The best in the business were honoured and recognised as the winners of the EDP Business Awards 2016 were revealed.

Eastern Daily Press: Baroness Eliza Manningham-Buller was speaking at the Eastern Daily Press Business Awards 2016. Pic by Keiron Tovell.Baroness Eliza Manningham-Buller was speaking at the Eastern Daily Press Business Awards 2016. Pic by Keiron Tovell. (Image: Archant)

Fifteen awards were handed out during a glittering awards ceremony held at the Norfolk Showground and attended by more than 450 guests.

The event, hosted by BBC TV presenter Stewart White, culminated in the naming of the Barclays Business of the Year - Epos Now, the Norwich-based company which specialises in electronic point-of-sale equipment and software, which had been shortlisted alongside Lintott Control Systems and Potters Resort.

The Outstanding Achievement award was presented to Caroline Williams, the chief executive of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, in recognition of her tireless commitment to representing the business community in the county over nearly 17 years.

Matt Kelly, chief content officer of Archant, the publisher of the EDP, challenged guests to pick up the theme of growth from this year's awards, and work together to form new bonds for the good of the region.

He said: 'If we follow this kind of thinking, then Norfolk can certainly grow to be a powerhouse of regional business that the rest of the country will look to and admire – and one we will all profit from.'

Baroness Eliza Manningham-Buller, the former director general of MI5, was the keynote speaker at the black-tie event, where she described her experiences of managing a major organisation undergoing significant change.

Money was raised for Marie Curie, the chosen charity of this year's awards, to support the work its nurses do with more than 500 people with a terminal illness across Norfolk every year.

The gala dinner and awards ceremony reflect months of planning, with judges charged with identifying the brightest and best in business out of the hundreds of entries received from across Norfolk, Waveney and Fenland.

For full coverage of the EDP Business Awards 2016, see our 20-page pull-out supplement in next Wednesday's EDP Business section.