Dozens of Oxfordshire businesses ready to attend event on 9 January at Oxford Science Park
Many of the county’s leading businesses are set to attend the official launch of the Oxfordshire Business Awards (OXBA) 2020 this week, with the event paying tribute to the county’s thriving business community.
The 2020 awards launch will take place this Thursday (9 January) at the Sadler Building at Oxford Science Park, itself home to over 90 innovative organisations.
Following the launch, businesses from across Oxfordshire will be able to enter this year’s awards, with a total of 13 categories open for entry.
Since it began in 1993, the OXBA has recognised the achievements of thousands of the county’s businesses, including accolades for new businesses, small businesses and the county’s larger businesses.
Now – over a quarter of a decade on, following the celebration of 25 years at the 2019 awards – the OXBA chairman hopes the event can continue to have a ‘positive impact’ on Oxfordshire’s business community, as well as helping to ‘promote excellence’ across all sectors.
Paul Lowe – Chair of the OXBA – said: “For over 25 years, the awards have championed businesses and those individuals who have made a positive impact in Oxfordshire.
“At our upcoming launch event, we look forward to welcoming previous award winners, along with new and emerging businesses we perhaps haven’t engaged with previously.
“Winning an OXBA brings genuine recognition and acknowledgment amongst peers – therefore, we would urge businesses to consider entering these prestigious awards.”
Categories for the 2020 awards include: The Royds Withy King Small Business Award, The CIS Technology Excellence Award and The Shaw Gibbs Business Person of the Year Award.
The OXBA is being supported by a series of other Oxfordshire organisations, including OxLEP, who will sponsor the New Business Award category.
OxLEP Chief Executive, Nigel Tipple, says the OXBA reflects the county’s thriving business community – in particular small businesses, or ‘SMEs’.
Mr Tipple said: “Small businesses are the backbone of any economy and that’s particularly the case in Oxfordshire.
“Across the county, we have seen around 50,000 new jobs created between 2012 and 2017, with small businesses responsible for a considerable number of these – nationally, over 99 per cent of the UK’s 5.7million businesses are classified as ‘small’ employing a total of 16.1 million people.
“With this in mind, the OXBA is an opportunity to celebrate ‘business’ and the impact it makes, not only to our economy, but also the professional opportunities companies create for thousands of people on a daily basis.”
The Oxfordshire Business Awards take place on Friday 12 June at the John Henry Brookes Building at Oxford Brookes University.
Tickets are free and should be reserved by 5.30pm on Wednesday 8 January.
