The Norfolk Business Awards 2020 is officially open for entries! Tim Seeley, head of East Anglia Corporate Banking at Barclays, tells us more about the Business of the Year award.

Why have you chosen to support the Norfolk Business Awards?

Barclays has been with the Norfolk Business Awards from the very outset – for 30 years now. The awards is a good celebration of all the great things going on in Norfolk business.

Around here we’re too good at hiding what we do – we don’t like to boast. The awards are a great way of drawing out all the good things going on just below the surface.

The Norfolk Business Awards has become the business event of the year – we talk about it all year and it’s become engrained in business life.

Eastern Daily Press: Tim Seeley, head of East Anglia Corporate Banking at BarclaysTim Seeley, head of East Anglia Corporate Banking at Barclays (Image: Archant)

There are so many types of businesses in Norfolk, how do you go about picking a Business of the Year?

It’s about the way a business invests in and looks after its people, how it’s working dynamically, its local environmental impact and the part it plays in its community.

We will also have to look at how a business has responded to Covid-19. We will be looking for the differentiator, the factor that sets the Business of the Year apart from the rest.

How important are the people behind the business?

Leadership of any business is vital. That’s what sets the tone, sets the culture. Judging these awards is a privilege as the businesses really do open their doors and let us see warts and all.

Most let the judges talk to staff on their own and that’s when you really understand the individual business culture.

Leadership is more important now than ever, especially as many businesses seem to embrace a wide range of ages, from school leavers or graduates through to people approaching retirement. Understanding the motivations and aspirations of those different age groups is one of the key challenges for leaders today.

Why is resilience key in the current climate of uncertainty?

The shock to our economy has tested the management strength of many businesses. We’re fortunate in this region that most businesses are relatively well capitalised and conservative, which has helped see many through – along with the government support schemes, which have been essential.

The transition to a recovery stage, and the end of government support, will be a further challenge to the resilience of many firms.

What will you be looking for in the winner of the Business of the Year category?

Judging is based on looking at all the finalist. Any business in the running for one of the awards can be shortlisted and, in the past, the winner of business of the year hasn’t actually won their category. That’s because it’s not simply about excellence in one area, like some of the individual awards. It’s about all-round quality.

The phrase that we’ve used in the past is an “ambassador for Norfolk” and that’s what we’re looking for: a rounded and successful business the county can be proud of.

Business of the Year award criteria

The big one – the award of awards in the Norfolk business world.

This accolade will go to a business hand-picked by the judges. The judging panel will look for a brand or organisation which has achieved great things in the last 12 months. They will assess the company’s brand profile within its customer audience, its financial standing, its community relations and its environmental sympathies.

Judges will particularly be looking for an organisation that Norfolk can be proud to have as an ambassador of working life in the county.

This is a non-entry category, the winner will be chosen by the judges from the finalists.

To enter the Norfolk Business Awards visit www.norfolkbusinessawards.co.uk