We celebrated the achievements of Scotland’s family businesses at The Herald Scottish Family Business Awards in association with Business Gateway on Thursday, November 28 at the Glasgow Marriott Hotel.
Stay in touch to learn more about our 2025 awards.
Known across the country as the Nursery Rhyme guy after his performance on Britain’s Got Talent, Edward went onto win Radio Forth’s best Forth Fringe Show and was awarded Entertainer of the Year with Big Hearted Scotland.
Edward has worked in theatre, television and radio and is a popular host at corporate events from ladies’ lunches, award ceremonies, and charity balls.
In 2016, Edward trained with The British School of Meditation and is also a qualified meditation teacher specialising in mindfulness. He is now a regular keynote speaker at conferences and mental health events – bringing a fun accessible way to well being and happiness.
COMMITMENT TO THE COMMUNITY
A business which makes a sustainable contribution to the community in which they operate. Examples of this could include supporting local initiatives, charity work, demonstrating commitment to their industry sector or taking extra care of employees and their families.
CUSTOMER SERVICE EXCELLENCE
This category will recognise a company which has excelled in the provision of customer service as an integral part of their business. Judges will be looking for evidence of how this has been achieved and contributed to the success and development of the organisation.
FASTEST GROWING FAMILY BUSINESS AWARD – sponsored by Business Gateway
A business which has achieved sustained expansion over recent years, against the toughest economic backdrop for decades. Growth could be in terms of turnover and profit, an increase in employee numbers, and/or through expansion into new market-places at home or abroad.
RURAL FAMILY BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
Businesses in rural areas play a vital role in providing employment and wealth in the communities in which they operate. This category recognises family businesses in rural Scotland (outwith Glasgow City, City of Edinburgh, Aberdeen City and Dundee City) from any sector.
GREEN FAMILY BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
This category looks to recognise family businesses who have demonstrated an innovative approach and made it their goal to reduce their environmental impact on the world.
BUSINESS INNOVATION AWARD
This category will reward a company which have embraced innovation, whether through the development of products and services, or by making changes to service delivery, production processes, or working practices, or by altering the direction of the business radically to adapt to a changing environment.
NEXT GENERATION AWARD
This award will be presented to an individual who plays a pivotal role in shaping and securing the future of their family business for the next generation. The award will highlight an individual who has demonstrated commitment to and understanding of their family business and the successful future of that enterprise. Individuals can enter this themselves or be nominated by a colleague.
RECOGNITION AWARD
This award will be presented to an individual who has shown loyalty and dedication to the family business in which they work in. We understand that most businesses wouldn’t be where they are without the strong workforce behind them. We want to hear about an employee that has gone above and beyond the call of duty over the last year. Let’s celebrate their hard work, achievements and outstanding contribution to their role and business. The award will highlight an individual who has become “one of the family”.
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION – sponsored by Strathclyde Business School
This award recognises an individual or team which has made an outstanding contribution to a Scottish-headquartered family business over the years, from any level of seniority within the business.
SCOTTISH FAMILY BUSINESS OF THE YEAR (Mirco) – sponsored by Business Gateway
This category is for a family business headquartered in Scotland with 10 employees or fewer, operating in any sector of the economy, which has enjoyed outstanding success.
SCOTTISH FAMILY BUSINESS OF THE YEAR (Small/Medium) – sponsored by Virgin Money
This category is for a family business headquartered in Scotland with 100 employees or fewer, operating in any sector of the economy, which has enjoyed outstanding success.
SCOTTISH FAMILY BUSINESS OF THE YEAR (Large) – sponsored by Malcolm Group
This category is for family business headquartered in Scotland with more than 100 employees, operating in any sector of the economy, which has enjoyed outstanding success.
Once you have decided on the category, or categories, you would like to enter, please click the Enter Now button where you will be directed to our Awards Entry portal.
If you have any questions regarding the entry process, please see the FAQ section below or get in touch via the details at the bottom of this page.
ENTRY DEADLINE: Wednesday, October 16th, 2024 – 6pm
ENTRIES HAVE NOW CLOSED
As the Chief Officer of Business Gateway’s National Unit, Hugh Lightbody is at the forefront of shaping the future of business support in Scotland. With over a decade of experience in the role, he has worked closely with National and Local Government, as well as various enterprise agencies, to develop strategies that will support businesses across Scotland now and into the future.
A graduate of the University of Strathclyde, where he studied Manufacturing Sciences and Engineering, Hugh began his career in materials management at Smiths Industries Aerospace and Defence. In 1989 he moved into the public sector and has held various economic development and policy roles with organisations including the Scottish Development Agency – Scottish Enterprise, NFUS, Local Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA). In 2006, Hugh achieved a postgraduate certificate in Local Authority Management from the University of Strathclyde.
