Around 500 of the city’s leading businesspeople gathered for the annual Brighton & Hove Business Awards (BAHBAs) ceremony held at Hilton Brighton Metropole on July 25th.

Back for the fourteenth year, the BAHBAs are firmly established as a benchmark for excellence in today’s competitive business environment.

This year saw a record-breaking number of nominations for each category, with hundreds of applicants whittled down to just fifty-six finalists. Judges had an enormously difficult task, as the entries were of such a high standard.

Entries were judged by an experienced panel of local and business experts including Gatwick Airport, Natwest, University of Sussex, EMC Corporate Finance, Mayo Wynne Baxter, Churchill Square, Kreston Reeves, Cardens Accountants, Global Radio, Brighton and Hove Chamber of Commerce and The Gemini Print Group.

Fiona Shafer, Managing Director at MDHUB, took the role as Chair of Judges.

To reach their crucial decision, judges reviewed all the entries to come to a longlist of finalists. Candidates then went through a rigorous reviewing system, including phone, face to face and panel interviews.

Fiona commented: “It goes without saying that it is a huge honour to be the Chair of the Brighton and Hove Business Awards.

“The Awards attracted an excellent mix of applications from all business sizes and sectors, with the standard of applications being very high. Winning a BAHBA brings genuine recognition and acknowledgement amongst peers, so well done to everyone who made this year’s shortlist.”

RocketMill was named the overall Company of the Year winner. This Award recognises the company that has truly achieved all-round business excellence in terms of year on year financial performance, strategic direction, employee relations, CSR, innovation and a first-class service and/or product offering.

Other winners included Gary Peters of LoveLocalJobs.com (Businessperson of the Year), Phileas Fogg's World of Adventures (Tourist Attraction of the Year), Mooncup (Employer of the Year), Search Seven (CSR Excellence Award), Peopleforce Recruitment (International Business of the Year), MacConvilles Surveying (Professional Services Award) and Spabreaks.com (Large Business of the Year).

Maarten Hoffmann, Managing Director of The Platinum Group, presented the Outstanding Brightonian award to Imelda Glackin – CEO at The Martlets Hospice.

For further information or to get involved in 2020 Brighton and Hove Business Awards, email brighton@platinumpublishing.co.uk 

2019 WINNERS LIST

CSR EXCELLENCE AWARD
Sponsored by Kreston Reeves

Winner: Search Seven
Highly Commended: LoveLocalJobs.com
Finalist: The Float Spa
Finalist: Legal and General

EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Mayo Wynne Baxter

Winner: Mooncup
Highly Commended: Clarity Environmental
Finalist: MRL Consulting
Finalist: The Grand Brighton

INNOVATION IN BUSINESS
Sponsored by University of Sussex

Winner: Bailey and French
Highly Commended: Make Real
Finalist: Percept Imagery
Finalist: Body Rocket

NOT FOR PROFIT BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by MDHUB

Winner: Brighton & Hove Food Partnership
Finalist: Active Sussex
Finalist: Martlets Hospice
Finalist: Rockinghorse

THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AWARD
Sponsored by Kreston Reeves

Winner: MacConvilles Surveying
Highly Commended: Search Seven
One To Watch: UnitedUs
Finalist: always possible

START-UP OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce

Winner: Anything is Possible
Finalist: Make (Good) Trouble
Finalist: Phileas Fogg’s World of Adventures
Finalist: Pier Pressure

TOURIST ATTRACTION OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by The Gemini Print Group

Winner: Phileas Fogg’s World of Adventures
Highly Commended: Pier Pressure
Finalist: Brighton Marina
Finalist: British Airways i360

BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD
Sponsored by Global

Winner: Paxton Access
Highly Commended: Oliver's Brighton
Finalist: Clearline Recruitment
Finalist: Domestic & General

BEST INDEPENDENT RETAILER
Sponsored by Churchill Square

Winner: Present in the Laine
One To Watch Oliver's Brighton
Finalist: The Book Nook
Finalist: Velvet Stores

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by EMC Corporate Finance

Winner: Peopleforce Recruitment
Highly Commended: Brunswick Fine Wines & Spirits
Finalist: China Travel Outbound
Finalist: Oban International

SME BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Platinum Business Magazine

Winner: Clearleft
Highly Commended: Velvet Stores
Finalist: Platf9rm
Finalist: Acre Landscapes

LARGE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by NatWest

Winner: SpaBreaks.com
Highly Commended: TrustedHousesitters
Finalist: Pure360
Finalist: Peopleforce Recruitment

BUSINESSPERSON OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Carden Accountants

Winner: Gary Peters, LoveLocalJobs.com
One To Watch: Katherine Swift OMGTea
Finalist: James Dempster, Cobb Digital
Finalist: Gavin Willis, Search Seven

COMPANY OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Gatwick Airport

Winner: RocketMill
Finalist: Anything is Possible
Finalist: Here
Finalist: The Float Spa

OUTSTANDING BRIGHTONIAN
Winner: Imelda Glackin, The Martlets Hospice