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Entry rise shows business confidence

An increase in the number of nominations for this year’s Northern Star Business Awards has been seen as a rise in confidence and optimism in the North-east business community.

The Awards, flagship event of Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, has attracted 15% more entries than last year, an indication that an increasing number of businesses are going public with their success stories.

A number of new categories have been introduced this year to reflect changing trends and some of the existing awards have also been amended to take account of new working practices.

Chamber Chief Executive Bob Collier said that the road to recovery following the economic downturn has been a difficult one for many companies so it is encouraging to see what appears to signify an upturn in confidence.

“Last year we had some outstanding stories from companies which were shortlisted for Northern Star Awards which showed that despite challenging conditions North-east businesses had shown great resilience and initiative. We see it as a good indicator that even more companies are putting themselves forward this year to show how their particular working practices and policies have positioned them at the top of their game. The biggest challenge now facing the judging panels will be how they whittle the nominations down to just three finalists in each category.”

Judging will take place over the next week and the full list of finalists will be published within the next couple of weeks.

The new categories for 2011 are: The Outstanding Contribution of Society Award (Sponsored by BP); The Energy Award (Sponsored by BG Group); The Green Award and Best Campaign. Other categories are: Commitment to People Development (Sponsored by Aberdeenshire Council); Excellence in Customer Service (Bon Accord Active Payroll Services); Achievement in International Business (Aberdeen Harbour); Commitment to Innovative Use of Research & Development); Rising Star Award; Student Placement Award (The Robert Gordon University); Lifetime Achievement Award (Aberdeen City Council) and Overall Awards for Small, Medium and Large Businesses.

This year’s awards, which will be hosted by TV personality Gaby Roslin, will be held in the Press & Journal Arena at the AECC on Thursday October 6. For information on how to book or to discuss possible sponsorship involvement, contact the Chamber on 01224 343922/343934/343929.