2015 Executive Awards

Executive Awards 2015

Events.com

Mitch Thrower - Chairman and Visionary of the Year Gregg Parise - Event Software CEO of the Year

Mathieu Gorge, VigiTrust Hardie Polymers Ltd Information Security CEO of Best Independent Polymer the Year Supplier 2015 www.corp-vis.com

Editor’s Note Welcome to the 2015 Executive Awards!

With the world’s economy slowly recovering from the recent European crisis, many firms have worked tirelessly to ride out this global issue and come out on top in their industry. The ramifications of this issue have been felt internationally but many companies have managed to survive and thrive in this tough corporate climate.

Despite a select number of headline grabbing names in the spotlight, highlighting their firms’ successes, the majority of the dedicated executives who have worked so hard to secure their place in their industry have, unfortunately gone unrecognised.

That is what the Corporate Vision Executive Awards 2015 aims to rectify; paying tribute to these pillars of the executive world who form not just the backbone of their individual firms, but of their wider sectors and industries. There are many aspects of business which form the backbone of corporate excellence, including creativity, innovation and passion for the product or service. These awards celebrate the individuals who, through their commitment to these areas, are the driving force behind their firms’ growth and prosperity despite these trying economic times.

So, to take a closer look at these leading lights, please read on...

Contents 4. Events.com Chairman and Visionary of the Year & Event Software CEO of the Year

6. Mathieu Gorge, VigiTrust Information Security CEO of the Year 8. Trevor Gilbert & Associates Education Executive of the Year 2015 9. Gowanda MS Education Executive of the Year 2015 10. Vehicle Preparation Services Ltd. Automotive Contracting Director of the Year 11. Taylor Interiors Ltd Best for Residential Interior Design 12. ServicePower Technologies PLC - Marne Martin Field Service Management CEO of the Year & Best for Mobile Workforce Management Solutions 13. Technology Associates Limited - Kelvin Kirby Business IT CEO of the Year 2015 14. ExploringU Counselling Ltd Counselling Services Executive of the Year 2015 & Best Counselling & Psychotherapy Provider 2015 15. Hardie Polymers Ltd Best Independent Polymer Supplier 2015 16. Quarsh RPO Executive of the Year 2015 17. Synexus Clinical Trials CEO of the Year 2015 - Christophe Berthoux 18. Mark Boidman - Peter J. Solomon Company Investment Banking MD of the Year 2015 19. SpringTide Best for Supply Chain Consultancy Services 20. Blackburn Alarms Ltd Alarm Systems Provider of the Year 21. Smart Utility Systems SaaS CEO of the Year

Chairman and Visionary of the Year & Event Software CEO of the Year Company: Events.com Mitch Thrower, Chairman and Visionary of the Year Gregg Parise, Event Software CEO of the Year Email: mitch@events.com Web Address: http://www.events.com Address: 10955 Vista Sorrento Pkwy. Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92130 Telephone: 858-257-2300

Events.com is a leading online marketplace uniting event organizers and event participants in one single place. Its cloud-based application bridges the gap between event organizers and event goers, giving the event ecosystem an improved solution to planning and finding events. We got in touch with their Chairman and Founder, Mitch Thrower, as well as their CEO, Gregg Parise, to find out the secrets behind their success.

to say that Events.com is positioned to capture a large part of that opportunity.

First of all, how does it feel to have been named ‘Chairman and Visionary of The Year’?

Mitch Thrower: It is a true honor to be acknowledged as a visionary, but it is also important to acknowledge that the true power of a visionary is derived not only from the capacity to communicate that vision, but also the capacity to surround oneself with the people who will make that vision a reality.

It’s one thing to imagine the future, but it’s another to ignite the fires of creativity and motivation in others.

As a founder, it is my responsibility to encourage the team to get excited about creating the future I imagine, and a successful vision is a shared vision.

It’s been wonderful to work with skilled and motivated people that share my vision of ensuring that Events. com is the center of the global event ecosystem.

You have already founded a profitable billion dollar company, as co-founder of active.com (The Active Network, Inc.). Additionally, you also launched ActiveEurope.com (Active Europe Network) as Co-Founder and CEO. Active went public before selling to Vista for over one billion dollars. Please tell us a more about your career background, and why do you think Events. com is the next chapter in the event world?

MT: Entrepreneurship is an endurance sport and you learn valuable lessons along the way that you can apply to your next venture. Events.com is a much bigger opportunity than any past venture I have been involved with. The event space represents a 500 billion USD global market opportunity and I am proud

Before Events and Active, I was the President and Chief Operating Officer of Triathlete Magazine, the world’s largest triathlon magazine. I also served as Chairman of the magazine.

Your notable investors in Events.com include Tomorrow Ventures, Chris Burch via Burch Creative Capital, Silverstein Properties President Tal Kerret, Moore Venture Partners, DLA Piper Venture Fund and Wilson Sonsini Investment Company, and Vandaele Capital. From your experience, what is the most important criteria you look for in investors?

MT: With investors, we see our relationship as more of a partnership than anything else. From our experience, it’s important to work with powerful, patient and supportive capital, and we are so fortunate to have the investors we do.

Tell us about the work you do behind the scenes. What measures do you take to ensure that your visions and innovations are manifested into the services you provide?

MT: As Founder and Chairman, my role is essentially to make sure that everyone has what they need to be effective, especially the leadership team.

By focusing on fundraising and investor relations, generating leads for key positions and client sales, I’ve been able to share my experience and provide resources to the wider team. In a small, growing company, communication is key so I focus a great deal of my time ensuring the lines of communication are open and asking questions.

Most of my time is spent working with our Board of Directors and our CEO, Gregg Parise, who is a true

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Chairman and Visionary of the Year & Event Software CEO of the Year

leader and certainly deserving of the Event Software CEO of the year Award. Gregg has done so much of the heavy lifting to build a team of rock stars and grow revenue for Events.com. Gregg joined the company when it was breaking out of its “tree-fort stage,” and now, the company is on its way to over 100 employees with increasing revenue and a growing client base.

In the competitive events industry, you’ve been named the ‘Event Software CEO of the Year’. Please tell us more about your background, and how you add value to the role of CEO. Gregg Parise: Prior to Events.com, I built a reputation as a leader within the entrepreneurial business community, leveraging my investment background of 20+ years of portfolio management and financial market experience.

My investment career began in the institutional trading department of Hambrecht & Quist (1992-1997). I was the founder and portfolio manager of two successful long/short equity hedge funds, including Calimar Capital and Dorado Capital Management, as well as a partner and co-manager of a $400 million hedge fund portfolio at JLF Asset Management.

I’ve been featured on the cover of Investor’s Business Daily, CBS MarketWatch, The Wall Street Journal, The Wall Street Transcript and Barron’s. Furthermore, I have spoken at Tony Robbins financial conferences alongside T Boone Pickens, Mark Faber, and Kyle Bass. Currently, I serve on the Board of Directors for ServInt, GreekRush, and Cardiff Capital.

In terms of my qualifications, I earned a BS in Finance from San Diego State University and my MBA from The Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California.

Your company has been named ‘No.1 for Cloud-Based Event Management Services’. So you must be doing a host of things right, what do you think is the driver of your success personally and professionally?

GP: I believe my passion, communication and leadership by example permeate the culture throughout the organization. From passion comes perseverance. You will have small failures along the way but at the end of the day, failure as a company is not an option.

What areas have you focused on and what challenges have you overcome to be named winner of these awards?

GP: Events.com was born from an incubator where there were multiple opportunities. We have divested in opportunities that presented themselves that may have been promising but as we grew the business we set those aside in order to focus on our core business.

We have moved rapidly into a competitive industry and have become a key player in an ever-changing environment.

Working as an executive typically requires a great deal of people management. Please tell us about you approach towards running a team as well as attracting the right talent for your business.

