this award is a great
feeling, and is an accolade that I am very proud of, says Kirby.
This is really a team award though because I have a phenomenal team
of people that I work with and that really makes it a joy to work
in this industry. I love it when our customers really appreciate
and get excited about what we are doing for them. Its immensely
rewarding for all of us. To our customers we are really their
trusted advisors and partners in technology based solutions.
Business IT CEO of the Year 2015
Receiving this award is a great feeling, and
is an accolade that I am very proud of
Technology Associates is a company dedicated to providing
dependable advice and solutions to businesses that want to improve
efficiency, resource utilisation, collaboration and their bottom
line. We got the chance to speak with the Kelvin Kirby, CEO of
Technology Associates, who told us how they consistently innovate
and develop their services.
Name: Kelvin KirbyCompany: Technology Associates Email:
[email protected] Web Address: www.techassoc.com Address:
Technology House, 1 Shottery Brook Office Park, Timo-thys Bridge
Road, Stratford upon Avon, Warks CV37 9NRTelephone: 01789
292150
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14 Corporate Vision Executive Awards 2015
ExploringU Counselling Ltd
Perhaps my biggest challenge was starting my com-pany in the
height of the recession. On every corner I turned, people
questioned whether it was a good idea to start a new venture when
so many were closing.
A typical day for me involves long hours working at my computer,
sourcing work and dotting the is and cross-ing the ts. I also
organise charity events every year with the help of my staff, who
really are invaluable. I use team building sessions to help
integrate my staff to my way of thinking, and this gives them an
insight into what my visions are and through this we push these
dreams to become reality.
One of the key factors in the growth of our company has been the
culture I have instilled in my compa-ny, which is all about
building relationships with my staff. We strive to reach a better
understanding within the company through charity work which I
strongly encourage, and we also enjoy staff spa days for team
building. These activities help the staff to give a better service
with a better sense of belonging to something bigger, and they find
that they are a comrade within the company. We are a tight nit
family who provide a shoulder to lean on, which helps to achieve a
revolu-tionary service of help and understanding. From our
perspective, it is important not to rush the client for response
but allowing it to flower.
Our clients are quite varied, whose issues range across the
board and are always testing and chal-lenging our staff. We
specialise in providing (ABI) Acquired Brain Injury clients with a
unique one-
to-one rehabilitation service, as well as providing a
professional 24/7 live in package to those who require specialised
support.
We have developed our own ABI training course, giv-ing other
professionals such as solicitors, case manag-ers, social workers,
etc the Training that is required to work and understand the person
better.
As an executive with many years of experience in working with
people, my approach is to maintain a high level of communication
with my staff. I look for hardworking dedicated motivated down to
earth people, some have acquired high levels of education, some
have not, for me its all about the relationship.
Deputy Manager Sharon Michell has worked tre-mendously hard in
helping me to shape ExploringU counselling, she shares my vision to
help many more people for generations to come and also to train
many
individuals in understanding the Brain and behaviour.
In terms of dealing with our clients, our philosophy is to have
a great connection with our clients and a deeply professional
relationship. Furthermore, we find that both client and service
users feedback is essential to providing an excellent service.
There a number of features which separate us from our
competitors. Firstly, our website boasts a profes-sional holistic
feel and focuses on the whole person rather than offering one type
of therapy and approach, everyone is different so it makes sense to
offer clients different ways in which we can help them.
Secondly, we are the leaders in our business, having already won
the A1 Business Award of excellence for counselling &
psychotherapy 2015.
Thirdly, we have developed ExploringU travel, a spe-cialised
travel service that allows clients with ABI to travel anywhere in
the world with a qualified rehabilita-tion coordinator.
Over the past eight years our business has evolved into
different areas of counselling, psychotherapy and acquired brain
injury. Furthermore, we use street surveys to our advantage, and
get an early insight into what the public needs from our
professional services.
In terms of the award, we are exhilarated to have won this
honour. This is particularly rewarding given the many long hours I
found myself tucked away until the small hours of the day as I
shaped my company. The reward is also down to working hard on team
building and surrounding myself with the best team who pro-vide an
excellent service to the community.
