OUTSTANDING employees and innovative companies were given their moment in the spotlight at the Solihull BID Excellence Awards.
The awards shine a light on the up-and-coming town centre trainees and businesses leading innovation and customer service in a variety of sectors including retail, leisure, professional services, banking, technology and charity.
Winners celebrated in style as they were announced by newsreader Sameena Ali-Khan.
The event was attended by the deputy Mayor of Solihull, Coun Stuart Davis, the leader of Solihull council, Coun Bob Sleigh, and chief executive of Solihull Council, Nick Page.
The awards featured a performance from Sing Solihull, the town centre business community’s very own choir.
This year’s awards featured eight categories: Best Customer Service, Outstanding Team, Innovation and Enterprise, Best Hospitality and Leisure, Best Corporate Social Responsibility Project, Best Apprentice, Best Trainee and Best Independent.
Solihull Business Improvement District (BID) organises the Excellence Awards.
Director, Melanie Palmer, said: “The Excellence Awards continue to go from strength to strength and have become an annual celebration and showcase for the breadth of talent and innovation in Solihull town centre.
“We have an unrivalled two square miles of success in the town centre and these awards provide the perfect opportunity to show the rest of the region why Solihull is simply the best.”
The Excellence Awards judges were: Eileen Schofield, Schofield and Associates; David Bradnock, HM Deputy Lieutenant for the West Midlands; Paul Brown, director at Ernst and Young LLP; David Colcombe, consultant chef director and visiting Professor UCB; Ojay McDonald, chief executive of the ATCM and Stacey Barnfield, director at Edwin Ellis Creative Media.
<b>Solihull BID Excellence
Awards 2018 Winners:
</b>
Customer Service
Winner – New Look
Outstanding Team
Winner – Thursfields Solicitor
Highly Commended – Specsavers
Innovation and Enterprise
Winner – Phoebus Software
Highly Commended – Neal’s Yard Remedies
Hospitality and Leisure
Winner – White Swan
Highly Commended – The Core Theatre
Corporate Social Responsibility Project
Winner – Specsavers 25 in 25
Highly Commended – John Lewis
Highly Commended – PNP Paribas
Best Apprentice
Winner – Taylor Mullins (BNP Paribas)
Highly Commended – Lauran Whitehouse (Alexander James Solihull)
Highly Commended – Tom Marigold (John Lewis)
Best Trainee
Winner – Kiran Kaur (Specsavers)
Highly Commended – Maddie Jayes (Specsavers)
Highly Commended – Katarzyna Gawalko (Caffé Nero)
Best Independent
Winner – Tap and Tandoor
Highly Commended – Perspective Opticians
Highly Commended – Liv’s