GP: Your team is the key to success. I have interviewed every single person who works at Events.com and I always will. I think it sets a good example to ensure that potential candidates see that the CEO cares to meet a potential hire, no matter the role in the organization.

When it comes to leading a talented team, it is imperative to lead by example and with passion. No matter how great your technology is, the area where you really win is with your people.

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Tell us about your overriding philosophy when it comes to your clients. What do you see as the most vital areas to focus on when it comes to providing the best possible service?

GP: We incorporate our core values into everything we do.

We live by 4 core values: User First, Innovation, Commitment to Team and Winning. Winning is a by-product of the success of the first three.

These values really speak for themselves. If our users are not put first, then we have failed our users and ourselves.

We are in business for our users.

Additionally, in order for us to attract and retain the best clients, we need to constantly be innovating. Innovation is the key to success in technology.

Tell us about the culture within your firm and the things you do to maintain and develop it. How does it influence your interactions with and results achieved for your clients?

GP: Culture is everything. I am dedicated to building and fostering an incredible, winning start up culture. All of our core values grow from the leadership team’s commitment to our wider team and ensuring that we win together.

Furthermore, accountability is huge, and we strive to always underpromise and overdeliver. For example, every Tuesday and Thursday during lunchtime there’s an open invitation to anyone who wants to run the “Events.com 5K,” which is a designated lap around the office. Many people participate regardless of skill level, and it’s an amazing way to get outside and refresh in the middle of the day.

In addition, we do something similar with a bike ride starting from the office on Wednesday mornings. We all love to push ourselves to be healthier people both in and out of the office.

Finally, what sets you apart from your competitors and peers and how do you use this differentiation to your advantage?

GP: Events.com was conceived at a time when the online registration space was prime for disruption. We saw a sea of companies that had not evolved and we knew the industry was ready for something new. With a mission to reinvent the space, we built a software platform that delivers what event organizers want most– tools to maximize customer acquisition while minimizing administrative oversight. We deconstructed and rethought each component of the event management lifecycle and created an enterprise-grade, global-ready, mobile-first set of tools.

“ofthe true power a visionary is

derived not only from the capacity to communicate that vision, but also the capacity to surround oneself with the people who will make that vision a reality.

Mitch Thrower

Information Security CEO of the Year

Mathieu Gorge VigiTrust Situated in the heart of Dublin city with regional offices in New York and Paris and sales office in London, VigiTrust has been providing information security and data compliance solutions for over 10 years. Behind this innovative company is Mathieu Gorge, who spoke about the development of the company his philosophy on running a major business.

VigiTrust is a security software vendor specialising in the provision of cloud based eLearning programs and security compliance portals. They provide security strategic workshops and mentoring services based on the 5 Pillars of Security Framework™. Furthermore, they specialise in the promotion of security awareness and assessments through the provision of cloud based e-Learning solutions and compliance portals.

They also provide advisory services for their international clients in the healthcare, retail and government sectors and cyber fintech. “Perhaps cyber fintech is the sphere that best defines where VigiTrust adds value to its worldwide clients,” says Gorge. “It brings cyber security and cyber compliance expertise to the Fintech sector.”

VigiTrust operates in the global data security, governance and security area where they help organisations protect Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI) and Credit Cardholder Data (CHD). “In today’s world attacks are global and unfortunately most of them are either state sponsored or driven by hard core criminal groups, notwithstanding cyber-terrorism,” says Gorge. “This means that the industry ecosystem must work as a team to combat threats which include large enterprises, SMEs, security subject matter experts, law enforcement agencies and security associations.”

From VigiTrust’s perspective, this creates a number of commercial and non-commercial opportunities.

“We must embrace the new market opportunities

whilst adding value to the overall security and compliance market,” says Gorge. “This involves our CSS project but also active participation in information security associations. Also from a delivery viewpoint, VigiTrust works with global partners such as Verizon on the PCI & GRC front and with TrustLabs, a division of Gemalto. This way VigiTrust addresses global opportunities which can be serviced by global partners with local presence.”

Over the past 18 months, Vigitrust has grown substantially. The company has more than doubled in staff and expects to double again in 2016 with similar growth expected in 2017 and 2018. As a company growing at such a phenomenal pace, Gorge’s main focus has been to build a strong team around him that can deliver to these high demands and challenges it presents.

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We must embrace the new market opportunities whilst adding value to the overall security and compliance market

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Information Security CEO of the Year

“I had to recognise that I couldn’t manage such growth without a “Number 2”,” says Gorge.” My main focus and next step was to recruit a “second in command” with experience of growing businesses and putting the above mentioned structure in place so that, as a CEO, I could concentrate on the solution strategy, sales and company growth itself.

“Throughout that process I ensured that key team members who were with the business for over 10 years were continually updated to explain the transformation the business was going through and the opportunities it was creating for everyone involved. The recruitment of VigiTrust’s COO was a turning point for the whole original team and allowed VigiTrust’s whole team to bring the company to the next level.”

Within a year of recruiting its COO, VigiTrust transformed itself and is now at a turning point on-boarding major new clients such as credit-agricole cards and payments and signing EMEA & APAC distribution deal with Verizon, to name a few. “This is something I am proud of as the Founder and CEO as I believe this is just the beginning of good things for VigiTrust, its team and its ecosystem of authorized partners.”

With the security compliance market currently facing major changes, VigiTrust has strategically launched new midmarket and enterprise solutions over the last two years which meet the current and foreseen demands of the market. Gorge believes that there are three reasons for these new requirements: “Firstly, regulatory pressure is mounting and data protection authorities are finally enforcing information governance frameworks and laws such as HIPAA, US State PII and national laws based on EU Data Protection . Secondly, compliance budgets are increasing because board of directors are under pressure not to be the next “Target” or “Sony” breach headline. Finally, global standards such as PCI DSS are gaining traction not just in the US but also in Europe and APAC. This really is a turning point for the industry and we are ready to maximize on this opportunity.”

VigiTrust is now launching a new completely re-engineered version Enterprise Solution for PCI DSS called SAMS, Security Accreditation Management System, which allows organisations to centrally manage all their compliance related tasks based on pre-defined templates, controls and official reports. At the moment, it is available for PCI DSS and 3rd Party Assurance. In the first quarter of 2016, it will be available for ISO 27001, HIPAA and EU Data Protection. This is a natural extension of the mid-market compliance portal already in use at thousands of outlets worldwide.

“I am also very happy that VigiTrust is now working actively with Europe’s largest acquiring bank on their PCI Compliance,” says Gorge. “In addition, the partnership with Accor Hotels has grown substantially and Accor is now an official reference for VigiTrust’s PCI Compliance Portal and training, and is even speaking at the official PCI Community Meeting in Nice (3-5 November 2015) together with VigiTrust.”

Another major success for Gorge in 2015 was the third edition of the VigiTrust Advisory Board which he leads personally. VigiTrust has been organising Advisory Boards in Dublin, London, NY, Paris for the last three

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years and more recently in Sydney and San Francisco. It is a group of CEOs, CFOs, CSOs, legal and compliance officers, payments experts, security specialists and fraud experts from financial services, payments industry, healthcare, retail, higher education and government.

The format is a 90 minute information exchange session followed by an evening out. Furthermore VigiTrust organises a two day event in Dublin once a year to bring all groups together. It is a non-commercial event where they all share brainstorming sessions during the day and all go out in the evenings. Themes for the 2015 edition included mobile payments innovation and security, IoT security, third party and cloud risk management amongst other legal and industry issues such as the impact of the new EU Data Protection and PSD2. The group also looked at the evolution of banking, cryptocurrencies and risks within.

Speakers included FBI, Stephen Orfei – General Manager of PCI SSC, Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, Verizon etc.