Counselling Services Executive of the Year 2015 & Best
Counselling & Psychotherapy Provider 2015
...providing a professional 24/7 live in package to
those who require specialised support
exploringU counselling began with only Glenda Roberts at the
helm, who steered her company from obscurity to the forefront of
counselling and psychotherapy professional services. We spoke to
her about how she achieved this milestone and the diverse range of
service her company pro-vides today.
Company: ExploringU counsellingName: Glenda D
Roberts(MBACP)(Accred)(AIP)
DirectorEmail:[email protected]
Address: www.exploringucounselling.co.ukAddress: The Old Press
Rooms, 54 Station Road, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 2SPTelephone: 01787
829141
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Executive Awards 2015 Corporate Vision 15
Hardie Polymers Ltd
We are able to offer our customers an exception-ally wide range
of engineering polymers from all the major global producers. Our
customers are all involved in the manufacture of plastic parts for
key industries including: automotive, medical, business machines,
electrical products, oil and gas and household appliances.
Because there are thousands of different polymer grades used in
the market, being able to offer such a wide range and from so many
different manufacturers is not easy. Every day, we receive requests
from cus-tomers for new grades so we are constantly expanding our
supply base to meet this demand. This means that our customers can
leave us to track down the materials they need and ensure that they
receive them on time. Our logistics team work very closely with our
haulage partners to collect materials from right across Europe and
transport them over to the UK every day.
I suppose what makes us unique is that we are much smaller than
our major competitors, and are consequently able to give our
customers a more flex-ible and focussed service. We are happy to
shun the large corporate style approach and instead tailor our
offer to whatever the customer needs. As a result, we are
frequently told by our customers that they prefer our approach and
we win new customers all the time as a result.
Additionally and very importantly, because we are in-dependent
and not tied to certain polymer producers, we can offer grades from
any producer. This saves our customer from having to deal with
multiple suppliers. We also work on tighter margins than our larger
com-
petitors so our customers can access better pricing for these so
called specified grades.
When dealing with our clients, the response time is critical.
Our customers need to know prices and availability on materials as
quickly as possible in order to meet their own deadlines. So we
always make sure we get back to people, and never keep the customer
waiting and guessing. And if there is bad news on a delivery, we
let the customer know so they can plan accordingly. Good
communication is vital in manufacturing.
Over the past few years, we have worked very hard to locate and
develop new suppliers across Europe in order to enable us to
increase the range of materials that we can offer and also to
improve the prices that we can offer our customers. We now have
over 300 polymer suppliers supporting us giving us a real edge over
our competition.
In terms of the culture of our company, I strongly believe that
good individuals develop best when they are given the freedom and
scope to make their own decisions. The individual learns faster and
the cus-tomer benefits from being able to deal with someone
who is empowered and can act quickly and decisively to give them
what they need. I believe we have a good, relaxed and friendly
working environment where our team are not afraid to make decisions
and feel rewarded for what they do.
Although we have doubled the size of our business in the last
two years, we dont lose sight of the fact that we are a traditional
family business with a friendly, re-sponsive service at our heart.
I started my own career in the hospitality sector and looking after
customers properly has always been very important to me.
In our industry, strong growth in key sectors such as automotive
have led to extended lead times for many engineering polymers. This
has given injection mould-ers real problems as they struggle to
meet production deadlines. Hardies however, have been able to use
the full extent of their international supply base to track down
stocks of these scarce materials and help the moulding companies
get their material on time.
Operating within a mature sector, we have developed a new model
from the major polymer distributors, by giving our customers the
opportunity to now source their specified engineering polymers from
some-where other than the official distributor. By opening up the
market in this way, we are helping these com-panies to compete more
effectively and to improve their own profitability.
In terms of the award, we are delighted to add another award to
that of Polymer Distributor of the Year Award that we won last
year. This new award recognises our ongoing and continued success
in meeting the needs of our fast growing UK customer base.
Additionally it also highlights the importance of our independent
sta-tus, which allows us to offer the widest possible range of
engineering materials to our customers.
