Awards celebrate entrepreneurial spirit


A buccaneering spirit, building on our heritage and breaking the mould are hallmarks of the businesses applauded at the Solent Business Awards in October


ITV’s Stewart positive on Solent success


Emsworth-born guest speaker Alastair Stewart presenter of a range of ITV news and current affairs programmes, said he was “seriously delighted” to be back in his neck of the woods.


“The Solent means a great deal to me. I’m thrilled to be here tonight as this is where my career started in 1976 with Southern Television.”


He recalled the diversity of companies he covered as Southern Television’s industrial correspondent and noted how the Solent area’s commercial landscape has changed over the decades.


“Things that we still do we still do quite brilliantly,” he said. “We build on heritage, breaking the mould and breaking down barriers. There’s an army of vibrant businesses in the region. That is what we are celebrating tonight.”


An audience of nearly 300 business people attended the fourth annual awards, held at Southampton’s Ageas Bowl. The event was sponsored by NatWest, KPMG, Pitmans Law, James Cowper Kreston, Taylor Made Computer Solutions and Vail Williams.


Finalists impress judges


David Murray, publisher of award organiser The Business Magazine, said: “The judges have been out and about visiting businesses and learning that – despite all you may hear from politicians – there’s still lots of positivity out there.”


He added: “It’s that buccaneering spirit, that entrepreneurialism and corporate achievement that we can see in this room tonight.”


Sally Taylor, a familiar face presenting BBC South Today for over three decades, arrived to host the awards straight from Highclere Castle, where she’d been interviewing cast members of TV drama Downton Abbey.


She encouraged guests to dig deep into their pockets and donate to Myeloma UK, the only UK charity focused on the discovery, development and treatment of the blood cancer, myeloma. £2,200 was raised for the charity on the evening.


Continued overleaf ... SPONSORS: Business


ORGANISED BY: THE


TM MAGAZINE THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 businessmag.co.uk 29


Stewart referenced transformative changes he had reported on, from the Thatcher years, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the first Gulf war and now Brexit.


He told the audience: “It will be the wealth creators, the employers, who will call the politicians to order over Brexit. If we eventually leave the EU, and I suspect that that will be the outcome, it will be down to people like you – the men and women celebrated here tonight who will take us forward.”


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