Time for the Public to Get Voting and Choose its Country Champions

LONDON, January 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Europe's Premier Business Awards Opens Online Public Vote 

VOTE NOW AT http://www.businessawardseurope.com

FROM TODAY over 400 businesses from 32 countries in Europe are competing for the title of 'National Public Champion' for their country as the online public vote opens in this year's European Business Awards, sponsored by RSM.

Each company has posted a video on the European Business Awards website http://www.businessawardseurope.com showcasing their success, which the public can view and vote for between 11 January and 26 February 2016. The National Public Champion for each country will be the company that receives the highest number of votes, and will be announced on 7 March.

Adrian Tripp, CEO of the European Business Awards said: "Last year over 170,000 votes were cast, almost double the number from the year before, which is great recognition for all the successful companies involved. This year we would like to beat that number - so we encourage everyone to go to the web site and choose their champion!"

Jean Stephens, CEO of RSM, the seventh largest global network of independent audit, tax and consulting firms, said: "The public voting stage provides a great opportunity for these exceptional companies to showcase the story of their success to a wider audience. The videos provide a fascinating insight into some of Europe's most innovative and inspiring businesses and I would encourage everyone to show their support and cast their vote. Good luck to everyone in this round of the competition."

The second public vote will see all of the 32 National Public Champions compete against each other to become the overall European Public Champion. The voting for this takes place between 7 March and
26 April 2016, and the result will be announced at the European Business Awards Gala event in June 2016.

Separately, the independent judging panel for the European Business Awards will review and score all the video entries plus written entries and select a final top 110 - the Ruban D'Honneur recipients. The overall winner from each category will then be announced at the same time as the European Public Champion at the Gala Event in June.

The European Business Awards was created to recognise and promote business success and support the development of a stronger business community throughout Europe. Additional sponsors and partners of the Awards include ELITE, the UKTI and PR Newswire.

In the 2014/15 competition, all EU member markets were represented plus Turkey, Norway, Switzerland, Serbia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Their combined revenue exceeded €1.5 trillion, and together they generated profits of over 60 billion Euros.

For further information about the European Business Awards and RSM please go to: http://www.businessawardseurope.com or http://www.rsm.global

About the European Business Awards: 

The European Business Awards' primary purpose is to support the development of a stronger and more successful business community throughout Europe.

For all of the citizens of Europe, our prosperity, social and healthcare systems are reliant on businesses creating an even stronger, more innovative, successful, international and ethical business community - one that forms the beating heart of an increasingly globalised economy.

The European Business Awards programme serves the European business community in three ways:

• It celebrates and endorses individuals' and organisations' success

• It provides and promotes examples of excellence for the business community to aspire to

• It engages with the European business community to create debate on key issues

The European Business Awards is now in its 9^th year. It attracted over 24,000 businesses to the competition last year and in the public vote generated over 170,000 votes from across Europe.

http://www.businessawardseurope.com

About RSM  

RSM is the seventh largest network of independent audit, tax and consulting firms, encompassing over 120 countries, 740 offices and more than 37,500 people internationally. The network's total fee income is US$4.4 billion.

In September 2014, RSM was awarded the prestigious Network of the Year 2014 award at the International Accounting Bulletin annual awards. The award recognises networks that have demonstrated strong growth and operational excellence over the past 12 months.

RSM is the lead sponsor and corporate champion of the European Business Awards promoting commercial excellence and recognition of entrepreneurial brilliance.

RSM is a member of the Forum of Firms, with the shared objective to promote consistent and high quality standards of financial and auditing practices worldwide.

RSM is the brand used by a network of independent accounting and advisory firms each of which practices in its own right. RSM International Limited does not itself provide any accounting and advisory services. Member firms are driven by a common vision of providing high quality professional services, both in their domestic markets and in serving the international professional service needs of their client base. http://www.rsm.global  

About UK Trade & Investment: 

UKTI works with UK based businesses to ensure their success in international markets through exports and encourages and supports overseas companies to look at the UK as the best place to set up or expand their business.http://www.gov.uk/ukti

About ELITE: 

ELITE is an integrated service designed to help SMEs prepare and structure for the next stage of growth through access to long term financing opportunities.

ELITE targets SMEs with a sound business model, clear growth strategy and a desire to obtain funding in the near future.

ELITE offers an innovative approach, including a training programme, a working zone supported by a tutorship model and direct access to the financial community through dedicated digital community facilities. It is "capital neutral" to any financing opportunity, providing access to Private Equity and Venture Capital Funds, debt products, etc. ELITE was successfully launched in Italy in 2012 and in the UK in 2014. It now accounts for more than 200 companies of different sizes and sectors, more than 150 partners and more than 70 long term investors. It is a European platform deeply rooted in each domestic market, through partnership with local institutions combined with the opportunity to access international support and advice.

It will be a community of excellence: companies, advisors, investors and stakeholders with an interest in supporting SMEs. The larger the community, the wider the range of business and growth opportunities offered to ELITE members.

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