10 Businesses Announced as Finalists for the Social Enterprise of the Year 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 ten companies which have been shortlisted for the Social Enterprise of the Year Award.  

The finalists for this award are:

AIESEC UK Ltd.
Ashley Community & Housing Ltd
City Health Care Partnership CIC
Diabetes.co.uk
Ex-Military Careers.com
Livity
Luminus
Royal British Legion Industries
St Andrew's First Aid Training and Supplies Ltd
The Education Business Partnership (The EBP)

Celebrating the organisations that exist to address a social or environmental need, reinvesting profit or surplus from trade to achieve its social mission, this award recognises those achieving the greatest impact while demonstrating excellence in all aspects of enterprise - from innovation, staff engagement and customer focus to growth, leadership and financial performance.

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.

James Lawrence, Co-Founder of Ex-MilitaryCareers.com and former soldier in the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment 2^nd Battalion, has said: "Ex-MilitaryCareers.com is so proud to be shortlisted for The Social Enterprise of the Year.  My brother and I hope this goes some way to demonstrate our commitment in finding relevant job opportunities and training courses for all servicemen and women; empowering them through meaningful employment once they leave the Armed Forces."

This year's finalists represent award categories such as The Grichan Partnerships Sustainable Business Award, The Lloyds Bank New Business of the Year Award and the Inflexion International Growth Business of the Year Award.

Arjun Panesar, CEO at Diabetes.co.uk, another finalist in this category, has said: "It's fantastic to be shortlisted for the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards as it recognises the contribution Diabetes.co.uk is making towards improving health - not only for people with diabetes but the greater healthcare spectrum. Diabetes.co.uk is Europe's largest diabetes community and the Diabetes Forum platform is positively affecting health outcomes, going way 'beyond the pill' - and it's fantastic to be shortlisted."

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.

Tom Broughton, Programme Director of the National Business Awards said: "This is a great category, focusing on companies whose sole aim is to improve a social or environmental need. The companies on this shortlist have made a big difference in their respective projects and deserve their place on this list."

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 Live 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.