Business Eye is joining forces with UTV this for the fourth year running to launch the UTV Business Eye Awards 2010 in association with Bank of Scotland (Ireland).
Another star-studded evening is planned for Friday 15th October 2010 at the Culloden Hotel to honour the creme de la creme of the Northern Ireland business community.
Hundreds of entries are anticipated across the 15 different categories and the winners in each case will be chosen by a panel of judges including UTV's Business Correspondent Jamie Delargy, Business Eye Editor Richard Buckley as well as leading local business journalists.
Randox Laboratories Managing Director Dr. Peter Fitzgerald and Comber-based pre-packed food firm Mash Direct lifted the top two awards at last year’s UTV Business Eye Awards in association with Bank of Scotland (Ireland).
Fitzgerald, whose family-owned medical diagnostics company is one of Northern Ireland’s leading exporters, was named as Business Personality of the Year at the awards, staged at the Culloden Estate & Spa near Belfast.
Mash Direct won the coveted Vodafone-sponsored Company of the Year title at the event, which was attended by more than 400 guests and featured appearances from the African Childrens Choir and the Supreme Dream Girls from Detroit, USA.
There was also a special Lifetime Achievement Award presented on the night to Sir William Hastings, founder and chairman of the locally-owned hotel group which owns the Culloden.
Other key winners included Belfast Visitor & Convention Bureau Chief Executive Gerry Lennon (Public Sector Personality of the Year), Colorite Europe (International Company of the Year) and Ballymena-based Wrightbus (Green Company of the Year).
Brenda Buckley of organisers Business Eye magazine said that current economic conditions had made little impact on a record entry for the UTV Business Eye Awards.
“We had a really high quality entry across no less than 16 different categories, and our judging panel faced some very difficult decisions in some of those categories.
“We’re also delighted that we were able to pack 400 guests into the Culloden for the awards against the backdrop of challenging business conditions. I think that says a lot for the reputation of the event itself.”
Texthelp Systems Dr. Martin McKay lifted the Technology Personality of the Year Award, while Sainsbury’s Supermarkets were named as the 2009 Retailer of the Year.
And Tall Ships Belfast 2009 completed a unique awards double by being named as Tourism & Hospitality Project of the Year.
Full List of Winners – 2009 UTV Business Eye Awards in association with Bank of Scotland (Ireland)
Business Personality of the Year – Dr. Peter Fitzgerald (Randox Laboratories)
Company of the Year – Mash Direct
Public Sector Personality of the Year – Gerry Lennon (Belfast Visitor & Convention Bureau)
Marketing/ Advertising Personality of the Year – Lydia Gamble (Ulster Orchestra)
Technology Personality of the Year – Dr. Martin McKay (Texthelp Systems)
Retailer of the Year – Sainsbury’s Supermarkets
International Company of the Year – Colorite Europe
Business/Education Award - University of Ulster (Developing Managers Programme)
Tourism & Hospitality Project of the Year - Tall Ships Belfast 2009
Green Company of the Year – Wrightbus
Employer of the Year - Northgate Managed Services
Motor Dealership/Group of the Year - Charles Hurst Group
Business Consultancy of the Year - FPM Accountants
Architect of the Year - Hamilton Architects
Young Business Personality of the Year - Tim Pentland & Neil MacDonald (Pentland MacDonald)
Lifetime Achievement Award - Sir William Hastings