Best Independent Polymer Supplier 2015
This award recognises our continued
success in meeting the needs of our fast growing
UK customer base
Hardie Polymers are a 3rd generation family business established
in Glasgow in 1924, and are a distributor of plastic raw materials
to the UK injection moulding sector. We got in touch with Fergus
Hardie, Managing Director of Hardie Polymers, who spoke to us about
how they compete in this highly competitive market.
Company: Hardie PolymersName: Fergus Hardie, Managing
Director.Email: [email protected] Web Address:
www.hardiepolymers.com Address: Beardmore Business Centre, 9
Beardmore Street, Clydebank, Glasgow. G81 4HATelephone: 0141 952
1900
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16 Corporate Vision Executive Awards 2015
Everyone who works for Quarsh lives and breathes my central
tenet, do recruitment properly, and do it well, and I never stop
banging on about it. I make sure that we keep talking about the
prob-lems were facing onsite so that we keep looking for solutions.
Its my job to find clients in the first place, so I tend to be
involved with projects all the way through anyway. To me, its about
collabora-tion, enthusiasm, intelligence and problem-solving.
Luckily I hire great people and were very fortunate to have some
clients who share our ethos. Our work comes in phases: assess,
improve, ana-lyse repeat. We have to earn the right to be our
clients strategic partner and then keep looking for ways to
improve. Were not the cheapest RPO pro-vider, but we provide
fantastic value and our ROI is
huge. Were always looking for ways to tackle the really knotty
problems, too.
Were constantly looking at our results and analys-ing what we
can do better. Each year we improve. I also work hard to bring a
sense of ownership, so everyone feels responsible and accountable
for their clients results, and I always share success-es. Im really
proud of what my team can deliver. Weve hired very carefully to
make sure our people reflect the vision of the founders to our
clients and can execute well. When it comes to my team I see
management as sitting underneath everyone, looking upwards for
gaps, and then filling in those gaps. Taking away the stress that
might otherwise panic people, providing encouragement, and support,
and some-times dealing with the more difficult situations myself.
Recruitment can be a thankless profes-sion, so I make sure that
everyone has a sense of pride and achievement, and has the
opportunity to develop skills that will help them improve and
progress not only at Quarsh, but also throughout their careers.
It helps that everyone we hire gets on with each other, and they
share the same kind of mind-set no-one is precious or easily
offended, there isnt much of a hierarchy and everyone values each
others contribution. I absolutely will not have any kind of
bullying, crudeness or rudeness, and that
has created quite a safe working environment which Im really
proud of.Recruitment needs to be clearly aligned to the strategy of
our clients and we have to keep coming up with new ideas. Their
battles are our battles, whether thats finding people in the first
place, making sure hiring managers can interview effec-tively,
managing agencies on a PSL or providing ROI calculations on the
last years recruitment campaigns. We have to be transparent and we
cant hide unpleasant facts. We tackle problems together. I make
sure that the Quarsh team are re-ally good at understanding our
clients issues and coming up with intelligent ways to support them.
We have found that the challenges we face have become much more
difficult over the course of the year. Our clients business plans
have completely changed over the past 12 months as the economy has
picked up, so their recruitment needs and patterns have changed.
Our ability to be nimble means we evolve and adapt with them - our
focus has been improving the quality of our services for our
clients without increasing the amount they spend on our
services.
Over the next 12 months we expect clients to be-come
increasingly more demanding of their service providers - and
rightly so. Recruiters will have to become much more strategic and
much less transactional in their thinking, in order to really
demonstrate how their services provide real value to their
clients.
There always has been and always will be the need for the
massive RPO providers in this world. At Quarsh, we focus on the SME
market, and SMEs are increasingly seeing RPO as a cost effective
recruitment option, so over the next 12 months we expect to see
many more smaller scale RPOs pop-up to address this need in the SME
market. This is great news for Quarsh as competition is always a
good thing!
RPO Executive of the Year 2015
Were really good at understanding our
clients issues
For Lucy James, Director at Quarsh, being an RPO firm means
being a partner with your clients to make the most out of their
recruitment environment. We spoke to her to find out more about her
about her business, as well as her central tenet: do recruitment
properly, and do it well.
