The Clarke Willmott Business Achievement Awards 2008

Fastest Growing Business - DPAS

Achieving the biggest year-on-year improvement in turnover of any private company in the south

We'll start with the award for the private company obliged to file full accounts which has posted the largest organic increase in turnover. The research stripped out any acquired growth as it were - and the winner, with a 52% increase to £43.5million is a company which arranges and then administers dental insurance for the patients of dentists who have signed up with them. They anticipated the influx of new business as dentists fled the NHS because of the new contract arrangements, and put in the resources to cope. Chief executive Richard George accepted the award on behalf of DPAS Limited from Stuart Lisle of BDO Stoy Hayward.

Fastest Growing business - Churchill Retirement (Group) Ltd

Achieving the biggest year-on-year improvement in profitability of any private company in the south

Churchill Retirement is fast becoming on of the most distinctive brands - the developers of retirement apartments are pretty fast in terms of building their profitability as well - up from a loss of £100,000 to a pre-tax profit of £9.6million on a £48million turnover. Dean Marlow, the group's finance director, accepted the award from Stuart Lisle, partner at BDO Stoy Hayward.

The Fastest Growing Business - Premier Research Group plc

Achieving the biggest year-on-year increase in turnover of any public company in the south

Now we come to the PLC which has achieved the biggest organic sales increase, and Derek Hatton of The Royal Bank of Scotland presented the award to Dr Simon Yaxley, CEO of Premier Research Group plc, the international pharmaceutical services company based at Camberley. Sales increased by 154% to £41.8million. There's another reason to congratulate Dr Yaxley. Two days before the presentation he completed the buy-out of the AIM-listed company.

The Fastest Growing Business - Vodafone Group plc

Achieving the biggest year-on-year increase in profitability of any public company in the south

Now one of the most extraordinary achievements in business history. Much is made of the importance of SMEs to the economy, but a region needs major corporates, and not just for the number of people they employ. Having world-class, international companies headquartered in our locale has the kind of image impact that having a premier league football club brings. And they don't come any bigger than Vodafone. And the success story of Vodafone doen't come any bigger either. In 2006 the company lost £14billion on sales of £29billion. Last year, they lost £2billion on sales of £31billion. This year - on sales of £35billion, an extraordinary pre-tax profit of £9billion. What a time to be the company's director of investor relations. Speaking of whom - Richard Snow stepped forward to receive his company's award for the plc reporting the biggest increase in profits from Derek Hatton, Royal Bank of Scotland.

The Most Enterprising Company - IntelliFlo Ltd

Achieving the biggest year-on-year improvement in profitability of any fast-track growth company in the south

Our next category is for what we describe as the most enterprising companies - those which have no legal obligation to file full accounts but have chosen to do so, something we consider to be a declaration of intent as far as ambition is concerned.

IntelliFlo won the Best Technology Software provider for professional advisers award last year, and is the UK's fastest growing provider of front and back office software for financial advisers. But fast-track growth hasn't been at the expense of profit. No other enterprising company producing product could touch IntelliFlo's 818% increase to just under £1million on sales of £3.2million. Managing director Nick Eatock received his award from Mike Wilson, partner, Clarke Willmott.

The Most Enterprising Company - Signalflow Services Ltd

Achieving the biggest year-on-year improvement in profitability of any fast-track growth company in the south

Signalflow Services, trading as Solent Mortgage Services, won the Best Mortgage Packager awards in 2005 and 2007, and since 1989 has distributed mortgage and loan products, processing more than £100million of mortgage applications a month. In the last financial year, on a £17million turnover, the company upped its profits by 942% to 900k, and CEO Paul Robinson accepted the award for the enterprising company in professional services from Clarke Willmott partner Mike Wilson.

The Most Successful Construction Business - Glossbrook Builders Ltd

Achieving the biggest year-on-year improvement in profitability of any construction company in the south

Every time that Nick Dunkerton flies from Bournemouth International Airport, he looks out at the 150,000sqft of business space that his company, Glossbrook Builders have constructed, with Meggitt, Siemens VAI, and Hobbycraft among the occupiers. In fact in construction circles, it's known as Glossbrook Corner. Established in 1985, Glossbrook has filed the biggest increase in profit, up 646% to £1.8million on a turnover of £15.4million, and managing director Nick Dunkerton is receiving the award from Malcolm Barber, partner at King Sturge.

The fastest growing manufacturing business - Lymington Precision Engineers Company Limited

Achieving the biggest year-on-year increase in turnover of any manufacturing business in the south

The south of England is the epicentre of manufacturing in the United Kingdom, according to employment statistics, which is why we have this special award category. And makes it even more special is that the manufacturing company which has achieved the biggest increase in sales picked up the very same award two years ago. Lymington Precision Engineers improved turnover by 36% to £51.7million. Directors David Craig and Chris Fletcher-Jones receive the award from Tim Forer, Clarke Willmott.