“As the face of the company, I regularly speak at events around compliance, security and data governance,” says Gorge. “I also do regular podcasts with ComputerWeekly and have been appointed Contributor and Speaker for ExecSense, a division of the Financial Times with responsibility for cybersecurity content. All this though leadership work contributes to raising not only my profile but the profile of the company and every time a new article or podcast is published, VigiTrust gets new leads and is further elevated as a thought leader in the cyber fintech domain.”

Speaking about the awards, Gorge is delighted to have been recognised for this achievement. “It’s a great honour to be named Information Security CEO of the Year,” says Gorge. “It means a lot to me personally and to the whole VigiTrust team. It is a special time for the company as we are growing tremendously and are embarking on next phase of our expansion plans which are already seeing us double in team size and sales every few months. I truly appreciate the fact that it is a privilege to be recognised as an industry leader. It has energized me even further and it gives me even more belief that VigiTrust will do well in the years to come.

“And of course, my team has been supporting me in every new strategic direction or project I choose for VigiTrust.

From strategic advice I get from my management team through to the extra mile my whole team goes to see us deliver high quality software and customer projects, we have been lucky to build excellent team ethos and spirit.”

“has The company more than

doubled in staff and expects to double again in 2016

”

Expert Witness of the Year 2015 & Best Employment Experts 2015 Company: Trevor Gilbert & Associates Limited Name: Trevor Gilbert Email: tgilbert@thetrggroup.co.uk Web Address: www.employmentexperts.co.uk Address: Westerfield Business Centre, Westerfield, Ipswich IP6 9AB Telephone: 01473 28818

Trevor Gilbert & Associates Trevor Gilbert Trevor Gilbert, probably the UK’s most well-known expert witness, is forever seeking continuous improvement. We got in touch with him to find out more about his expert witness practice, Trevor Gilbert & Associates, and how he consistently delivers results for his clients.

Established for 25 years, Trevor Gilbert & Associates is a renowned expert witness practice providing reports on loss of earnings in cases of personal injury, clinical negligence, survivors of child abuse, matrimonial matters and employment tribunals for use in civil litigation. As employment experts they are the leaders in their field, delivering authoritative and persuasive reports to their clients in the legal sector on the employment opportunities of claimants.

When it comes to leading a business, Trevor believes very much in the Henry Kissinger quote; “The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been”. His team of experts are not employed by TGA, but self-employed as it is important an expert keeps their ‘feet in the water’ and not be perceived as a professional expert.

Nevertheless, it is critical TGA’s associates feel they are an important part of the team and to do this they engage with them on a daily basis, provide continuous training such as giving evidence under crossexamination, or report writing.

Furthermore, the in-house team benefit from numerous corridor meetings and training where necessary. Trevor much prefers to operate an open door policy where consideration is given to anyone’s opinion and how that may fit with the practice’s culture and vision.

In terms of their clients, Trevor makes great efforts to engage with them on an individual basis because lawyers are notoriously difficult to appoint with.

Additionally, he and his admin team fully utilise LinkedIn and other social media to broaden their

penetration. Expert witness practices are not known for their business acumen (most are individuals) and so that TGA’s vision of kaizen and market penetration is achieved Trevor delivers presentations to insurers, universities, barristers’ chambers and law firms.

The expert practice is client centric, but never forgets that as an expert witness the overriding duty is to the court and not the law firm which pays them. ‘We must not be influenced by them in any way’, Trevor says.

TGA is extremely well regarded for its independence and unbiased reporting and the corporate culture is simply to ensure that it is maintained.

As a small firm led by one of the UK’s foremost expert witnesses the culture in a sense revolves around Trevor who will not accept second best under any circumstances. As a company, there is a culture of openness and knowledge sharing which is recognised and appreciated by clients as they have one simple objective; instructing an expert they know they can rely on.

Perhaps what distinguishes TGA most from its competitors is that they operate as a business, whereas the majority of experts are individuals. The

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Our success would not be possible without a solid team of experts and great administrators supporting TGA

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practice has developed an informative web site, designed and launched the first mobile app of its kind in the world (pocketwitness.com) to help members of the public give evidence in court (in the UK and US jurisdictions) and achieved quality standards such as ISO 9001 and 14001. Trevor ensures high quality training is provided to their team of experts such as from QCs and are regular contributors to sector press.

Trevor is a much sought-after seminar speaker.

Keeping costs appropriate to the case is a major challenge in the face of the requirement for proportionality following law reforms in 2013. To overcome this, TGA has focussed on new areas such as survivors of child abuse so that they may broaden their scope of service. TGA focusses on delivering a service which meets these changes but not to the detriment of quality, for which they have a deserved reputation.

As for the award, Trevor says it was both surprising and delightful to be nominated, let alone win it; ‘It seems this may be an exceptional year for us having already received notification we are short-listed for two personal injury awards, all of which is put down to the quality of our reporting and the recognition we receive in our specialist sector.

‘Our success would not be possible without a solid team of experts and great administrators supporting TGA. Achieving the international quality standard ISO 9001 and the environmental standard 14001 are just further examples of the lengths this practice will go to ensure excellence of service delivery.

‘Our plans for 2016 are to maintain our position as the UK’s leading employment expert witness practice and to further develop our penetration of all our target markets’.

Education Executive of the Year 2015 Company: Gowanda MS Web Address: www.gowcsd.org Address: 10674 Prospect St, Gowanda, NY 14070, United States Telephone:+1 716-532-9497

Gowanda MS GMS is a unique community, with students in grades 5 through 8 (ranging in age from 9 to 14), comprised mainly of Native American and Caucasian descent. We spoke to David Smith, Principal at Gowanda MS, about how he sets a climate of respect, inclusion (strong on anti-bullying) and an excitement for learning. them to grow, learn, and contribute to our community.

As Principal, I am fair and firm in my expectations.

When having an opportunity to hire employees, I look at the whole person and what talents and abilities they bring to enhance our climate. We find that life experience is just as important as formal education.

I believe that the adversities people have overcome help them to have empathy and an open heart to help our students learn and grow.

Within our school, we have built a culture of care. For some of our students, school is the only structure in their life. They can count on receiving nourishment for their body with breakfast and lunch provided at school, and enrichment for their minds in classrooms where teachers do their best to help them overcome and learn to grasp the concepts to the best of their ability.

I have also worked diligently on decreasing bullying in our school community. I firmly believe that young people are better able to learn when they feel comfortable and accepted by their peers. Challenges for me have been many over the years, and I have worked hard to hone my skills in management of staff and getting the very best effort out of my employees.

From my experience, everyone needs someone to believe in them. That one person can make a world of difference in the success of a child. As a result, I am strong on building relationships with our students and helping

Overcoming adversity in my growing up years, gave me first-hand experience in dealing with any challenge that comes along, finding strength inside myself as well as working hard to achieve goals. My perspective on life helps me to bond with students from all walks of life, and encourage them to succeed and never give up.

We work in an area that is always changing and we are always looking to deal with any challenges that may come ahead. For teachers, much time is taken up with changes in the APPR process, and the effects on their profession. As for students, changes in the NYS testing process have complicated the learning environment.

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Overcoming adversity in my growing up years, gave me first-hand experience in dealing with any challenge that comes along

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As for the award, I am deeply humbled by this honor.

My success is based on hard-work, determination, the ability to overcome adversity, and the trust to rely on those around me to build a solid team that shares my vision for our school community.

Looking further ahead, it is my hope that we will continue to stay strong and move in a positive direction, with our focus on the students and helping them learn to the best of their abilities. We will remain consistent in our vision, and this will provide stability for our students and a good learning environment.

Automotive Contracting Director of the Year Company: Vehicle Preparation Services Ltd. Address:Unit 14, Gordano 19 Garonor Way, Portbury Bristol BS20 7XE Telephone: 01275-372097

Richard Davidson

Vehicle Preparation Services Ltd. Vehicle Preparation Services Ltd (VPS) has been supplying skilled technicians throughout the automotive industry for many years and is now a leading contract supplier. We got in touch with them to find out more about the diverse range of services they provide.