Company: Quarsh LtdName: Lucy JamesEmail:
[email protected] Address: www.quarsh.comAddress: Bletchley
ParkTelephone: 01908 889718
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Executive Awards 2015 Corporate Vision 17
Synexus is a unique company that excels in the identification,
recruitment and retention of patients for clinical trials, at our
own sites called Dedicated Research Centres (DRC) on behalf of
pharmaceutical companies, biotech and CROs.
You will find our Dedicated Research Centres across the UK,
Germany, Central / Eastern Europe and South Africa, each offering a
high standard of clinical trial management.
Our global coverage enables us to access tens of millions of
patients, helping us to get new medications to those who need
them.
Quality of Patients and DataOur mission is to be the patients
choice for clinical research. We specialise in patient engagement
that leads to better retention for clinical trials. We deliver
clinical trials data on time and our QA department ensures that we
have standardised processes within our Dedicated Research
Centres.
Therapy AreasThe recruitment model is highly effective in those
indications treated in a primary care setting or which require
population screening, but also works in select-ed secondary care
settings.
Synexus has world class experience and track record in the
following therapeutic areas:- Cardiovascular Central Nervous System
Endocrinology and Metabolism Musculoskeletal Respiratory
Dermatology Gastroenterology
Infectious Diseases Ophthalmology Urology Womens Health
Vaccines
Clinical Trials CEO of the Year 2015 - Christophe Berthoux
Synexus origins date back to 1992, when Dr Ian Smith, then a
practising GP, bought the house next door to his surgery to provide
a dedicated clinical trials centre - the first of its kind in the
world.
Name: Cath AldredCompany: Synexus LimitedAddress: Synexus
Limited, Sandringham House, Ackhurst Park, Chorley, Lancashire, PR7
1NYWeb: www.synexus.comEmail: [email protected]: +44
(0)1257 230723Fax: +44 (0)1257 231981
Synexus
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18 Corporate Vision Executive Awards 2015
As a firm, we have successfully completed more than 500 advisory
assignments in the form of mergers, acquisitions, divestitures,
restructurings, recapitaliza-tions, and fairness opinions.
We continuously examine the tech and media land-scape to assess
the impact of tech evolution on media distribution and commerce. We
are interested not only in where the tech and media industries
stand today, but also where they will be tomorrow.
We also try to stay ahead of the curve by meeting regularly with
industry leaders and by participating in tech and media
conferences. We then apply whatever insights we gain through these
channels to investment banking execution and to reports that we
publish, including most notably the PJSC Media Monthly, a
newsletter distributed each month and made available on our website
that details the latest trends and data coming out of the media and
advertising sector.
From our experience, client service is about connect-ing the
dots. We see the full picture, which involves putting clients first
and deals second. We want our clients to come to us each time they
are evaluating their strategic priorities. We think the success of
our firm is largely attributable to our honesty and focus on
developing long term advisory relationships.
I have found that leading a team can be very re-warding and I
enjoy mentoring our new analyst and associate classes. When it
comes to technology and media, their opinions are more valuable
since they are quite close to new media, tech products and
services. I think its critical that even the most junior members of
the team get hands-on exposure to the industry as
it allows them to contribute more meaningfully to our deal
work.
As for the Investment Banking MD of the Year award, it is
immensely gratifying to know that our contri-butions are regarded
with such high esteem. 2015 has been a terrific year for me and our
firm. We have advised clients representing industry leaders in
media and tech, as well as retail, and we only see that
continuing.
However, I wouldnt be successful without the support I routinely
receive from my team of dedicated pro-fessionals who are committed
to and care about our
business and our clients. Media and technology are transforming
the world around us in dramatic ways every day and we are
well-positioned to provide the best strategic advice and investment
banking execu-tion to leading companies.
Investment Banking MD of the Year 2015
Peter J. Solomon Company (PJSC) is an investment bank
headquartered in NYC. Founded in 1989, they provide the highest
quality strategic advisory services to chief executive officers and
senior management, owners of public and private companies, boards
of directors and special committees. We got in touch with Mark
Boidman, a Managing Director at Peter J. Solomon Company, to find
out more about their business.
