North East England Export Champions Honoured
Writer: Alun Hill on Jul 16 2010.
The North East’s export champions were honoured last night (Thursday 15 July) at a special gala dinner where the winners of the North East Exporters’ Awards 2010 were unveiled.
The awards, now marking 15 years, are sponsored by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), One North East, North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC), the Regional Language Network and HSBC, and recognise the efforts of individuals who have helped their companies boost its international sales performance.
The 2010 winners were:
New Exporter Award –sponsored by UKTI – for the individual new to exporting who demonstrates exceptional achievement, this could be with a company new to exporting or an existing exporter – Kevin Harkin, of Smith Electric Vehicles.
Founded in 1920, the Washington company is a global leader in new technology commercial electric vehicles with customers including TNT, DHL, Royal Mail and Sainsbury’s Online. Prior to joining the company Kevin had spent his career working in the UK fleet management sector and had no previous experience of export markets, but under his leadership export sales have increased by more than 1,300 per cent and now tops £2 million. He was personally responsible for building the company’s client base in North America and while total company sales fell in 2009, exports grew by 462 per cent creating a more diverse customer base so that the company is now less reliant on the fragile UK market.
Runners up were: Bryony Vaughan, of Palintest and Roderick Lawrie, of Toque Snuff.
Export Achievement Award – sponsored by HSBC – for the individual who has shown exceptional personal achievement in international trade to the benefit of the North East – Stephen Treherne, of Prestige Seating.
The South Shields company is Europe’s leading manufacturer of high quality furniture and its seating, gaming chairs and tables can be found in prestigious bars, nightclubs, discos, casinos and other leisure establishments worldwide. Previously, 90 per cent of the company’s products were for the domestic market and 10 per cent for Europe, but that has now changed with exports now representing around 70 per cent of sales. This is largely due to the efforts of Stephen who has shown passion and determination in leading exporters for his company and is particularly keen on developing the business abroad. Faced with the financial crisis and difficulties in the British market, he has shown great judgement when investing the majority of his business development efforts towards foreign markets and exports have grown steadily and are expected to hit 80 per cent by 2012.
Runners up were: Albert Pattison, of Hart Biologicals and Kevin Harkin, of Smith Electric Vehicles.
Innovation in Export Award – sponsored by NECC – for the individual engaged in international trade who can demonstrate added value to their company through innovation such as product design, management systems, logistics and innovative technology – Albert Pattison, of Hart Biologicals.
Hart Biologicals, in Hartlepool, manufactures and supplies key biological reagents for the investigation of blood clotting problems in GP surgeries, pathology laboratories and surgical theatres. Since it began trading in 2003, turnover has increased steadily by 25 per cent a year and exports too have grown steadily year on year with overseas sales now representing more than 65 per cent of turnover. The company does not have a dedicated export team and its success has been down to Albert’s determination and his willingness to learn from others and the support of organisations such as UKTI and NECC. Albert has built the company’s export markets through the development of contacts and building a business with the technical knowledge to undertake the manufacture of high quality medical devices and products.
Runners up were: Matthew Barnard, of Cleveland Cascades and Doug Dooley, of TRM.
Export Communicator Award – sponsored by the Regional Language Network – for the individual who can demonstrate how the application of his/her language skills has increased business performance in international trade – Dave Ranson, of Global Manufacturing Supplies.
Based in Prudhoe, Northumberland, GMS Ltd specialises in sourcing engineering components from manufacturers in China and has now audited 800 companies enabling it to offer access to a network of approved suppliers covering a diverse range of components and services. More than 60 per cent of the total purchased components supplied by GMS end up in customer products that are then exported worldwide and GMS has consequently developed direct export sales following on from this success. Dave joined GMS in 2002, taking responsibility for business development and the China supplier network. He has successfully established a network of suppliers in China that has helped the company’s sales increase dramatically in the last eight years and it now boasts a multi-million pound turnover. Dave’s efforts have included learning about China and the way business is done there, including the cultural difference and the language and communication skills needed. He can now speak Mandarin and has developed a deep understanding of how business is conducted in China. He has also been instrumental in training staff in the UK and China and coaches new staff, especially UK engineers, on their first visit to China so they know what to expect.
Runners up were: Albert Pattison, of Hart Biologicals and Bryony Vaughan, of Palintest.
Passport to Export Award – sponsored by the Regional International Trade Office – for an individual who has worked with an International Trade Adviser to develop an Export Action Plan that has resulted in commercial success in their target market – Michelle Taylor, of Tallulah Love.
The company, which designs and produces luxury lingerie, was launched in Hartlepool last year and has now moved to new premises in West Jesmond, Newcastle from where it already exports across Europe as well as Dubai. The company is also building up a reputation in the USA. Michelle has overcome many obstacles and worked “many, many hours” in what has been an uphill struggle but her 100 per cent belief in the product and her determination is finally paying dividends. In the past five months she has signed up 20 stockists, many of them in export markets and she is keen to offer opportunities to young people through placements for students and graduates over the summer months.
Runners up were: Andrew Hatton, of Global Anodes and Kevin Anderson, of Kinesio (Limbvolume).
The awards were presented to those who, in the judges’ opinion, achieved the most for their companies in pursuit of export business. Each of the winners received a special trophy and £1,000.
More than 270 leading figures from the world of business gathered at the gala dinner, held at the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead last night to celebrate the region’s international trade success and honour the winners.
Managing Director of UK Trade & Investment Business Group, Brian Shaw, who was keynote speaker at the event, said:
“It’s a pleasure to be invited to this awards ceremony celebrating those companies that export to the world.
“UKTI is proud to sponsor the New Exporter Award. Around the world growth is picking up and North East firms can benefit if they grasp the opportunities of trading overseas. UKTI stands ready to help more businesses in the North East to go and export.”
David Coppock, UK Trade & Investment’s International Trade Director, added:
“We know there are many individuals across the region who are playing their part in the region’s economic success in what are difficult times and were delighted to join forces with our partners One North East, NECC and Regional Language Network and with HSBC to host these awards as they recognise and celebrate their achievements.
“Judging was once again extremely difficult as there was a very strong field of entries, all excellent examples of how the North East is flying the flag for the UK in markets across the globe.
“We hope the success of our winners will encourage and inspire others to follow in their footsteps and we at UKTI will continue to work with our partners across the region to help ensure companies can access the support they need to do just that.
“And we hope that by highlighting their achievements, we can also encourage others to follow in their footsteps and take up the export challenge.”
Ian Williams, One North East Director of Business and Industry, said:
“I would like to congratulate all the winners of these prestigious awards. These companies and the runners-up are pioneers in their fields, realising the potential of opening up lucrative overseas markets.
“Despite the recession the North East continued to perform strongly in the export market. Hopefully these awards will help spur on the recognised businesses to further develop their global operations and inspire others to do the same.”
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