Specialising in the automotive sector, VPS has considerable experience and knowledge in the supply of staff and one of the company’s core aims is the provision of high quality personnel and services at very competitive rates.

VPS recognises the demanding challenges within the automotive industry and the necessity to actively respond to customers’ requirements. Over the years, the company has established a comprehensive database of records which includes the previous history of a technician’s duties, qualifications, skills, achievements, licences, unique talents and abilities. Benefitting from these details, our company therefore can rapidly find the precise person for the position available.

Quality is paramount in the motor industry and VPS prides itself on ensuring that all staff supplied work to a very high standard. VPS is also committed to a robust technician training and improvement programme, and in conjunction with our customers we can assist technicians to further their product knowledge by enrolling them in manufacturers’ training programmes.

VPS is proud of the quality levels achieved by its staff, who have constantly achieved over 99% Right First Time on enhancement fitments. At the same time, the company continues to find more ways to improve its products and services.

We offer a wide range of services for the automotive sector. Among these include fully and semi-skilled general auto technicians for work including braking systems engines, air-conditioning ,and auto electrical from alarm to ICE installs / PDI (pre-delivery inspection) We also provide fully skilled body-shop technicians for work involving vehicle spraying, jig work, cold panel repair, polishing, prepping and strip-fitting.

Furthermore, we offer a complete solution for used vehicles including wash, engine steam, full valet, and showroom valet.

“ Quality is paramount in the

motor industry and VPS prides itself on ensuring that all staff supplied work to a very high standard.

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VPS have recently added LINE-X to its range of services, LINE-X is a durable hard-wearing protective coating, dominant in the automotive lining. LINE-X exhibits one of the highest tensile strengths, one of the highest tear strengths and one of the highest abrasion resistance than most other spray-in liner available.

This makes LINE-X one of the highest performing bedliners available today.

VPS currently apply LINE-X as an optional extra to TOYOTA on their Hilux vehicles in the UK. VPS not only manufacture thousands of finished number plates per week, but we also supply number plate components to the automotive industry and in most cases the qualified PDI staff to fit the plates giving our customers the total package at an unbeatable price.

With these services, we have quite an extensive and prestigious family of satisfied clients which include Honda, Mitsubishi, Toyota, GBA and Paragon.

In terms of our certifications, VPS is proud of the fact that it passed its ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Audit as well as its ISO 14001:2008 Environmental Management Audit earlier this year. ISO 9001 is a family of standards related to quality management systems and is designed to help organisations ensure that they meet the needs of customers. ISO 14001 is the internationally recognised standard for the environmental management of businesses. Both these combined are a testament to the truly top standard of services we provide at our company.

Best for Residential Interior Design Company: Taylor Interiors Ltd Email: yvette.taylor@taylor-interiors.com Web: www.taylor-interiors.com Address: 65 Sloane St, London SW1X 9SH Phone: 020 3751 3700

Taylor Interiors Ltd Yvette Taylor is the inspirational Founder and Creative Director of Taylor Interiors, an interior design practise specialising in high end residential projects in London, Surrey, Berkshire, as well as holiday resorts in France and Spain. We get in touch with her to find the philosophy behind her success.

I consider myself to be a very creative person, but at the same time very organised in what I do. My team fully understands that the success of every project depends not only on our creativity, but also on our reliability to complete everything on time, as well as providing excellent quality and of course within the budget. Our team is very versatile, and each member of the team is invaluable and does their on very advanced level. Above all, we communicate well and we support each other.

Over the years, our projects have increased in terms of size and scale. We furnished two villas which were both were valued at over 20 million pounds. The expectations of clients such as these are extremely high, and we have to deliver stunning interiors which include many bespoke items. As you can imagine, this involves complex production and logistic issues which must be properly managed.

We are fortunate to have several luxury properties in our portfolio and have received very positive reviews from our wealthy clients. Importantly, these clients did not doubt our ability to undertake such extensive projects. This makes the process a whole lot easier, and there is a great deal of trust and confidence between us.

You’ll find that no project of ours is the same, and we do not copy the style of any other project. We always

adapt to our clients desires, and can create interiors in old traditional English style, traditional Italian, Luis XIV, art deco, art nouveau, contemporary, modern, minimalist, Mediterranean, country style, ethnic and many more. Providing such a diverse range of services requires a wide knowledge of the industry and years of experience.

From our experience, it is critical to listen to the client and this is something we always ensure when working with them. Furthermore, we create interiors which are not only beautiful, but practical and functional. From our perspective, the perfect interior is in a cosy home where the family feel relaxed and happy with their surroundings. We make sure that each family member is satisfied by the clever distribution of rooms and furniture.

Across the board, we are a company that are very enthusiastic and we have a very positive atmosphere

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As for the award, we are very proud to be recognised as Best for Residential Interior Design.

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in the office. Our duties are a combination of very creative and technical work, where we have to concentrate and cover all the technical aspects of the design process and to pay great attention to details whist ordering the production of all items. We are used to working under pressure to meet deadlines and this requires a great deal of teamwork from people who genuinely want to be part of this process. We really enjoy working on these projects and the icing on the cake is to finally see the project finished, with photos taken and published on our website.

In terms of the major trends happening in our industry, I work very much at the high-end of luxury interiors where a lot of companies are moving towards utilising products and designs that are truly bespoke.

This is translating into products like double-weight silk wallpaper from China, with embroidery patterning, which is unique and also looks very contemporary.

Likewise, the rugs made in Asia, which are artworks in themselves. For these rugs, 200 colours can be selected to create a completely individual item. I also see new materials and finishes being utilised in innovative ways, from special moulds to fine veneers. More recently, a lot of copper and brass has been used too.

As for the award, we are very proud to be recognised as Best for Residential Interior Design. We have been nominated for 13 interior design awards resulting from four different projects in UK and Spain. This success is down to a team effort which has consistently allowed to completing the projects on time and within the agreed budget.

Field Service Management CEO of the Year & Best for Mobile Workforce Management Solutions Name: Marne Martin Company: ServicePower Technologies Plc Web: www.servicepower.com Address: Petersgate House, 64 St Petersgate, Stockport SK1 1HE Phone:0161 476 2277

ServicePower Technologies PLC Marne Martin As the CEO, Marne Martin manages through adaptive leadership. Her focus is on developing competent managers in ServicePower so they can continue to support their customers with expanded software capabilities, delivered bug free and in a timely manner. We got in touch with her to find out the unique relationships they have with their clients. patient, get one’s hands dirty, and invest in long term client partner relationships are attributes we seek out and instil in current staff.

ServicePower Technologies, Plc has offered intelligent, innovative field service management solutions since 1996. We provide mobile workforce management software solutions that incorporate the latest technologies to deliver enhanced productivity, improved customer experience and a true return on investment across multiple labour sources, all in one single vendor solution.

We also work closely with the analyst community and cutting edge technology vendors to understand emerging technologies that impact the field service management industry. Furthermore, we have strategic partners who incorporate new technologies, and this creates opportunities to expand and develop our services.

Perhaps more importantly, we work closely with our clients to ensure that our mobile workforce management software solutions are delivered on time and on budget. We ensure that the solutions deliver the highest levels of customer satisfaction, as well as ROI for the organisation. It is crucial for us that the solutions in the long term support the competitive and changing environments we work within.

In terms of my own background, I firmly believe that I am where I am today because of my independence and drive, and the ability to say ‘no’, while offering solutions to problems. I gained these traits while growing up on the various ranches in the West (Montana and Wyoming). My personal values such as having integrity, treating people with respect, and having a passion for enjoying one’s work are key mantras I have instilled in ServicePower’s culture. The ability to be

We are a company that continuously invests in our people. Our team is comprised not only of software developers, but of business experts, whom have managed employed and contracted workforces.