Company: Peter J. Solomon CompanyName: Mark BoidmanAddress: 1345
Avenue of the AmericasNew York, NY 10105Telephone: (212)
508-1600Fax: (212) 508-1633
Mark BoidmanPeter J. Solomon Company
We have successfully completed more than 500
advisory assignments
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Executive Awards 2015 Corporate Vision 19
Here at SpringTide, we develop Procurement Strategywhich is then
enabled by working with our clientsto upskill their teams,
introduce robust and provenprocesses and really help them to save
money on theirexternal expenditure, whether for raw materials
usedin the manufacturing process or overhead costs suchas telecoms
or professional services.
We support clients in realising the strategic potentialof
enhanced Procurement, expressed in achievingexceptional returns on
our investment against thesavings we guarantee with confidence. We
do thisthrough a number of methods which include diagnos-tics of
the as is situation, with robust recommenda-tions for process
improvements, cost reduction andsupply chain enhancement.
We also offer procurement delivery, helping our clientsin
developing sustainable best practice in procure-ment through a
structured change process. This ofteninvolves implementing or
optimising existing procure-ment technology platforms. With so many
packageson the market, it can be a minefield to select the
rightone, so, from our knowledge across this fast growing
area we provide independent insight to select the
rightprovider.
One area we have specific expertise in is procurementof
transport and logistics. Our expertise in this areawas recognised
last week as we were announced UKwinners of the national award for
Supply Chain BestPractice awarded by Chartered Institute of
Logisticsand Transport for 2015/16.
In order to provide our clients with the best possibleservice,
we always abide by our company mantra:Listen Create Deliver. In the
first place, we iden-tify current ways of working. This usually
involves capturing and analysing large amounts of data, alongside
meetings with stakeholders throughout the supply chain.
Our Solutions Design team is thus able to create apersonalised
approach. We are able to present logicalsolutions and approaches to
enhance operationswhilst reducing the cost to serve.The delivery of
the solution is similarly tailored to givethe client the most
efficient return on investment,whilst drawing on SpringTides best
practice modelsand tools. Structuring appropriate resource modelsto
suit client needs, the flexible deployment of ourpeople in support
and delivery capacities has won usglobal recognition.
Our approach means we can integrate seamlessly andquickly to
become our clients Procurement Partner.The common thread in all of
SpringTides work is that,whatever the type of service, it is
carried out with afocus and pragmatism that drive quality up and
spenddown, thus ensuring high levels of engagement and arapid
contribution back to the business.
The business market we operate in is highly competi-tive, and as
such we have to work hard to ensure westand out from our
competitors. The SpringTide Teamitself is our biggest
differentiator. It comprises StrategicProcurement and Supply Chain
Specialists, E-Sourc-ing & Procurement Technology experts,
Analysts andModellers all with deep experience across a varietyof
sectors; including Construction, Manufacturing,Transport,
Packaging, Food, Retail, Financial, Nuclear,Pharmaceutical and the
Public Sector and manyothers in which they have all enjoyed
high-levelcareers prior to joining SpringTide.
Our offering is constantly being refined, but as we looktowards
the future, we continue to target our servicesto help companies
take cost out of their supply chainon a sustainable basis. We are
recognised for ourflexible approach to resources: whether
procurementor categories of spend are outsourced to us or weprovide
strategic and tactical direction, transferringour skills and tools
as we go, helping organisations totransform their operations.
Transport and Logistics is an area we will continue tofocus
upon, as we have a massive amount of experi-ence to bring across
all modes of transport and at allstages of the process.
In 2014, we opened a US-office, which has developeda reputation
for helping organisations select, imple-ment and drive adoption of
Procurement Technologyand Market Intelligence.
Best for Supply Chain Consultancy Services
SpringTide Consulting Limited is a multi-award winning
procurement consultancy. We speak toMike Utting who discusses how
the firms supportive approach has helped them win clients
andultimately led them to winning this prestigious award.
