Bernard Ginns: A night of glamour – underpinned by real achievement

I thoroughly enjoyed the evening. It was one of the most exuberant nights I've attended in the Yorkshire business world and was full of glamour and inspirational business stories.

With around 800 people in attendance, the event was also one of the liveliest. Highlights included the sharp-as-a-razor one-liners by presenter Shazia Mirza, the keynote speech by Baroness Warsi of Dewsbury and her account of how she shattered glass ceilings in her rise to power and the uplifting speech by Arshad Chaudhry, chairman of the Asian business network.

Mr Chaudhry told the audience: "Tonight is not only a celebration of business achievement; it is much more than that. It is a celebration of the beautiful tapestry of colour woven together which makes Britain what it is today. A vibrant, diverse nation. It is so important that we must strive to preserve the great attributes of our nation – the attributes of tolerance, justice and fair play."

He revealed that more than a third of those shortlisted for awards were women, along with four of the five on the judging panel. With breaking barriers the theme for the evening, these are fitting statistics. "We need to unleash the powerful potential women have," he said.

Mr Chaudhry said barriers need to be broken in society. He said: "The Asian community has done well in business. But the vast majority are still anchored within their comfort zones or inner city ghettos.

"We need to break out into the mainstream. It is a big world out there. We leave the zone of our comfort and go into the wilderness of our intuition. We can't get there by bus or by train, but only by hard work and risk."

He added: "Look at inner cities – you see a rag to riches story around every corner. Many with no formal education and running significant businesses, creating enterprise, providing employment, bringing vibrancy and colour to the economic scene."

In a serious message about success and its meaning, Mr Chaudhry shared his own definition with the audience at Saviles in Leeds.

"Success is not simply the bottom line in the profit and loss account. It's much more than that. To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, earn the appreciation of honest critics, endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, a redeemed social condition, to know that even one life had breathed easier because you have lived; this is to have succeeded."

That's a message worth sharing with everyone. A great evening which represented the very best of Yorkshire, old and new.

IT IS one of the most important jobs in Yorkshire. But it is looking increasingly unlikely that the appointment of the next chairman of Yorkshire Forward will be announced before the General Election.

The regional development agency carries significant influence in this region, largely through the spending power of its 330m-a-year budget.

If I had to single out its most successful work, I would point to its efforts in the renewables sphere, which have led to a series of positive announcements surrounding nuclear energy, carbon capture and storage and wind farms.

Combined, these could create tens of thousands of jobs, which is some return for the 2bn plus spent since the dawn of the Labour Government.

Two names – Chris Pilling and Barry Dodd – have gone up to Government for a decision over the next chairman.

An announcement had been expected a couple of weeks ago, but the date came and went with no news. Now we are left with nothing but uncertainty.

It will be telling to see how long it takes the Tories to confirm the appointment, should they win power. A delay could indicate big changes ahead.