Yorkshire's dynamic firms must set 'big, hairy audacious goals', the Ward Hadaway Yorkshire Fastest 50 is told

Yorkshire's fastest growing companies were urged to set themselves "big, hairy audacious goals" at a major awards ceremony.

Chris Rea, the Managing Director of Rotherham based AESSEAL, told members of the Ward Hadaway Yorkshire Fastest 50 that their ambitions must always be driven by their core beliefs.

Mr Rea has grown a small mechanical seals design and manufacturing business with a staff of just five in 1979, to a global group of companies, AES Engineering Ltd, which now operates in 230 locations worldwide, with 1,700 employees.

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In his speech he praised the members of the Fastest 50 for their dynamism and agility and stressed the importance of having bold goals.

Chris Rea of AESSEAL.Chris Rea of AESSEAL.
Chris Rea of AESSEAL.

He said: "It's got to be guided by your company's core values and purposes. It's more than a goal, it's a challenge that is so audacious and outside the box and hairy, that it makes you feel like you will never achieve it. A goal that should scare you a little and excite you."

"It has to be clear and compelling.. It should be measurable, but the goal itself should not be expressed in financial terms.

"It must be connected to your company's strategy, and it's got to be long term. It's never about you, it's about a group of people working as a team. Success is about surrounding yourself with like-minded people."

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Mr Rea plans to set a new gold standard for industry in the battle to protect the environment. His global business was net zero for 2021, eight years earlier than planned. The business had previously made a commitment to invest £29m on environmental projects between 2021 and 2029.

Emma Digby of Ward Hadaway.Emma Digby of Ward Hadaway.
Emma Digby of Ward Hadaway.
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The Ward Hadaway Yorkshire Fastest 50 will honour region's brightest and best en...

The Ward Hadaway Yorkshire Fastest 50, which have been running for 12 years, recognise and celebrate the fastest growing, privately owned businesses across the region.

Based on financial data filed with Companies House, which relates to the previous three years of trading, the 2022 Yorkshire Fastest 50 identifies some of the region’s most

successful businesses that bring prosperity to Yorkshire, providing opportunities for local people and attracting investment to the region.

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Fastest Growing Medium Sized Business Ivegate Limited.Fastest Growing Medium Sized Business Ivegate Limited.
Fastest Growing Medium Sized Business Ivegate Limited.

Emma Digby, the executive partner for Leeds with Ward Hadaway, who also spoke at the event, said: "People in the room and businesses on the Fastest 50 list have demonstrated their strength, spirit and success in the face of great adversity.

"We have businesses from across every sector in every part of Yorkshire represented, from engineering and manufacturing firms to healthcare and technology companies.

"The combined turnover of the list is £1.74 billion - an increase of 83% compared to the previous three years."

Greg Wright, the deputy business editor of The Yorkshire Post, told the event at Aspire in Leeds that the region could be heading to a golden age as the UK economy starts to move away from the pandemic.

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Greg WrightGreg Wright
Greg Wright

The company which took the title for the overall fastest growing Yorkshire business for 2022 is Leeds-based building services specialist, Ivegate, which also topped the medium business category (turnover £10-£30 million). The company recorded an average turnover growth of more than 250 per cent, one of the largest Fastest 50 businesses in Yorkshire has ever produced.

Joule Hot Water Systems UK, based in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, took the title for the fastest growing large business (turnover over £30 million). The firm, which was ranked seventh in the Fastest 50 list in 2021 recorded an average turnover growth 61 percent to win this years’ award.

The Body Doctor, which specialises in eyecare, based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, won the small Yorkshire business category (turnover between £1million-£10million). It achieved average turnover growth of 128 percent.

The full list of the Ward Hadaway Fastest 50 will appear in Thursday's edition of The Yorkshire Post.

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