Amoung our employees are business consultants and deployment managers with Six Sigma training and implementation experience at some of the largest systems integrators.

We work with our clients to deliver implementations on time and on budget, as well as to provide consulting throughout our relationship, ensuring the software is achieving the anticipated ROI, but also, evolves with their changing business requirements. We even provide strategic guidance related to when and how to mix employed and third party labour to achieve cost, margin and customer satisfaction goals.

We view our clients as long term partners, as opposed

“ Our focus is on creating

world class mobile workforce management software

”

12 Corporate Vision Executive Awards 2015

to the typical client vendor relationship. Our workforce management software experts work side-by-side with clients to define business objectives and design efficient processes. We then implement our workforce management software to improve operational efficiency and effectiveness, reduce cost and improve the customer experience. We offer expert, global deployment services including planning, executing and validating the results of our Mobile Workforce Management Software.

Our vision is to be the leading workforce management innovator in the market, while delivering increasing value to our clients and shareholders. Our software platform supports clients throughout the globe and spanning across a variety of industries. Clients utilize our mobile workforce management software to intelligently deploy the best employed field resources for their work, while achieving corporate metrics like productivity, efficiency, cost, margin, cycle time and customer satisfaction.

Furthermore, our platform is the only mobile workforce management software which seamlessly integrates multiple labour resources. The platform works in the cloud, intelligently dispatching either employed or contracted labor while also providing fully, configurable, cross-platform mobile dispatching which increases first time fix rates. ServicePower has also incorporated the latest emerging technologies, like Iot/ M2M, wearables, social, mobile, cloud and analytics such that our platform provides a truly connected mobile workforce management solution, deployable anywhere in the world.

As for the award, we are simply elated to be honoured by the 2015 Executive Awards. We firmly believe that the innovations in our product suite really have set ServicePower apart from other vendors in our space.

Business IT CEO of the Year 2015 Name: Kelvin Kirby Company: Technology Associates Email: kkirby@techassoc.com Web Address: www.techassoc.com Address: Technology House, 1 Shottery Brook Office Park, Timothy’s Bridge Road, Stratford upon Avon, Warks CV37 9NR Telephone: 01789 292150

Technology Associates Limited Kelvin Kirby Technology Associates is a company dedicated to providing dependable advice and solutions to businesses that want to improve efficiency, resource utilisation, collaboration and their bottom line. We got the chance to speak with the Kelvin Kirby, CEO of Technology Associates, who told us how they consistently innovate and develop their services. might be unpredictable,” says Kirby. “Providing an enormous challenge for us was getting our organisation to embrace the cloud technologies which involved numerous changes in staff training, compensation, and retention. However, I’m glad to say we’ve come through that and developed a model that I am now advising other companies on and even extending this to an advisory capability of the business to develop another revenue stream”.

“Across the industry, this move towards cloud computing is clearly still very visible and will be for some time,” says Kirby. “We have seen this in the demand for our services and it’s certainly the way forward.

Companies can remove a whole layer of infrastructure (and support) by moving to the cloud and we offer public, private and hybrid cloud solutions for all of our customers depending upon their needs. On-premise is essentially dead for all but legacy systems – but of course we continue to support and build line of business integration solutions for customers whether on-prem or cloud based.”

Technology Associates provides consulting, training, support and development services to a wide range of customers based on the following technologies:- Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Project, Project Server, Project Online, SharePoint and Microsoft Azure. They also develop custom solutions for their clients and help companies to fully realise their investment in the Microsoft technology stack. Through this they deliver integration solutions that provide greater efficiencies and guaranteed ROI. As a company immersed in the tech sector, developing and adapting to changes has played a pivotal part in their success. “I think every business goes through changes – some enforced and some that

As a company that is always keen to grow and develop their services, Kirby has adopted an open and transparent way of working, where they encourage staff to contribute feedback and opinions.

“

Receiving this award is a great feeling, and is an accolade that I am very proud of

”

Executive Awards 2015 Corporate Vision 13

“Everything we do is a team effort,” says Kirby. “I need my staff to know their voice will be heard, considered and acted on if appropriate. I prefer to get it right at the first approach but recognise that mistakes are a way for people to learn and grow. As long as they learn from them, that’s OK. We offer an environment in which people can grow – personally and professionally – and we try to make it fun. We’ve had customers stay with us for more than 15 years so we must be doing something right!”

In terms of their approach towards customer service, Technology Associates treat all of their client assignments as a working partnership. “We listen carefully to our clients’ needs but also try to understand the overall IT strategy and needs of the business, identifying the most challenging areas so we can use our expertise and knowledge to help that business develop and make the most of their IT investments.

“Although we may start with a simple assignment, our consultants seek to understand the business and make suggestions for solutions that provide a strong ROI, and clear efficiencies in the business. Because of our approach, we have a very high client retention rate and we are able to develop strong relationships with our client companies. In many cases we have clients that have been with us for over 15 years.”

Speaking about the award, Kirby is delighted to be recognised and believes this is also down to the dedication and support from his team at Technology Associates. “Receiving this award is a great feeling, and is an accolade that I am very proud of,” says Kirby. “This is really a team award though because I have a phenomenal team of people that I work with and that really makes it a joy to work in this industry.

I love it when our customers really appreciate and get excited about what we are doing for them. It’s immensely rewarding for all of us. To our customers we are really their trusted advisors and partners in technology based solutions.”

Counselling Services Executive of the Year 2015 & Best Counselling & Psychotherapy Provider 2015 Company: ExploringU counselling Name: Glenda D Roberts(MBACP)(Accred)(AIP) Director Email:Glenda.roberts@exploringucounselling.co.uk Web Address: www.exploringucounselling.co.uk Address: The Old Press Rooms, 54 Station Road, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 2SP Telephone: 01787 829141

ExploringU Counselling Ltd exploringU counselling began with only Glenda Roberts at the helm, who steered her company from obscurity to the forefront of counselling and psychotherapy professional services. We spoke to her about how she achieved this milestone and the diverse range of service her company provides today. to-one rehabilitation service, as well as providing a professional 24/7 live in package to those who require specialised support.

Perhaps my biggest challenge was starting my company in the height of the recession. On every corner I turned, people questioned whether it was a good idea to start a new venture when so many were closing.

A typical day for me involves long hours working at my computer, sourcing work and dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s. I also organise charity events every year with the help of my staff, who really are invaluable. I use team building sessions to help integrate my staff to my way of thinking, and this gives them an insight into what my visions are and through this we push these dreams to become reality.

One of the key factors in the growth of our company has been the culture I have instilled in my company, which is all about building relationships with my staff. We strive to reach a better understanding within the company through charity work which I strongly encourage, and we also enjoy staff spa days for team building. These activities help the staff to give a better service with a better sense of belonging to something bigger, and they find that they are a comrade within the company. We are a tight nit family who provide a shoulder to lean on, which helps to achieve a revolutionary service of help and understanding. From our perspective, it is important not to rush the client for response but allowing it to flower.

Our clients are quite varied, whose issues range across the board and are always testing and challenging our staff. We specialise in providing (ABI) Acquired Brain Injury clients with a unique one-

We have developed our own ABI training course, giving other professionals such as solicitors, case managers, social workers, etc the Training that is required to work and understand the person better.

As an executive with many years of experience in working with people, my approach is to maintain a high level of communication with my staff. I look for hardworking dedicated motivated down to earth people, some have acquired high levels of education, some have not, for me it’s all about the relationship.

Deputy Manager Sharon Michell has worked tremendously hard in helping me to shape ExploringU counselling, she shares my vision to help many more people for generations to come and also to train many

“ ...providing a professional 24/7

live in package to those who require specialised support

” 14 Corporate Vision Executive Awards 2015

individuals in understanding the Brain and behaviour.