Company: SpringTide Consulting LimitedName: Mike UttingEmail:
[email protected] Address:
www.springtideprocurement.comTelephone: 01267 267553 / 07973 445
297
Transport and Logistics is an area we will continue to focus
upon
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20 Corporate Vision Executive Awards 2015
Established in 1981 by Daniels father, the firm became a part of
his larger company Bellit Group. Despite this, Daniel is keen to
emphasise that the firm is dedicated to its local customer base and
enjoys a number of advantages being a smaller company. Our firms
core customer base is in the local com-munity. We find this an
advantage, as to us our best customer is across the road, because
in a business such as ours, where we dont get paid for travel or
time the closer the customer is the better.
I would rather spend more time on a smaller range of local
customers than branch out into a larger area. We focus
predominantly in the North West and are dedicated to giving this
smaller base a high standard of service, which they appreciate.
Although customers are always vitally important to any business,
Daniel believes that by focusing more attention on his team he is
able to ensure that they are always dedicated to the firms
customers.
Whilst our customer is of the utmost importance to our firm, I
am always dedicated to ensuring my team is well taken care of,
because if you look after your staff then they will always take
good care of your customers.
We have put a big focus on our team in recent years, and we are
already seeing the results of this in the quality of the work we
are doing and the quality of the service we are providing to our
clients. It is all starting to come together for us.
Everything we have achieved, including this award, is because of
the brilliant team we work with.Recently the firm has been heavily
focused on adapting to changes in the market, focusing on team
training and motivation to ensure that the company is at the
forefront of emerging industry trends.
One such trend which Daniel feels is impacting on the firm is
technology, with the firm constantly trying to stay at ahead of new
developments.
Our industry is a fairly old fashioned one, with customers still
using technology such as wall mounted alarms and door entry
keypads, but at the moment connectivity is a big change that is
happening techno-logically in our industry.
The ability to connect an alarm system with a surveillance
system, which were previously entirely separate entities, is now
enabling customers to view everything in one place. This means that
customers can do more with their systems remotely, which is helpful
as peoples lives become increasingly busy and technologically
driven. This is an exciting change and is breaking up the market a
lot, and we are doing our best to adapt to it.
It is the firms team centred approach which is at the forefront
of this adaption. Daniel is a keen believer in communication, and
whilst he is keen to ensure his firm gets together at least once a
week in person, technology is key to ensuring everyone remains
connected, with the firm integrating social media into their
approach.
Moving forward, Daniel states that the firm will continue to be
agile, as well as continuing to invest heavily in staff and
ensuring that they provide their customers with the highest level
of service, which is what he feels sets Blackburn Alarms Ltd apart
from their competitors.
By and large the security and alarms industry is not a product
based industry, as usually most firms provide the same products and
technology. The thing that sets us apart is in this industry is
service, the way that we fit the product. That is what we always
focus on as this is the reason people come back to us.
We provide a personal approach which customers appreciate. When
our clients ring the office the recep-tionist usually knows who
they are personally and we endeavour to send out the same person so
they have a familiar face. Small details are also important, such
as staff clearing up after themselves, being polite and friendly
and respecting their property. This is what sets us apart and
ultimately, is the reason for our success.
Alarm Systems Provider of the Year
Blackburn Alarms Ltd is a local, family business specialising in
providing a quality, friendly service. We speak to Daniel Halenko
about his firms unique approach to customer service and how the
company is adapting around new technologies.
Blackburn Alarms Ltd
The thing that sets us apart is in this industry is
service, the way that we fit the product. That is what
we always focus on as this is the reason people come
back to us.
Company: Blackburn AlarmsAddress:B1 Business Centre,Davyfield
Road, Blackburn,Lancashire,BB1 2QYEmail:
blackburnalarms.comTelephone: 01254 739 255Fax: 08453 055 745
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Executive Awards 2015 Corporate Vision 21
SUS is a truly innovative provider of SaaS solutions for all
players in the utilities sector. They provide rapidly-deployed
solutions for multichannel customer engagement, water conservation
management pro-grams and mobile workforce solutions. Although they
offer big data analytics and complex IT integrations, all solutions
are incredibly easy to integrate. Furthermore, they are also
plug-and-play and help clients drastically reduce operational
costs.