Today, he leads a team of highly skilled professionals who provide operational support to Local Governments for the delivery of Business Gateway services. With his extensive knowledge and expertise in business support and economic development, he is a well-known and highly respected figure in Scottish business.
LinkedIn – https://protect-eu.mimecast.com/s/DansCJynnSqPAJxWIVtjVo
Ian has been with The Herald since 1995. Since 2003, he has been business editor, overseeing a section which is focused on Scottish and exclusive content, while covering the big stories from elsewhere in the UK and internationally. The business section includes extensive opinion, insight and analysis. Ian writes two columns each week for our Business Voices page, covers companies across all sectors, and takes a keen interest in key economic issues. In recent years, he has written extensively on Brexit, which remains a key issue for the economy and the business community. Seven-times category winner in the Scottish Press Awards. A winner of various UK-wide awards, including Scoop of the Year in the Workworld Media Awards.
A career banker with 36 years experience in Retail, Business and Corporate Banking across Scotland and the UK. A founder member of the bank’s acquisition finance team in Scotland, over the last 20 years has assisted many families and businesses to fund their acquisition, growth and exit strategies. A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers and an MSc in Organisational Development from The University of Glasgow. Maintains a keen interest in business strategy and during his career has lead a number of key strategic projects for the organisation, including most recently the bank’s LIBOR Transition Programme , representing Virgin Money on a number of key industry working groups and task forces, and lead the internal team which assisted customers to transition loans to alternative reference rates. Currently leads our team of Corporate and Commercial Managers focused on providing a face to face relationship banking service, alongside a suite of digital banking products.
As well as being Head of SME Engagement at Strathclyde Business School and Director of its pioneering Growth Advantage Programme, John is an experienced non-executive chairman and director in growing businesses and is Chairman of the Gabriel Investments angel syndicate. He is an influential commentator on issues facing emerging and high growth companies and has worked extensively with the leaders of growth companies and family firms, sharing experiences of the realities of growing a business.
As the Head of Sales & Marketing for Scotland’s longest established luxury chauffeur drive company Little’s, Harjeet has been an integral part of the growth of this successful family business. The business has grown both domestically and internationally, including the successful management of events such as COP26, The Open and 2014 Commonwealth Games. As a female on the senior leadership team, Harjeet is proud to represent the South Asian women in business community. With a hospitality background and from a family of entrepreneurs, this experience has steered her path within the company. With commitment not only in business, Harjeet is extremely passionate about her local community and dedicates much of her free time teaching Punjabi to the next generation of young learners.
This opportunity to join the panel in celebrating family businesses in Scotland is close to Harjeet’s heart and encompasses her true values that are central to family, legacy, and community.
Who can enter?
Anyone can submit a nomination, but they must be a family business based in Scotland.
For the purposes of the awards The Herald Family Business Awards judging panel review the below statement as a basis on what constitutes a family business
“A family business is a business governed and/or managed by members of the same family (or a small number of families) with the intention of shaping and pursuing the vision of the business in a manner that is potentially sustainable across generations of the family (or families)”
Why should I enter?
Not only does being shortlisted (or better yet, winning) an award mean you will be recognised as a leading family business in Scotland in your sector, it is also a major morale boost for you or your workforce and is a great PR opportunity both at the event and long after. If you win, you will also receive a trophy for your display cabinet!
How do I enter?
You must complete our entry form on our online portal to submit a nomination. Head to the ‘How to Enter’ section above for instructions.
Can I enter more than one category?
You can submit as many nominations as you like across the different categories. The categories and the criteria for each can be found in the ‘Categories’ section above.
The Scottish Family Business of the Year Categories are not open for general entry. All Businesses who enter a sector/ achievement category will be entered into the Business of the Year category relevant to the business size.
What is the deadline for entries?
The entry deadline is Wednesday, October 16th, 2024
How much does it cost?
It is free to enter the awards.
Tickets are available to buy online now:
Individual ticket – £210 inc VAT and fees
Table of 10 – £1,950 inc VAT and fees
Table of 12 – £2,250 inc VAT and fees
What happens next once I’ve entered?
Once you have submitted an entry the Judges will have access to your entry to review. Once the judging session has taken place, we will contact you to let you know if your entry has been shortlisted or not.
How does the judging process work?
All the entries we receive will be considered by our expert judging panel at the judging session in October. Please note that the shortlist and winners are decided solely by our panel and do not come down to a public vote or number of nominations received.
When will the shortlist be announced?
The shortlist will be listed in The Herald and on this website in October.
When will the winners be announced?
The winners will be announced at our glittering awards ceremony on Thursday 28th November in Glasgow. More information on the event and tickets can be found in the ‘Event’ section.
What do I do if I have more questions?
We are happy to answer any additional questions you may have regarding the entry process or event. Please contact Events Manager, Alana Massie on 07702807008 or Alana.massie@newsquest.co.uk with any enquiries.
