IT and technology play big roles in Fastest 50

The industry has made quite an impact on the Yorkshire Fastest 50 Awards, which have been organised by the Yorkshire Post in association with Top 100 UK law firm Ward Hadaway, since 2011.

In the inaugural awards, Halifax-based software company Frogtrade was named Fastest Growing Small Company after seeing sales of its IT-based learning packages soar.

The IT sector provided another winner the following year when Complete IT Systems was named the Fastest Growing Medium-Sized Business of 2012. The Bradford-based business provides a wide range of IT services, products and services to customers across the UK. Its technology partners include the likes of Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, Cisco and IBM.

Analysis of the full Fastest 50 lists for 2011 to 2013 adds further weight to the IT and technology sector’s claims to be a major growth driver for the Yorkshire economy. Figures show that IT and technology companies accounted for almost £275m worth of turnover in those Fastest 50 rankings with 11 appearances in the lists over the years.

Gareth Yates, Partner in the IT team at Fastest 50 sponsors Ward Hadaway, said: “Yorkshire’s technology sector is definitely on the move. Companies in the region have demonstrated an impressive track record in recent years of both harnessing and maximising the benefits of new technology and in developing new applications themselves.”

The companies making up this year’s Fastest 50 list will be revealed in the Yorkshire Post next month.

Awards will then be handed out to the fastest growing small, medium and large businesses at an awards ceremony in March with one of those three winners then receiving the ultimate accolade of being crowned Yorkshire’s overall fastest growing business.