In terms of dealing with our clients, our philosophy is to have a great connection with our clients and a deeply professional relationship. Furthermore, we find that both client and service users feedback is essential to providing an excellent service.

There a number of features which separate us from our competitors. Firstly, our website boasts a professional holistic feel and focuses on the whole person rather than offering one type of therapy and approach, everyone is different so it makes sense to offer clients different ways in which we can help them.

Secondly, we are the leaders in our business, having already won the A1 Business Award of excellence for counselling & psychotherapy 2015.

Thirdly, we have developed ExploringU travel, a specialised travel service that allows clients with ABI to travel anywhere in the world with a qualified rehabilitation coordinator.

Over the past eight years our business has evolved into different areas of counselling, psychotherapy and acquired brain injury. Furthermore, we use street surveys to our advantage, and get an early insight into what the public needs from our professional services.

In terms of the award, we are exhilarated to have won this honour. This is particularly rewarding given the many long hours I found myself tucked away until the small hours of the day as I shaped my company. The reward is also down to working hard on team building and surrounding myself with the best team who provide an excellent service to the community.

Best Independent Polymer Supplier 2015 Company: Hardie Polymers Name: Fergus Hardie, Managing Director.

Email: sales@hardiepolymers.com Web Address: www.hardiepolymers.com Address: Beardmore Business Centre, 9 Beardmore Street, Clydebank, Glasgow. G81 4HA Telephone: 0141 952 1900

Hardie Polymers Ltd Hardie Polymers are a 3rd generation family business established in Glasgow in 1924, and are a distributor of plastic raw materials to the UK injection moulding sector. We got in touch with Fergus Hardie, Managing Director of Hardie Polymers, who spoke to us about how they compete in this highly competitive market.

petitors so our customers can access better pricing for these so called ‘specified’ grades.

We are able to offer our customers an exceptionally wide range of engineering polymers from all the major global producers. Our customers are all involved in the manufacture of plastic parts for key industries including: automotive, medical, business machines, electrical products, oil and gas and household appliances.

Because there are thousands of different polymer grades used in the market, being able to offer such a wide range and from so many different manufacturers is not easy. Every day, we receive requests from customers for new grades so we are constantly expanding our supply base to meet this demand. This means that our customers can leave us to track down the materials they need and ensure that they receive them on time. Our logistics team work very closely with our haulage partners to collect materials from right across Europe and transport them over to the UK every day.

I suppose what makes us unique is that we are much smaller than our major competitors, and are consequently able to give our customers a more flexible and focussed service. We are happy to shun the large corporate style approach and instead tailor our offer to whatever the customer needs. As a result, we are frequently told by our customers that they prefer our approach and we win new customers all the time as a result.

Additionally and very importantly, because we are independent and not tied to certain polymer producers, we can offer grades from any producer. This saves our customer from having to deal with multiple suppliers.

We also work on tighter margins than our larger com-

When dealing with our clients, the response time is critical. Our customers need to know prices and availability on materials as quickly as possible in order to meet their own deadlines. So we always make sure we get back to people, and never keep the customer waiting and guessing. And if there is bad news on a delivery, we let the customer know so they can plan accordingly. Good communication is vital in manufacturing.

Over the past few years, we have worked very hard to locate and develop new suppliers across Europe in order to enable us to increase the range of materials that we can offer and also to improve the prices that we can offer our customers. We now have over 300 polymer suppliers supporting us giving us a real edge over our competition.

In terms of the culture of our company, I strongly believe that good individuals develop best when they are given the freedom and scope to make their own decisions. The individual learns faster and the customer benefits from being able to deal with someone

“

This award recognises our continued success in meeting the needs of our fast growing UK customer base

”

Executive Awards 2015 Corporate Vision 15

who is empowered and can act quickly and decisively to give them what they need. I believe we have a good, relaxed and friendly working environment where our team are not afraid to make decisions and feel rewarded for what they do.

Although we have doubled the size of our business in the last two years, we don’t lose sight of the fact that we are a traditional family business with a friendly, responsive service at our heart. I started my own career in the hospitality sector and looking after customers properly has always been very important to me.

In our industry, strong growth in key sectors such as automotive have led to extended lead times for many engineering polymers. This has given injection moulders real problems as they struggle to meet production deadlines. Hardies however, have been able to use the full extent of their international supply base to track down stocks of these scarce materials and help the moulding companies get their material on time.

Operating within a mature sector, we have developed a new model from the major polymer distributors, by giving our customers the opportunity to now source their ‘specified’ engineering polymers from somewhere other than the official distributor. By opening up the market in this way, we are helping these companies to compete more effectively and to improve their own profitability.

In terms of the award, we are delighted to add another award to that of ‘Polymer Distributor of the Year Award’ that we won last year. This new award recognises our ongoing and continued success in meeting the needs of our fast growing UK customer base. Additionally it also highlights the importance of our independent status, which allows us to offer the widest possible range of engineering materials to our customers.

RPO Executive of the Year 2015 Company: Quarsh Ltd Name: Lucy James Email: lucy.james@quarsh.com Web Address: www.quarsh.com Address: Bletchley Park Telephone: 01908 889718

For Lucy James, Director at Quarsh, being an RPO firm means being a partner with your clients to make the most out of their recruitment environment. We spoke to her to find out more about her about her business, as well as her central tenet: “do recruitment properly, and do it well”. huge. We’re always looking for ways to tackle the really knotty problems, too.

We’re constantly looking at our results and analysing what we can do better. Each year we improve.

I also work hard to bring a sense of ownership, so everyone feels responsible and accountable for their clients’ results, and I always share successes. I’m really proud of what my team can deliver.

We’ve hired very carefully to make sure our people reflect the vision of the founders to our clients and can execute well.

When it comes to my team I see management as sitting underneath everyone, looking upwards for gaps, and then filling in those gaps. Taking away the stress that might otherwise panic people, providing encouragement, and support, and sometimes dealing with the more difficult situations myself. Recruitment can be a thankless profession, so I make sure that everyone has a sense of pride and achievement, and has the opportunity to develop skills that will help them improve and progress not only at Quarsh, but also throughout their careers.

Everyone who works for Quarsh lives and breathes my central tenet, “do recruitment properly, and do it well”, and I never stop banging on about it.

I make sure that we keep talking about the problems we’re facing onsite so that we keep looking for solutions. It’s my job to find clients in the first place, so I tend to be involved with projects all the way through anyway. To me, it’s about collaboration, enthusiasm, intelligence and problem-solving.

Luckily I hire great people and we’re very fortunate to have some clients who share our ethos.

Our work comes in phases: assess, improve, analyse… repeat. We have to earn the right to be our clients’ strategic partner and then keep looking for ways to improve. We’re not the cheapest RPO provider, but we provide fantastic value and our ROI is

It helps that everyone we hire gets on with each other, and they share the same kind of mind-set – no-one is precious or easily offended, there isn’t much of a hierarchy and everyone values each other’s contribution. I absolutely will not have any kind of bullying, crudeness or rudeness, and that

“

We’re really good at understanding our clients’ issues

”

16 Corporate Vision Executive Awards 2015

has created quite a safe working environment which I’m really proud of.

Recruitment needs to be clearly aligned to the strategy of our clients and we have to keep coming up with new ideas. Their battles are our battles, whether that’s finding people in the first place, making sure hiring managers can interview effectively, managing agencies on a PSL or providing ROI calculations on the last year’s recruitment campaigns. We have to be transparent and we can’t hide unpleasant facts. We tackle problems together. I make sure that the Quarsh team are really good at understanding our clients’ issues and coming up with intelligent ways to support them.

We have found that the challenges we face have become much more difficult over the course of the year. Our clients’ business plans have completely changed over the past 12 months as the economy has picked up, so their recruitment needs and patterns have changed. Our ability to be nimble means we evolve and adapt with them - our focus has been improving the quality of our services for our clients without increasing the amount they spend on our services.

