Region’s businesses setting pace as final list drawn up

The organisers of the Yorkshire Fastest 50 are continuing to compile a list of the region’s fastest growing private companies.

Launched by top 100 UK law firm Ward Hadaway with the Yorkshire Post, the Yorkshire Fastest 50 aims to highlight and champion the region’s high-achieving private companies. The top 50 profit-making companies with the largest annualised growth in their turnover will appear in a special list to be published in the Yorkshire Post next month.

Awards will then be handed out to the fastest growing small, medium and large companies 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 private company.

Independent economic researchers have compiled a provisional list of the Yorkshire Fastest 50 using publicly available information from Companies House. Companies on the provisional list have all been sent letters congratulating them on their success.

They are currently being contacted to check and verify details and the final list is taking shape. This is the third year for the Yorkshire Fastest 50, following awards in 2012 and the inaugural Yorkshire Fastest 50 in 2011. It has been developed in partnership with law firm Ward Hadaway, which has seen its operation in Leeds expand quickly since its establishment in 2008.

Martin Hulls, head of office for Ward Hadaway in Leeds, said: “We have had an excellent response from companies on the provisional Fastest 50 list so far. There seems to be a real enthusiasm for the return of the awards and what they are trying to achieve in highlighting and championing business success across Yorkshire. Because admission to the Yorkshire Fastest 50 is based on turnover growth for profit-making private companies in the region, we feel it makes the awards genuinely inclusive and takes in businesses from right across the commercial spectrum.

“This has certainly been borne out by initial findings for the awards. While I do not want to pre-empt publication of the final list, I think the results will demonstrate Yorkshire’s impressively diverse economy with a whole range of different sectors represented in the final 50.

“We also hope that the Yorkshire Fastest 50 will generate some excellent, positive publicity for these pace-setting private companies and show how Yorkshire is a great place for businesses to succeed and grow.”

Each company which makes it into the list will be invited to attend the Yorkshire Fastest 50 2013 awards, which take place in March. The event will be introduced by Yorkshire Post business editor Bernard Ginns and will also feature a special guest speaker.

Ward Hadaway has been running a similar awards scheme for companies in the North East every year since 1998.