Norfolk Business Awards: Has your business made an impact?

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

How do you compare the outstanding achievements of a business with those of an individual?

Though figures naturally have to come into it, this is not an award that’s just about having a well-run business. It is about those people or companies making a wider contribution than just a financial one.

It’s very tough to measure because it should be a winner that you see and you just know – everyone can see the impact they’ve had.

Is social responsibility a big consideration in this award?

It’s part and parcel of doing business in the modern world. The world is changing all the time and individuals and organisations have a responsibility to adapt to reflect that.

Successful businesses now will be socially responsible in the way they operate, helping their communities and looking after their people.

How do you measure the impact a business-person or group has made?

This award was originally called the Denise Anderson award and she was such an obvious choice for an outstanding achievement award – she was someone who had given so much of herself both to her business and her community and made a positive difference.

Then, sadly, of course, she died, and the award was named after her. She was very much a trail blazer, showing how it’s possible to make a positive difference.

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

This is a tough one to judge, not least because it can be either an individual or a business.

It’s not a short-term award. The winner will have consistently made an outstanding contribution to the local economy or industry. We will be looking for an organisation or individual that has outperformed the sector or added value for a sustained period.

What advice would you give those who are considering entering?

The awards are for those businesses who have been successful and are looking to build their brand locally. Whether that’s to attract good people or to demonstrate to their supply chain the quality and the level at which they’re operating. For an entrant it’s a great way of raising their profile.

The awards are wider than just providing new customer opportunities. They’re all about how your business is perceived – not just in the business community but by the local community as a whole.

Outstanding Contribution award criteria

This award celebrates the achievement of an individual or group which has played a transformative role in both business and also in the wider business community.

The winner’s achievements can be measured both in terms of the effect on the bottom line of the business, in an individual’s character as a leader in their chosen business field, or a group’s overall impact.

They are a person or group whose achievements have helped put Norfolk on the map as an innovative place to live and work.

The Outstanding Achievement award is not just a look back over a career, but also a look at the impact this person or group is having both on the present and the future.

This is a non-entry category.

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