Over the next 12 months we expect clients to become increasingly more demanding of their service providers - and rightly so. Recruiters will have to become much more strategic and much less transactional in their thinking, in order to really demonstrate how their services provide real value to their clients.

There always has been and always will be the need for the massive RPO providers in this world. At Quarsh, we focus on the SME market, and SME’s are increasingly seeing RPO as a cost effective recruitment option, so over the next 12 months we expect to see many more smaller scale RPO’s popup to address this need in the SME market. This is great news for Quarsh as competition is always a good thing!

Clinical Trials CEO of the Year 2015 - Christophe Berthoux Name: Cath Aldred Company: Synexus Limited Address: Synexus Limited, Sandringham House, Ackhurst Park, Chorley, Lancashire, PR7 1NY Web: www.synexus.com Email: cath.Aldred@synexus.com Telephone: +44 (0)1257 230723 Fax: +44 (0)1257 231981

Synexus Synexus’ origins date back to 1992, when Dr Ian Smith, then a practising GP, bought the house next door to his surgery to provide a dedicated clinical trials centre - the first of its kind in the world.

Synexus is a unique company that excels in the identification, recruitment and retention of patients for clinical trials, at our own sites called “Dedicated Research Centres (DRC)” on behalf of pharmaceutical companies, biotech and CRO’s.

• Infectious Diseases • Ophthalmology • Urology • Women’s Health • Vaccines

You will find our Dedicated Research Centres across the UK, Germany, Central / Eastern Europe and South Africa, each offering a high standard of clinical trial management.

Our global coverage enables us to access tens of millions of patients, helping us to get new medications to those who need them.

Quality of Patients and Data Our mission is to be “the patients’ choice for clinical research”. We specialise in patient engagement that leads to better retention for clinical trials. We deliver clinical trials data on time and our QA department ensures that we have standardised processes within our Dedicated Research Centres.

Therapy Areas The recruitment model is highly effective in those indications treated in a primary care setting or which require population screening, but also works in selected secondary care settings.

Synexus has world class experience and track record in the following therapeutic areas:• Cardiovascular • Central Nervous System • Endocrinology and Metabolism • Musculoskeletal • Respiratory • Dermatology • Gastroenterology

Executive Awards 2015 Corporate Vision 17

Investment Banking MD of the Year 2015 Company: Peter J. Solomon Company Name: Mark Boidman Address: 1345 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10105 Telephone: (212) 508-1600 Fax: (212) 508-1633

Mark Boidman Peter J. Solomon Company Peter J. Solomon Company (PJSC) is an investment bank headquartered in NYC. Founded in 1989, they provide the highest quality strategic advisory services to chief executive officers and senior management, owners of public and private companies, boards of directors and special committees. We got in touch with Mark Boidman, a Managing Director at Peter J. Solomon Company, to find out more about their business. it allows them to contribute more meaningfully to our deal work.

As a firm, we have successfully completed more than 500 advisory assignments in the form of mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings, recapitalizations, and fairness opinions.

We continuously examine the tech and media landscape to assess the impact of tech evolution on media distribution and commerce. We are interested not only in where the tech and media industries stand today, but also where they will be tomorrow.

As for the Investment Banking MD of the Year award, it is immensely gratifying to know that our contributions are regarded with such high esteem. 2015 has been a terrific year for me and our firm. We have advised clients representing industry leaders in media and tech, as well as retail, and we only see that continuing.

However, I wouldn’t be successful without the support I routinely receive from my team of dedicated professionals who are committed to and care about our

We also try to stay ahead of the curve by meeting regularly with industry leaders and by participating in tech and media conferences. We then apply whatever insights we gain through these channels to investment banking execution and to reports that we publish, including most notably the PJSC Media Monthly, a newsletter distributed each month and made available on our website that details the latest trends and data coming out of the media and advertising sector.

From our experience, client service is about connecting the dots. We see the full picture, which involves putting clients first and deals second. We want our clients to come to us each time they are evaluating their strategic priorities. We think the success of our firm is largely attributable to our honesty and focus on developing long term advisory relationships.

I have found that leading a team can be very rewarding and I enjoy mentoring our new analyst and associate classes. When it comes to technology and media, their opinions are more valuable since they are quite close to new media, tech products and services.

I think it’s critical that even the most junior members of the team get hands-on exposure to the industry as

18 Corporate Vision Executive Awards 2015

business and our clients. Media and technology are transforming the world around us in dramatic ways every day and we are well-positioned to provide the best strategic advice and investment banking execution to leading companies.

“

We have successfully completed more than 500 advisory assignments

”

Best for Supply Chain Consultancy Services Company: SpringTide Consulting Limited Name: Mike Utting Email: mike.utting@springtideprocurement.com Web Address: www.springtideprocurement.com Telephone: 01267 267553 / 07973 445 297

SpringTide Consulting Limited is a multi-award winning procurement consultancy. We speak to Mike Utting who discusses how the firm’s supportive approach has helped them win clients and ultimately led them to winning this prestigious award.

area we provide independent insight to select the right provider.

One area we have specific expertise in is procurement of transport and logistics. Our expertise in this area was recognised last week as we were announced UK winners of the national award for Supply Chain Best Practice awarded by Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport for 2015/16.

Here at SpringTide, we develop Procurement Strategy which is then enabled by working with our clients to upskill their teams, introduce robust and proven processes and really help them to save money on their external expenditure, whether for raw materials used in the manufacturing process or overhead costs such as telecoms or professional services.

We support clients in realising the strategic potential of enhanced Procurement, expressed in achieving exceptional returns on our investment against the savings we guarantee with confidence. We do this through a number of methods which include diagnostics of the “as is” situation, with robust recommendations for process improvements, cost reduction and supply chain enhancement.

We also offer procurement delivery, helping our clients in developing sustainable best practice in procurement through a structured change process. This often involves implementing or optimising existing procurement technology platforms. With so many packages on the market, it can be a minefield to select the right one, so, from our knowledge across this fast growing

In order to provide our clients with the best possible service, we always abide by our company mantra: Listen – Create – Deliver. In the first place, we identify current ways of working. This usually involves capturing and analysing large amounts of data, alongside meetings with stakeholders throughout the supply chain.

Our Solutions Design team is thus able to create a personalised approach. We are able to present logical solutions and approaches to enhance operations whilst reducing the cost to serve.

The delivery of the solution is similarly tailored to give the client the most efficient return on investment, whilst drawing on SpringTide’s best practice models and tools. Structuring appropriate resource models to suit client needs, the flexible deployment of our people in support and delivery capacities has won us global recognition.

“

Transport and Logistics is an area we will continue to focus upon

”

Executive Awards 2015 Corporate Vision 19

Our approach means we can integrate seamlessly and quickly to become our client’s Procurement Partner.

The common thread in all of SpringTide’s work is that, whatever the type of service, it is carried out with a focus and pragmatism that drive quality up and spend down, thus ensuring high levels of engagement and a rapid contribution back to the business.

The business market we operate in is highly competitive, and as such we have to work hard to ensure we stand out from our competitors. The SpringTide Team itself is our biggest differentiator. It comprises Strategic Procurement and Supply Chain Specialists, E-Sourcing & Procurement Technology experts, Analysts and Modellers all with deep experience across a variety of sectors; including Construction, Manufacturing, Transport, Packaging, Food, Retail, Financial, Nuclear, Pharmaceutical and the Public Sector – and many others – in which they have all enjoyed high-level careers prior to joining SpringTide.

Our offering is constantly being refined, but as we look towards the future, we continue to target our services to help companies take cost out of their supply chain on a sustainable basis. We are recognised for our flexible approach to resources: whether procurement or categories of spend are ‘outsourced’ to us or we provide strategic and tactical direction, transferring our skills and tools as we go, helping organisations to transform their operations.

