Gordon Singer: Well-deserved ‘Oscars’ for business community

As key employers, contributors to, and the foundation of, our region’s economy, it is only right that we recognise companies who are leading the way in supporting Yorkshire’s economic health. The greater part of PwC’s business involves advising private businesses and their owners and PwC in Yorkshire is therefore proud to support a number of awards that rightly celebrate those companies on a regional and national stage.

Once such event is the annual UK Private Business Awards, which I attended this month.

It was brilliant to see 
Cheryl Williams, Director of Yorkshire Wildlife Park and Chief Executive of the Yorkshire Wildlife Park Foundation, crowned Businesswoman of the Year.

Cheryl is a founder director of the Park and has been involved for many years in the zoo community at a national and international level.

Last year, 556,000 visitors enjoyed the Park, making it one of Yorkshire’s leading attractions. It is a leader in animal welfare and conservation and has recently introduced polar bears and this year saw the births of tiger cubs and leopard cubs as part of the European breeding programme.

The judges were impressed with Cheryl’s determination and passion for her company.

Turning her passion for animals and wildlife into a fantastic business, makes Cheryl a great ambassador for business leaders across the UK. I was lucky enough to enjoy a behind the scenes tour of the Park – a truly amazing experience.

I also attended The Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards and was delighted to award Linbrooke with Company of the Year in the £10m-£50m category.

Its innate resilience and enlightened approach to training won over the judges. Linbrooke is a company committed to creating long-term, high quality job opportunities in Yorkshire.

Established in 2002, Linbrooke has gained a reputation for delivering outstanding mission critical services in telecoms, power and signalling. Most of its work is carried out in the rail, utilities and subsea environments, which gives you an insight into some of the challenging circumstances it must face every day.

The award is recognition of the hard work that the business, its management team and its employees have put in over the last five years.

Being part of these awards and hearing the winners’ stories, as well as those of all of the companies who entered submissions, make me feel proud to be part of the Yorkshire business community. I look forward to see how they grow, develop and achieve their ambitions in the years to come.