Best ’Breakthrough’ Business


Entrepreneur Matt Hawkins is a self-confessed workaholic with an ambition to help save our planet and an attraction to high-risk adrenaline sports.


He also now heads as chairman of the fast- growing company C4L (Connexions for London), a data centre, connectivity, cloud and communications provider with access to 100 data centres in the UK and more than 300 globally, as well as a private 1-100Gb fibre-optic network.


When Hawkins founded C4L in 2000 it was an ISP and website provider with its ambitions focused on growth through innovation. Soon C4L was providing improved Internet connectivity and data centre space. Leased lines and the purchase of dark fibre links led to C4L’s own network.


Presented by: Santander • Winner: C4L (No 236=)


By 2007/8 C4L had one of the largest privately- owned networks in the UK, was expanding links to Amsterdam and New York, starting to design its own Bournemouth data centre (opened in 2010), and investing in the cloud platform.


By 2010/2011, it was being included in the Deloitte Fast 500 and Sunday Times Tech Track 100 listings. 2012 saw C4L’s 55-strong staff achieve a £10 million turnover and Simon Mewett join as CEO to assist Hawkins and C4L’s highly motivated teams.


Recent UK network upgrading has increased capacity 40-fold, and a new cloud platform has been launched.


Matt Hawkins, chairman, C4L receives his award from Alex Fuller (right), regional director, Santander


Lymington Precision Engineers is justifiably proud of its ’Made in Britain’ credentials.


LPE has been a leading manufacturer of precision machined components, fabrications, assemblies and kit sets for the oil and gas, telecommunications, aerospace and defence, land and sea systems, nuclear and marine industries for over 30 years.


Its success – annual sales jumped from £43.7m to £54.7m in FY 2012/13 – is based on continued investment in technology and machinery, close liaison with its customers, and the talent and commitment of its 180 skilled employees.


LPE regards its employees as its greatest asset and an important differentiator within its internationally competitive sector.


A major employer in the New Forest region, LPE continues to train and encourage its workforce to gain new skills and knowledge. It also operates


an excellent apprenticeship scheme. Within its 92,000 sq ft state-of-the-art manufacturing area, LPE produces extremely complicated


Sustained Growth Award


Presented by: The Business Magazine Winner: Liquid Friday (No 60)


A Sunday Times Fast Track 100 company for the second year in a row and NVQ Employer of the Year for Hampshire, Liquid Friday was built from scratch in 2006 by 35-year-old founder Phillip Venn to achieve today a £46m turnover (July 2012) with the £60m turnover horizon in sight.


Portsmouth-based Liquid Friday is now one of the top 10 umbrella companies in the UK, providing a fully compliant range of payroll models to suit practically every kind of contractor working, often temporarily, in roles


The Business Magazine MD David Murray congratulates Phillip Venn, MD of Liquid Friday


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – DECEMBER 13/JANUARY 14


such as supply teachers, medical locums, care workers, construction and engineering, IT and sales employment.


Literally, Liquid Friday puts money in people’s pockets and tackles the hassles associated with such pay matters as, tax, national insurance, PAYE, pensions enrolment, and Real Time Information. It deals with more than 2,000 employees on weekly pay, 300 on monthly and 150 on a fortnightly cycle.


Affiliated with APSCo, the UK trade body for the professional staffing industry, Liquid Friday prides itself on its customer service to contractors and recruitment agency staff – “Exceptional customer service is at the heart of everything we do,“ says Venn.


www.businessmag.co.uk


International Business Growth Award Presented by: Grant Thornton


Winner: Lymington Precision Engineers (No 47)


Norman Armstrong, assurance partner, Grant Thornton presents Richard Cole, FD, Lymington Precision Engineers with the trophy


components and assemblies. It does so with professional pride and a quality culture that relentlessly pursues the elimination of waste, variability and inflexibility.


Quality management systems approved to BS EN ISO 9001:2008 emphasise LPE’s commitment to process improvement and the company’s desire to ’do it right, first time, every time’.


Earlier this year LPE was awarded the BSi Environmental Management Standard 14001:2004 ensuring that LPE’s environmental impact can be measured, monitored and reduced.


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