30 Gazette, Wednesday, March 11, 2015 BGA-EO1-S2 brentwoodgazette.co.uk

Essex Business Excellence Awards

By Clare Youelleditorial@gazettenews.co.uk

EACH year, hundreds ofpeople leave the LordAshcroft InternationalBusiness School atAnglia Ruskin

University ready to take on theworld of commerce.

To help prepare students forthe workplace, everyone on thefull-time undergraduate degreeprogrammes has the option of aplacement year in business. Thisprovides the students withvaluable work experience andimproves their chances ofgaining employment aftergraduation.

When business students leavethe school, their prospects areexcellent. Ninety per cent ofstudents start their career orfurther study within six months,and the average graduate salaryis £29,693 – which is almost£10,000 above the UK average.

Graduate feedback is top notchtoo as the Business School hasrecently been ranked sixth in thecountry for student satisfactionon business studies /management courses.

“Our Chelmsford-basedstudents also benefit from ournew, state-of-the art, BloombergFinancial Markets Lab wherethey can practice trading andinvesting with virtual money,and have access to rich data on ahuge number of companies,”said Gary Packham, Dean andPro Vice-Chancellor of theBusiness School.

Delighted

To top it off, everyone at ARUwas delighted when theuniversity was namedEntrepreneurial University ofthe Year 2014 by Times HigherEducation, and every studenthas the opportunity to studyenterprise andentrepreneurship, Gary added.

The Business School offers anumber of undergraduate andpostgraduate degrees from theirChelmsford and Cambridgecampuses. There’s also theoption of part-time study modesand distance learning, makingthem attractive and accessible toanyone with work and familycommitments but who is lookingfor career advancement.

Once again, the Lord AshcroftInternational Business School issponsoring the YoungEntrepreneur of the Yearcategory in the Essex BusinessExcellence Awards, whereexperienced judges help pick outthe success stories of the future.

“This is the perfect fit for us aswe have a proven track record ofproducing some of the bestquality business graduates andentrepreneurs in the county,”Gary said. “We understand theimportance of entrepreneurs tothe economy and very much lookforward to meeting the entrantsthis summer.”

We know how to spot an entrepreneurBusiness school’s ranking and range of degrees make it a perfect fit to sponsor award

TOP TEAM: Avanti Insurance Limited staff offer great service

Staff ‘thrilled’ with second winIF YOU’RE over 50 and have anykind of medical condition, thenfinding travel insurance can be aminefield. Avanti providesinsurance for customers of allages, but specialises in cover forthe over 50s– with the averageage of a customer being 69.

Avanti contact centre staffrecognise that callers often mayhave sensitive personal mattersto discuss and ensure thateveryone is treated withkindness, respect and patience.

It’s no surprise therefore thatAvanti Insurance picked up theprize for Customer Care andService for the second yearrunning at last year’s awards.

“We are proud of ouraward-winning customer serviceand the fact that our agents arenot targeted on the length ofcalls,” said head of marketingLaura Maddison. “Weunderstand our customers’needs and recognise that it takesas long as it takes to carry outthe correct screening and make

sure they choose the cover thatsuits their needs.

“Our staff were absolutelythrilled to win another localaward for customer service. Itreaffirms what our customersalready say about our serviceand these things alwayspositively impact on staffmorale.”

Laura said she wouldencourage other companies to

enter the awards this year. “Theyshould enter because companiesthat offer a good level of serviceshould feel proud of their effortsand want to share this withothers. It’s always good to berewarded for hard work and itdemonstrates to staff that youvalue their hard work, and tocustomers that you are seriousabout what you do, along withhelping to establish brandpresence and trust.”

Accolade raised firm’s global profileWINNING a business excellenceaward had helped John AnthonySigns raise its profile at homeand overseas.

The company, which makestop quality signs for the likes ofHarrods and McLaren, picked upthe prize for Export in 2014.

This was a new categoryintroduced last year by EssexCounty Council and judges wereunanimous that John AnthonySigns was the standout winner.

The Rayleigh-based companystarted out in 1969 withsmall-scale contracts in the UKbut expanded over the decades.Like most UK businesses, JohnAnthony Signs was hit by therecession in 2009 and had to lookoverseas for new business at atime when companies here hadto put a halt to many of theirsignage programs. This turnedout to be a hugely fortuitous

move and the company nowworks with household namebrands all around the worldincluding in Dubai, Kuwait andEgypt

“The main benefit of winningthis business award has beenraising the profile of our exportcapabilities with our clients,”said David Fagg, sales andmarketing director. “Receivingthe award in 2014, and being a

finalist with the UKTI in 2012,has made a big statement to bothexisting and potential clientsand gives them the confidence toboth consider us and placeorders with us for large globalcontracts.

“It was an absolute privilegeto win the award against somevery stiff competition. There isno doubt that winning the awardsent a ‘feel-good factor’throughout our organisation.”

Since winning the award, JohnAnthony Signs has seen a greatincrease in opportunities to bidfor large international contracts.

“We are on the cusp ofwinning a large global dealacross 84 countries, which wasundoubtedly strengthened bywinning the export award, as itwas almost a seal of approval asa professional, certified, UKexporter,” David added.

My success means I now help othersA MAN who was namedOutstanding Business Person ofthe Year in 2014 has gone on tocoach other entrepreneurs to helpthem achieve similar success.

