Norfolk Business Awards 2022: Norfolk Business of the Year

The Norfolk Business of the Year winner will be hand-picked by the judges from all of this year's finalists and will have achieved outstanding things in the past year.

“It’s a wonderful accolade for a regional business, particularly in these times when we have been through an awful lot.” Great praise indeed from Norfolk Business of the Year judge Tim Seeley, head of corporate banking at Barclays East Anglia.

He said that with tough times and challenges for businesses, it was important to recognise the hard work and determination through honours such as the business awards.

He said it was particularly good for staff – who businesses are trying to attract and retain.

“It’s about standing out. Some will have shone through over the past couple of years and seen other opportunities, diversified and tweaked their services or products.

"The elasticity of their business will shine through,” said Tim, adding businesses need to not only demonstrate their agility and clear strategy for the future, but be able to execute that strategy.

Tim said businesses and organisations will also need to demonstrate growth – the theme for this year’s awards – in different ways – it’s no longer simply about turnover and profit.

“These days the growth and development of business is in people. The workforce demands more from employers and growth can be in the ability of staff, in sustainability, in growing the business with the right people, or in diversity and inclusivity.

“In modern society it is not all about figures, I think growth is a much bigger topic.”

He said the winner of Norfolk Business of the Year will be one which shows everything from strong leadership to resilience.

“The key to any business is its workforce and, talking to clients at the moment, the biggest challenge is getting the right people and getting the right number of people,” he said.

The award winner will show that it is offering solutions, such as flexible working and continued personal and professional development for its team.

“It is not about nine to five, it’s about demonstrating change and flexibility,” he explained.

Meet the sponsor

Barclays is a British universal bank. It is diversified by business, by different types of customers and clients, and by geography.

Its businesses include consumer banking and payments operations around the world, as well as a top-tier, full service, global corporate and investment bank, all of which are supported by a service company which provides technology, operations and functional services across the group.

Award criteria

The winner of the Norfolk Business of the Year award will be hand-picked by the judges with all finalists from each category automatically entered.

The judges will be looking for a brand or organisation which has achieved outstanding things in the last 12 months, looking at brand profile within its customer audience, financial standing, community relations and environmental sympathies.

The winner of this award will be an organisation that Norfolk can be proud of.

Entries to the Norfolk Business Awards close on Sunday, August 7. To enter, visit www.norfolkbusinessawards.co.uk