10 Businesses Announced as Finalists for the Market Gravity Innovation Award

LONDON, July 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

-Finalists announced for 2015 National Business Awards-  

-Visit http://www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk for shortlist-

Over 140 of Britain's leading businesses, business leaders and social enterprises have today been revealed as finalists for the 2015 National Business Awards, including 10 companies shortlisted for the Market Gravity Innovation Award.

The finalists for this category are:
Alertacall Ltd.
Connect Childcare
DNAfit Limited
Digital Health and Care Institute
SSL - Simulation Systems Ltd
Sanofi (Haverhill, UK)
Palletforce Plc
Newton Europe
Medication Protection Society
Punch Taverns

Recognising all forms of successfully applied innovation, from new products and services to a culture of improvement, this award celebrates the ideas that have had the greatest impact on an organisation or industry.

Pete Sayburn, CEO at Market Gravity, commented, "We're delighted to be sponsoring the Market Gravity Innovation Award for the second year running. We know that there are hundreds of ideas in every company, but it's a real challenge to harness them and get them to market."

Steve Phillips, Director at Newton Europe, a finalist in this category, has said: "Being shortlisted for a National Business Award for Innovation feels like one of the biggest validations we could receive. In business I don't think it gets much better than providing a service that's not only profitable, but also helps people. It's an enormous privilege to work side-by-side with councils across the country to help them improve outcomes for vulnerable children and adults in social care, while also tackling their huge financial challenges. It's the kind of work that makes us feel proud to do what we do."

"True innovation is a seamless mix of creativity and implementation, created to solve a human problem and create business value. Much greater than a big idea or new piece of tech, it's about bringing your ideas to life, to make everyone's lives better. The Lloyds Bank National Business Awards give businesses and the people working in innovation the chance to celebrate and recognise brilliant ideas that have made it to market."

Finalists were chosen from the hundreds of businesses that entered or were nominated across 18 award categories. They will now prepare for live presentations to expert juries who will decide the overall winners that will be revealed at the awards ceremony on 10 November.

Chris Reid, CEO at Connect Childcare, another finalist in this category has said: "It is a fantastic accolade for everyone involved with Connect Childcare for us to be shortlisted in the Market Gravity Innovation Award. Being up against some household names in the competition shows how tough it was to get to this stage but we are really looking forward to meeting the judges and showcasing our innovative nursery management software to them. We are delighted that our hard work and innovation has been recognised at a national level and are excited about meeting the other finalists and successful businesses at the awards ceremony."

Tom Broughton, Programme Director of the National Business Awards said: "The ability to innovate has time and again been proven as key to the success of a business. The finalists for this category have clearly demonstrated that ability, and, as a result, have progressed as a business throughout the last year. Some great entries just missed out to leave us with a highly competitive top ten."

An all encompassing range of industries are represented in the shortlists for this year's awards, with companies from recruitment and children's clothing, to pet food and online marketing being selected for the chance to win a coveted National Business Award. The scale of the finalists is just as varied, with companies turning over less than a million pounds to over £25 million, employing 20 people or over 70,000 people.

Visit http://www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk for a full list of all finalists and to book a table at the event on 10 November 2015.

About the National Business Awards  

Organised by UBM who operates in over 23 countries and organises many of the world's largest, most important exhibitions, conferences, awards, directories, websites and publications across a wide variety of industries, the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards is the flagship awards programme that recognises and rewards excellence across all sectors. Visit http://www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk for further information or follow us on Twitter @businessawards.

Categories include -  

The Corporate Citizenship Award
The Customer Focus Award
The Lloyds Bank Digital Business of the Year Award
The Employer of the Year Award
The Smith & Williamson Entrepreneur of the Year Award
The UKTI Growth Business of the Year Award
The Market Gravity Innovation Award
The Lloyds Bank New Business of the Year Award
The Inflexion International Growth Business of the Year Award
The Duke of York New Entrepreneur of the Year Award
The Lloyds Bank Small to Medium-Sized Business of the Year Award
The Social Enterprise of the Year Award
The Vonage Business Enabler of the Year
The Grichan Partnerships Sustainable Business Award
The Duke of York Award for University Entrepreneurship
The QBE FTSE 100 Business of the Year Award
The Ashridge Business School Leader of the Year Award
The Lloyds Bank Excellence in Business Award

About UBM EMEA 

The National Business Awards is organised by UBM EMEA. UBM EMEA connects people and creates opportunities for companies across five continents to develop new business, meet customers, launch new products, promote their brands and expand their markets. Through premier brands such as MD&M, CPhI, IFSEC, TFM&A, Cruise Shipping Miami, the Concrete Show and many others, UBM EMEA exhibitions, conferences, awards programs, publications, websites and training and certification programs are an integral part of the marketing plans of companies across more than 20 industry sectors.

Official Partners  

Lloyds Bank, The Grichan Partnership, Inflexion Private Equity, Market Gravity, QBE, Smith & Williamson, UKTI, Vonage.