Goldman Sachs gives backing to the business stars of the future

That’s why Goldman Sachs is one of the sponsors of The Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards 2014, which honours the entrepreneurs who make Yorkshire the best place to do business.

Goldman Sachs is sponsoring the Young Business category, which is open to companies up to three years old. In Yorkshire, Goldman Sachs has been the driving force behind a business mentoring scheme which has been praised by Business Secretary Vince Cable.

Mr Cable met Viv Parry, the founder of Leeds-based Exquisite Handmade Cakes, along with other entrepreneurs who had received support from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses UK programme. In 2010, Goldman Sachs decided to fund a business education programme in Yorkshire to help small businesses grow during the worst financial crisis in generations.

Michelle Pinggera, the international chief of staff at Goldman Sachs, said yesterday: “We are proud to be supporting The Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards for a fourth year running, which also marks our fourth year of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses programme in the UK.

“We piloted our UK programme in Yorkshire as we believe that this region truly represents that entrepreneurial spirit and energy which we continue to seek to achieve through our 10,000 Small Businesses UK programme. Altogether, 192 small business owners and social enterprise leaders have either already graduated or are enrolled on the programme in Yorkshire to date, and this figure will be over 250 by the end of the year. The eighth cohort is currently running in the region and we are currently recruiting for our ninth.

“We have over 700 participants nationwide to date. Last year we launched our National Alumni Network, an initiative we designed to help cultivate working relationships between our participants.”

Iain Duncan Smith, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, will be the headline speaker at The Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards 2014, which will be held on October 30 at the Queens Hotel in Leeds. The awards are now open for entries from companies of all shapes and sizes. The other main categories are:

Companies with a turnover up to £10m, sponsored by Yorkshire Bank.

Companies with a turnover between £10m and £50m, sponsored by PwC.

Companies with a turnover above £50m, sponsored by DLA Piper

Outstanding employer, sponsored by Bradford University School of Management, for excellent employment practices

Innovation of the Year, sponsored by Drax, for companies that can demonstrate innovation in their approach to growth and development

Exporter of the Year, sponsored by thebigword, for companies that have made progress in overseas markets

Community, sponsored by QBE Insurance, for businesses actively working in the community to enhance education and skills development

SME Manufacturer, sponsored by Elevation Recruitment, for companies with a turnover up to £10m

Young Entrepreneur of the Year, for owner managers and directors aged 35 and under

Individual award, sponsored by The Yorkshire Post.

The judging panel will be made up of representatives from main sponsors DLA Piper, the international law firm, PwC, the Big Four accountancy firm, and Yorkshire Bank.

The Bank of England will be represented by Juliette Healey, the regional agent.

To enter visit yorkshirepost.co.uk

• The Yorkshire Post launched the Excellence in Business Awards in 2006. It has attracted famous speakers, including David Cameron, George Osborne and Nick Clegg.

Our headline sponsors are DLA Piper, Goldman Sachs, PwC and Yorkshire Bank.

Our associate sponsors are Bradford University School of Management, Drax, Elevation Recruitment, QBE Insurance and thebigword.