The Fastest Growing Technology Business - QA-IQ Group Limited

Achieving the biggest year-on-year increase in sales of any software and services based company in the south

QA-IQ provide learning skills that drive business performance as well as being the UK's leading provider of access infrastructure software solutions. It's immensely impressive that the group devotes the first page of their annual report and accounts to a very eloquent and individual statement of their values. They obviously live them to the full. In the last financial year they produced the biggest increase in sales of any technology services company - up 77% to £80.5million. Here accepting the award from Rod Evans, partner, Clarke Willmott is their chairman Christian Martin.

The Fastest Growing Technology Business - Powerlase Limited

Achieving the biggest year-on-year increase in sales of any technology products based company in the south

Powerlase are manufacturers of the most powerful lasers of their kind in the world, winning the Queen's Award for Enterprise in the process. Their VP Technology Mike Mason was presented with the Business Achievement Award for the biggest increase in sales of any technology manufacturing company, up 277% to £9.2million, by Rod Evans, partner, Clarke Willmott.

The Fastest Growing Technology Business - Xafinity Holdings Ltd

Achieving the biggest year-on-year improvement in profitability of any technology company in the south

Providers of pension and financial services software and support services, Xafinity has as its three pillars people, process, and platform. In a year its pensions software will be dealing with payments of £7billion to 1.5million pensioners in 189 countries; its banking software will process £1,600billion in payments. The company won the UK pensions award for best software provider in 2005, 2006, and 2007, and here marketing and sales director Greg Clay is receiving award for the technology company which achieved the biggest % increase in profitability (54% operating, 514% after sale of operations) from Tim Forer, Clarke Willmott.

The Most Successful Services Company - Empresaria plc

The public company in the south achieving the biggest growth in both top line and bottom line year-on-year

Empresaria plc is an international staffing group represented in over 150 offices worldwide. Founded in 1996, the company was listed first on Ofex, then AIM, and its brands include Lime Street Recruitment, Monroe Consulting Group, and Headway. In its last financial year, sales were up 96% to £147.8million, and profits rose 97% to £6million - the best performance in the service sector of any public company. Presenting the award to their communications director Madeleine Pallas is Darren Miller of Deloitte.

The Most Successful Services Company - Michael Lonsdale Ltd

The private company in the south achieving the biggest growth in both top line and bottom line year-on-year

It's twenty-one years since chairman Michael Hoodless started Michael Lonsdale Ltd. Today, the company is recognised as one of the country's leading building services contractors and environmental engineers. With a 54% increase in turnover to £100million, and a 1016% rise in profits to £4.3million, Michael Lonsdale has achieved the biggest top line and bottom line improvement of any private company in the service sector. Mr Hoodless accepted the award from Darren Miller of Deloitte.

The Most Successful Services Company - Bon Voyage Travel & Tours Ltd

The service-based company in Hampshire achieving the biggest improvement in profitability

When Alan Wilson set up Bon Voyage in the 1980s, the company focused on arranging travel to the United States. That still accounts for 85% of their turnover, but now, he says, they've found another niche - the rest of the world. It's paying off for this well established independent which achieved a 719% improvement in profitability over the year. He received his award from Alan Williams, managing director of chartered accountants HWB.

The Most Successful Services Company - Pims Group Ltd

The product-based company in Hampshire achieving the biggest improvement in profitability

Pims Group specialise in the design, manufacture, configuration and installation of pumping equipment - they provide the most extensive range of package pumping stations on the market. Charlie White joined the company as MD with the intention of leading a management buy-out. Those first six months gave him the chance to kick the tyres. He's certainly inflated them since - profits rose 421% to £1.2million in the last year, and he accepted the award from Alan Williams of HWB.

The Most Successful Business in the South - Just Retirement (Holdings) plc

The public company in the south achieving the biggest growth in both top line and bottom line year-on-year

Just Retirement is a company which does just what it says on the proverbial tin - it works with financial advisers to help people maximise their retirement income and make the most of their assets. They believe that 40% of people could be enjoying a higher income in their retirement. If that's the case, then expect even better results than the public company has achieved thus far. In its last reported year, sales were up 115% to £676.8million, and profits up 715% to £29.5million. And the company only launched in 2004. Accepting the award from PricewaterhouseCoopers partner Eugene McCann is finance director Simon Thomas.

The Most Successful Business in the South - Lornamead Acquisitions Ltd

The private company achieving the biggest growth in both top line and bottom line year-on-year

Lornamead Acquisitions was originally set up by the Jatania family as a marketing partner to multinationals looking to drive sales in Africa. Today the Camberley-based company not only has a global reach, but has developed by acquiring and breathing new life into once-famous brands which had lost their lustre, market-share, and much in the way of their owner's interest.

The names are so recognisable - Harmony hairspray (remember the television adverts), Silvikrin, Vosene, Yardley, Woods of Windsor. Brands which would have be lost to history if it hadn't been for Lornamead.

And they're doing very nicely from it as well. Sales in their last reported financial year were up 81% to £91million and profits by a somewhat greater percentage from minus £12,000 to plus £1.1million. Chief Executive Mike Jatania is presented with the award by Eugene McCann, partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers.