SME of the Year AWARD Winner: FISCAL Technologies
David Griffiths, FISCAL, (2nd left) collected the award from Robert Holland, James Cowper, (right)
It was butterflies-time for SME representatives, as Robert Holland, managing partner of accountants James Cowper, was invited to the stage by Fiona Bruce to announce the winner.
Once again leading accountants and business adviser James Cowper was sponsoring this category and once again the judges were looking for the very best Thames Valley small or medium-sized enterprises that had demonstrated strong business performance, growth potential, innovation, and great business practices.
Six of those best SMEs were contending for the prized title, and Holland revealed that the judges had selected FISCAL Technologies as their 2014 winner.
“This year’s winner has ticked all the boxes for what makes a great SME. Profitable growth has come from building a world-class team and a successful international expansion, which has seen the business build a blue-chip clientbase and transform the market in which it operates.
“With clients and staff at the very heart of the company, the business has embedded big company ideas into an SME business with exceptional results,” said the judging panel.
David Griffiths, CEO of FISCAL Technologies, came to the stage to receive the award on behalf of his Reading-based company that has become a world leader in accounts payable forensics software, enabling corporations and government organisations to cut costs, reduce risk, detect fraud and improve processes.
FISCAL’s AP Forensics suite is a set of powerful, easy-to-use tools designed for regular use by
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – DECEMBER14/JANUARY15
any finance professional. It works alongside any accounting system and has protected billions of pounds of spend across the globe since 2003.
Griffiths, who acquired FISCAL in 2007, said afterwards: “We’ve been fortunate that there’s a huge customer need for the software we have created.”
Direct sales to America have been one major success, all the more surprising since FISCAL broke into the US on a budget of just £150,000. “It was tough but we have a great team and an amazing product.”
Key to the breakthrough was getting close to customers through a creative and skilled marketing team that produced ‘more bang for the bucks’ than US competitors, said Griffiths. At times, at targeted conferences, FISCAL was the only British company among 150 American software providers.
“We’ve been there three years, have some incredible company contracts, a great revenue stream, and are building the brand. Now it’s all about scaling up our US operations.”
Noting the UK economic need to export more, Griffiths added: “A lot of SMEs seem afraid of exporting, especially technology and software into the US, but I think it’s easier to get into the US than Europe.”
Second in this category was Clarify, founded and run by Claire Edmunds, recently voted Woman of the Year in the SME sector at the 2014 Women in Business Awards. Clarify specialises in strategic development, maximising sales and reducing the cost of winning business for enterprise technology organisations. It now
employs over 50 full-time staff and sales this year are forecast to exceed £4 million.
Third-placed was Blue Apple Contract Catering, created by trained chefs Ruston Toms and Brian Allanson from Allanson’s Bracknell front room in 1998 and now employing 300-plus people.
Highly Commended certificates went to Exclaimer, which provides email utility software for Microsoft applications used globally, and clients such as Audi, Sony and BBC. High Wycombe based Epoq IT delivers best in class IT support and services, ranging from outsourced IT departments to specific cloud or security projects. Established in 2010 at Milton Park, Abingdon, ZigZag Associates is now a leading global provider of quality assurance services to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry.
BUSINESS MAGAZINE AWARDS 2014
THAMES VALLEY
SPONSORED BY Celebrating its 20th year
www.businessmag.co.uk
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