Awards Dinner 2019
Region’s top performers honoured at Thames Valley 250 dinner
An awards dinner at Cliveden House Hotel celebrated the launch of the 2019 TV250 listing of the Thames Valley’s leading private companies. The event was also an opportunity to recognise winners in eight award categories
Host for the awards evening Nick Morse, from The Business Magazine, said: “This is one of the most important regions in the UK in terms of its contribution to the economy. It has proved resilient in the past – even through the last recession – and we have to hope it will prove resilient once again post-Brexit.”
Around 60 local business leaders who attended the dinner heard from guest speaker Harmeet ‘Sunny’ Ahuja, head of Global Operations at FMCG distribution business Sun Mark.
Ahuja was also named CEO of the Year for TV250 businesses with turnover over £25 million.
He talked about the challenges and benefits
of operating in emerging markets, and the various strategies that businesses can pursue to compete in them.
Sun Mark was started by Ahuja’s father- in-law, Dr Rami Ranger CBE, who is now the chairman. The company has won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade for five consecutive years.
Ahuja has helped grow the business from £8m annual turnover when he joined in 2002 to nearer £200m today.
He explained that the company’s strategy has been to sell a range of products from leading brands that include Nestlé, Unilever and Mondelez, in unstructured emerging
markets where there is often “organised chaos”.
“We are good in any market that is difficult. It’s not easy and not for the faint-hearted,” he said.
A prominent factor behind Sun Mark’s success is its people. “It’s about bringing your people together so they understand your plan and see it the same way you do. Otherwise, you are guaranteed to fail,” he said.
Sun Mark exports to over 130 countries and currently has its sites in the UK, Dubai and Nigeria.
“We are bullish about growth in the Middle East and Africa,” said Ahuja.
Harmeet ‘Sunny’ Ahuja
sponsors
34
businessmag.co.uk
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