Transport and Logistics is an area we will continue to focus upon, as we have a massive amount of experience to bring across all modes of transport and at all stages of the process.

In 2014, we opened a US-office, which has developed a reputation for helping organisations select, implement and drive adoption of Procurement Technology and Market Intelligence.

Alarm Systems Provider of the Year Company: Blackburn Alarms Address: B1 Business Centre, Davyfield Road, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 2QY Email: blackburnalarms.com Telephone: 01254 739 255 Fax: 08453 055 745

Blackburn Alarms Ltd Blackburn Alarms Ltd is a local, family business specialising in providing a quality, friendly service.

We speak to Daniel Halenko about his firm’s unique approach to customer service and how the company is adapting around new technologies.

Established in 1981 by Daniel’s father, the firm became a part of his larger company Bellit Group.

Despite this, Daniel is keen to emphasise that the firm is dedicated to its local customer base and enjoys a number of advantages being a smaller company.

“Our firm’s core customer base is in the local community. We find this an advantage, as to us our best customer is across the road, because in a business such as ours, where we don’t get paid for travel or time the closer the customer is the better.

“I would rather spend more time on a smaller range of local customers than branch out into a larger area.

We focus predominantly in the North West and are dedicated to giving this smaller base a high standard of service, which they appreciate.”

Although customers are always vitally important to any business, Daniel believes that by focusing more attention on his team he is able to ensure that they are always dedicated to the firm’s customers.

“Whilst our customer is of the utmost importance to our firm, I am always dedicated to ensuring my team is well taken care of, because if you look after your staff then they will always take good care of your customers. “ “We have put a big focus on our team in recent years, and we are already seeing the results of this in the quality of the work we are doing and the quality of the service we are providing to our clients. It is all starting to come together for us.”

“Everything we have achieved, including this award, is because of the brilliant team we work with.”

Recently the firm has been heavily focused on adapting to changes in the market, focusing on team training and motivation to ensure that the company is at the forefront of emerging industry trends.

One such trend which Daniel feels is impacting on the firm is technology, with the firm constantly trying to stay at ahead of new developments.

“Our industry is a fairly old fashioned one, with customers still using technology such as wall mounted alarms and door entry keypads, but at the moment connectivity is a big change that is happening technologically in our industry.

“

The thing that sets us apart is in this industry is service, the way that we fit the product. That is what we always focus on as this is the reason people come back to us.

”

20 Corporate Vision Executive Awards 2015

“The ability to connect an alarm system with a surveillance system, which were previously entirely separate entities, is now enabling customers to view everything in one place. This means that customers can do more with their systems remotely, which is helpful as people’s lives become increasingly busy and technologically driven. This is an exciting change and is breaking up the market a lot, and we are doing our best to adapt to it.”

It is the firm’s team centred approach which is at the forefront of this adaption. Daniel is a keen believer in communication, and whilst he is keen to ensure his firm gets together at least once a week in person, technology is key to ensuring everyone remains connected, with the firm integrating social media into their approach.

Moving forward, Daniel states that the firm will continue to be agile, as well as continuing to invest heavily in staff and ensuring that they provide their customers with the highest level of service, which is what he feels sets Blackburn Alarms Ltd apart from their competitors.

“By and large the security and alarms industry is not a product based industry, as usually most firms provide the same products and technology. The thing that sets us apart is in this industry is service, the way that we fit the product. That is what we always focus on as this is the reason people come back to us.”

“We provide a personal approach which customers appreciate. When our clients ring the office the receptionist usually knows who they are personally and we endeavour to send out the same person so they have a familiar face. Small details are also important, such as staff clearing up after themselves, being polite and friendly and respecting their property. This is what sets us apart and ultimately, is the reason for our success.”

SaaS CEO of the Year Company: Smart Utility Systems Name: Deepak Garg, Chairman/CEO Email: deepak@smartusys.com Please, however, email Lisbeth.Spencer@smartusys.com for all inquiries.

Web Address: www.smartusys.com Address: 2211 Michelson #371 Irvine CA 92612 USA Telephone: +949 272 0780

Smart Utility Systems Smart Utility Systems (SUS) is a group of globally-minded solutions providers aimed at using technology to create a more sustainable water and energy future. We spoke to Deepak Garg, Chairman and CEO of SUS, about their chief goal of making sustainability a reality for stakeholders across the globe.

SUS is a truly innovative provider of SaaS solutions for all players in the utilities sector. They provide rapidly-deployed solutions for multichannel customer engagement, water conservation management programs and mobile workforce solutions. Although they offer big data analytics and complex IT integrations, all solutions are incredibly easy to integrate. Furthermore, they are also plug-and-play and help clients drastically reduce operational costs.

The company leads the industry with innovative development through its Water & Energy Innovation Centre; a site dedicated to the advancement of SUS technologies through a rigorous research practice and dedicated product development.

In order to achieve the standard of solutions they deliver, SUS needed to overcome a number of different obstacles. As Deepak explains: “Creating a solution that was easy to integrate and reduced operational costs was just two of the many challenges we overcame with our solution. Another challenge we overcame stemmed from the fact that we are a technology company creating a solution for utility companies. In order to ensure that our solution would be approved by utility experts, we decided to include utility experts in the creation and functionality of the solution. As a result, SUS brought in members from LADWP, PWC, SDGE political officials and countless other utilities.

Having utility experts on our team ensured the creation of a solution that is robust. From the analytics to the customer engagement, we offer a solution that is pertinent to meeting the needs of utility companies and their customers.”

These measures, coupled with the fact that water and energy demands are only set to increase by 22% by 2025, led Deepak to create a culture where the focus centralised around increasing water conservation and energy sustainability. He has instilled a culture at SUS that sends one message: water and energy sustainability is not a problem that is going away. “This is worldwide, “says Deepak. “And we as a group of globally-responsible citizens should mobilise to effect change, and be a huge part of the solution.”

Within his role as CEO, Deepak’s vision is focused on cultivating a culture of commitment to sustainability through his team. He considers the SUS team to be the company’s greatest asset, and the SUS philosophy is centred on providing an inclusive and high performance environment for the team while creating growth opportunities for everyone. “This has inevitably created a culture where people are excited to come to work and find purpose in what they yield as a company,” says Deepak. “Knowing that the team is creating sustainability for the planet has created a drive within our employees. This has resulted in us having exceptional interactions with our client’s right from the moment we first engage with them.”

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Not only is California facing a drought but the issue extends globally

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Executive Awards 2015 Corporate Vision 21

Not only has SUS brought in industry leading experts when it comes to utilities, but as a whole the team is made up of leading experts in their respective areas.

Their prestigious in-house HR and recruiting team ensure hire individuals who not only have immeasurable experience and knowledge in the industry, but also believe in the vision of Smart Utility Systems. As Deepak explains: “As a company whose focus revolves around sustainability, it was paramount that we start by building a team who resonates with the value of conserving indispensable resources. Having individuals who are knowledgeable in their position and passionate about conservation has created a strong team culture, and therefore a strong company.”

As an area that is constantly evolving, global water stress is one of the biggest trends Deepak has seen in the past 12 months. ”Not only is California facing a drought but the issue extends globally,” says Deepak.

“Water shortages are now found nationwide from California to Ohio as well as globally to India and Brazil.

Furthermore, water scarcity has now become an issue that is felt worldwide. Another trend that has been prevalent in the past 12 months is that of the fossil fuel divestment movement. As a result, traditional energy companies are starting to feel the pressure of getting serious when it comes to global warming.”

With these issues in mind, Deepak believes that some of the biggest impacts and opportunities will revolve around water and energy. “As a company who provides solutions for both of these utilities, we are constantly finding ways to be innovative and provide solutions that address these trends. One of the biggest changes we foresee is the involvement of consumers as a whole when it comes to conservation and sustainability. Our company not only exists to provide solutions but to bring awareness and empower people to become a part of the solution.”