The company leads the industry with innovative development
through its Water & Energy Innovation Centre; a site dedicated
to the advancement of SUS technologies through a rigorous research
practice and dedicated product development.
In order to achieve the standard of solutions they de-liver, SUS
needed to overcome a number of different obstacles. As Deepak
explains: Creating a solution that was easy to integrate and
reduced operational costs was just two of the many challenges we
over-came with our solution. Another challenge we over-came stemmed
from the fact that we are a technology company creating a solution
for utility companies. In order to ensure that our solution would
be approved by utility experts, we decided to include utility
experts in the creation and functionality of the solution. As a
result, SUS brought in members from LADWP, PWC, SDGE political
officials and countless other utilities. Having utility experts on
our team ensured the crea-tion of a solution that is robust. From
the analytics to the customer engagement, we offer a solution that
is pertinent to meeting the needs of utility companies and their
customers.
These measures, coupled with the fact that water and energy
demands are only set to increase by 22% by 2025, led Deepak to
create a culture where the focus centralised around increasing
water conservation and energy sustainability. He has instilled a
culture at SUS that sends one message: water and energy
sustainability is not a problem that is going away. This is
worldwide, says Deepak. And we as a group of globally-responsible
citizens should mobilise to effect change, and be a huge part of
the solution.
Within his role as CEO, Deepaks vision is focused on cultivating
a culture of commitment to sustaina-bility through his team. He
considers the SUS team to be the companys greatest asset, and the
SUS philosophy is centred on providing an inclusive and high
performance environment for the team while creating growth
opportunities for everyone. This has inevitably created a culture
where people are excited to come to work and find purpose in what
they yield as a company, says Deepak. Knowing that the team is
creating sustainability for the planet has created a drive within
our employees. This has resulted in us having exceptional
interactions with our clients right from the moment we first engage
with them.
Not only has SUS brought in industry leading experts when it
comes to utilities, but as a whole the team is made up of leading
experts in their respective areas. Their prestigious in-house HR
and recruiting team ensure hire individuals who not only have
immeasur-able experience and knowledge in the industry, but also
believe in the vision of Smart Utility Systems. As Deepak explains:
As a company whose focus re-volves around sustainability, it was
paramount that we start by building a team who resonates with the
value of conserving indispensable resources. Having indi-viduals
who are knowledgeable in their position and passionate about
conservation has created a strong team culture, and therefore a
strong company.
As an area that is constantly evolving, global water stress is
one of the biggest trends Deepak has seen in the past 12 months.
Not only is California facing a drought but the issue extends
globally, says Deepak. Water shortages are now found nationwide
from Cal-ifornia to Ohio as well as globally to India and Brazil.
Furthermore, water scarcity has now become an issue that is felt
worldwide. Another trend that has been prevalent in the past 12
months is that of the fossil fuel divestment movement. As a result,
traditional energy companies are starting to feel the pressure of
getting serious when it comes to global warming.
With these issues in mind, Deepak believes that some of the
biggest impacts and opportunities will revolve around water and
energy. As a company who provides solutions for both of these
utilities, we are constantly finding ways to be innovative and
provide solutions that address these trends. One of the biggest
changes we foresee is the involvement of consum-ers as a whole when
it comes to conservation and sustainability. Our company not only
exists to provide solutions but to bring awareness and empower
people to become a part of the solution.
SaaS CEO of the Year
Smart Utility Systems (SUS) is a group of globally-minded
solutions providers aimed at using tech-nology to create a more
sustainable water and energy future. We spoke to Deepak Garg,
Chairman and CEO of SUS, about their chief goal of making
sustainability a reality for stakeholders across the globe.
Company: Smart Utility SystemsName: Deepak Garg,
Chairman/CEOEmail: [email protected], however, email
[email protected] for all inquiries. Web Address:
www.smartusys.comAddress: 2211 Michelson #371 Irvine CA 92612
USATelephone: +949 272 0780
Not only is California facing a drought but the
issue extends globally
Smart Utility Systems