James Circus, owner ofEstuary Logistics Limited,picked up the prize last yearafter starting his own businessin 2011 and overseeing its rapidgrowth.

Now James has taken his ownsuccess and is passing on hisexperience to other peoplerunning small businesses.

“I was really pleased to winOutstanding Business Person ofthe Year,” James said. “It was thefirst time we had entered theseawards and I didn’t expect towin.”

Not long after he went intobusiness for himself, Jameshired a business coach fromActionCOACH. His assignedcoach helped him to see the

bigger picture and manage thecompany’s growth and future.

“My coach has been invaluablefor me and my business and I stillsee him once a week now,” Jamessaid. “After I won the EssexBusiness Excellence Award, thetime was right for me to startcoaching other people. I now seefour of five small businessowners, giving them the kind ofadvice that helped me growEstuary Logistics. When getting

into coaching, having won theOutstanding Business Person ofthe Year was a fantastic thing tohave on my CV.”

When James entered thebusiness awards he employedaround 25 people. Now there are42 employees and they’verecently relocated to largerpremises in Thurrock.

“I meet a lot of small andmedium-sized business ownersthrough the coaching world and Itell everyone to enter businessawards,” James said. “It’s fair tosay that winning awards hashelped us increase our portfolioof clients, and increase turnoverand profit.

“Even though it was nice forme to win this individual award,which shows you that all yourefforts are worthwhile, anybusiness award we win is for thewhole team who work reallyhard.”

SIGNS ARE GOOD: JohnAnthony Signs’ clients includeMcLaren, Disney and Harrods

OUTSTANDING: James Circusfrom Estuary Logistics

CUTTING EDGE: Anglia Ruskin University’s Lord Ashcroft building

HI-TECH: TheBloombergFinancialMarkets Lab atLord AscroftInternationalBusinessSchool wherestudentspractise trading

Gazette, Wednesday, March 11, 2015 31brentwoodgazette.co.uk BGA-EO1-S2

Enter at www.brentwoodgazette.co.uk/businessawards

We know how to spot an entrepreneurBusiness school’s ranking and range of degrees make it a perfect fit to sponsor award

Organisation promotesawards to its membersTHERE are so many companiesin Essex that deserve to berecognised for their outstandingachievements.

That is why Essex Chambersof Commerce is encouraging thecounty’s 70,000-plus businessesto enter the Essex BusinessExcellence Awards this year.

“We are proud to be anambassador for these awardsand we will be promoting it toour large network of localcontacts,” said Elaine Othen,special events andcommunications manager.

With more than 1,200 businessmembers which together employaround 150,000 staff, EssexChambers of Commerce isperfectly placed to have anoverview of the county’sbusiness outlook.

“The economy in Essex iscontinuing to grow with many ofour key sectors experiencingbetween 8 to 10 per cent growth,”Elaine said. “We are seeing awide breadth of sectors enjoyinggrowth including technology,science and medical,construction, information andcommunication, businessadministration, health andtechnology.

“We would like to stress tobusinesses inside and outsideEssex what an attractive placewe are to do business.

“We have more than 54,000

micro businesses employingbetween one and nine membersof staff, and we know that it’sSMEs that are key to growingthe economy.”

Essex Chambers of Commercehas just announced its biggestevent of the year – theDiscovering Business exhibitionat Hylands Park on June 3. Thiswill include businesses from allover the county, encouragingnetworking, building contactsoutside of Essex and thepromotion of jobs andrecruitment.

For more details, visit www.discoveringbusinessinessex.co.uk

IoD chief: Recognitionof your efforts essentialBEGINNING his career as atrainee toolmaker in Wales, TimPrice is a working example ofwhat can be achieved from anapprenticeship.

Tim went on to enjoy a 26-yearcareer in automotivemanufacturing and is now thepart owner and director of ParkCity Consulting Ltd, Colchester.

He is also the chairman of theEssex branch of the Institute ofDirectors (IoD) – thelongest-running organisationwhich supports professionals inthe UK.

With his career history, Tim iswell placed to comment on skillstraining, inspiring youngsters topursue a career in industry andcommerce, and following bestpractice governance, in the roleof a company director.

Essex IoD currently boasts1200 members and represents thebest company leaders in thecounty. Small, medium and largecorporate directors aremembers, collectively employingmore than 500,000 staff.

As ambassador for the EssexBusiness Excellence Awards,Tim and the Essex committeewould encourage all businessesthat meet the criteria to enter.

“We appreciate thatrecognition for your efforts bothcollectively as a business and asindividuals is essential,” Timadded. “It can underpin

continued motivation, increaseyour profile and provide welldeserved praise from your peers.Who wouldn’t want that?

“In Essex we have some of thebest businesses in the UK, wegenerate a net contribution tothe treasury and we should beproud of our trading origins. Wecan still improve though, andlater this year Essex IoD willdiscuss the makeup of companyboards,” Tim said.

IoD Essex is involved in anevent to discuss this matter atEssex University on June 24. Thetalk will be chaired by newspresenter Etholle George.

“We consider taking part inthis debate, as well as enteringthe Essex Business ExcellenceAwards, to be a must for allbusiness leaders,” Tim said.

PROUD: Elaine Othen, fromEssex Chambers of Commerce

PROMOTING BUSINESS: EssexIoD chairman Tim Price

TIME OUT: Students take a break between lectures and relax with a coffee at Anglia Ruskin University