A record number of entries have been submitted for the 2017 South Wales Chamber of Commerce Welsh Business Awards, with more companies than ever before making the final shortlist.
Entries were up by 19% on previous years and 45 companies have been shortlisted across 10 categories, with businesses coming from Cardiff, Carmarthen and Crickhowell, among others, making the final cut. The awards, which are open to members and non-members, received nominations from across Wales.
Leading the pack with two nominations apiece are Concrete Canvas Ltd from Pontypridd who create rapidly deployable shelters for humanitarian disaster relief and is shortlisted for Success Through Innovation and Success Through Overseas Trade, and Cardiff-based Apollo Wales, a commercial cleaning company nominated for Commitment to Skills and People Development and Start-up Business of the Year.
The awards aim to recognise the very best from businesses nationwide. Welsh businesses, whether small, medium or large, all play a fundamental role in driving the economy forward. These awards will celebrate success, excellence in best practice, and the contribution Welsh businesses make to the wider community.
The winners will be announced at a black-tie gala, hosted by Gethin Jones on Thursday 8th March 2018, at the City Hall in Cardiff.
Heather Myers, Director of South and Mid Wales Chamber of Commerce said: “The Welsh Business Awards are an excellent platform for any business wishing to highlight their achievements, benchmark against the competition, reward their teams, and gain the recognition they deserve. This number of nominations shows that Wales is home to some of the most innovative, committed, and successful companies in the UK.”
The University of South Wales is headline sponsor for this year’s awards. Other sponsors include Western Power Distribution, Prosteel Engineering, Barclays Bank, Heart Radio, Attradius, Port of Milford Haven, and Effective Communication.
Siwan Rees, Director of USW Exchange, a business support hub based at the University of South Wales, said: “The calibre of the businesses entering the awards seems to improve year on year and we had some truly inspirational entries for 2017. Narrowing down the entries is always a challenge but I’m confident that we’ve got a very strong shortlist in every category.”
The full list of nominees is available on the Awards’ website https://southwaleschamber.co.uk/
Nominations have been open since September, and judges have been blown away by the number of applications to categories such as ‘Success through Innovation’, and ‘Start-up business of the Year’.
Tickets are available for the event via the South Wales Chamber of Commerce on [email protected] or the website www.awards.southwaleschamber.co.uk.
