The British Business Awards 2020 will include the inaugural British Exporter of the Year award, sponsored by the China Britain Business Council, and the finalists have just been announced.
The British and Chinese business community in Shanghai gathered earlier this month to witness the announcement of the 42 British Business Awards 2020 finalists.
“After a challenging few months, it is a great time to celebrate the best of British and Chinese companies, of British and Chinese trade,” said Chris Wood, British Consul-General in Shanghai. “I would like to congratulate all the nominees and I very much look forward to celebrating and hearing about the winners in October,” he said.
This year a total of 146 companies submitted applications from a wide range of industries.
“It is a great testimony to the broad range of sectors in which British business is successfully operating in China and exporting to China, which proves that British business in China continues to go from strength to strength,” said Ray Chisnall, Chairman of the British Business Awards 2020.
The inaugural British Exporter of the Year Award has been created by CBBC in partnership with the British Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai.
The award is sponsored by CBBC and celebrates British success and innovation in exporting to China. Companies that were allowed to apply were those that have been able to demonstrate sustained exports to the Chinese market for at least three years and can highlight the positive impact that this has had on the UK economy.
The application process was highly competitive and CBBC Senior Director Kiran Patel announced the finalists of British Exporter of the Year Award from the fourteen outstanding applications.
“The inaugural British Exporter of the Year Award is the ideal platform for successful British Exporters to demonstrate the strength, sustainability and impact of their business in China. We were delighted to see such a strong set of submissions within the category,” said Patel.
“The footprint of British business continues to go from strength to strength and the British Business Awards encapsulates the spirit, enterprise and ingenuity of British business in China. We anticipate a highly competitive grand finale on October 29th and look forward to being part of it,” he added.
All applications received represented a wide array of sectors, from e-Commerce and tech, education to retail.
This year’s finalists in the British Exporter of the Year category which are:
- Avenue51
- Peak Scientific Instruments Limited
- Renishaw (Shanghai) Trading Co., Ltd
- Samarkand Global
- TPP
Avenue51
Avenue51 was formed in 2014 by a small group of highly accomplished global experts in the field of China’s online retail industry.
Possessing an in-depth understanding of the challenges and huge costs UK and European brands were facing in selling online to shoppers in China, the team set out to leverage technology and progressive thinking to present a competitive solution. Within months the solution had won the highly sought after Guardian Small Business Showcase competition and was proving itself a viable option for British brands to expand in China.
Less than five years later, Avenue51 is now one of the global market leaders in this field, and has extended the solution to brands all across Europe.
Peak Scientific
Peak Scientific was established in 1997, specialising in the design and manufacture of laboratory gas generators. The company’s gas generators are used in analytical testing, academic research laboratories, hospitals, food and beverage and QA/QC laboratories. Peak Scientific’s products aim to be smaller, safer, quieter and more efficient than similar products in the market and are real-world alternatives to high pressure compressed gas cylinders – a true example of British innovation. Peak Scientific’s products provide compelling value for money with a return on investment when used to replace cylinders in less than two years, complemented by the benefit of considerably improving safety within the laboratory. The products also reduce carbon footprints by bringing gas production in house on an ‘on tap’ basis. The need for transportation of gas cylinders to sites is also eliminated, which are usually moved long distances in inefficient vehicles.
Renishaw
Renishaw is a global, high precision metrology and healthcare technology group. The company designs, develops, and delivers solutions and systems that provide unparalleled precision, control and reliability.
Renishaw is also a world leader in the field of additive manufacturing (also referred to as metal 3D printing), which designs and produces industrial machines that ‘print’ parts from metal powder. From transport to agriculture, electronics to healthcare, their breakthrough technology transforms product performance.
Samarkand Global
Samarkand Global is an expert in technology, e-commerce and logistics, specialising in cross-border e-commerce to China (CBEC). Named after the city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan, which was a trading point on the Silk Road, the company’s mission is to make selling to China as easy as selling in domestic markets for brands and retailers in Europe.
Founded in 2016, Samarkand Global has grown and developed alongside the e-commerce market and built strong partnerships with major players from the Chinese e-commerce ecosystem, such as Tmall, JD, Pinduoduo, Little Red Book, and many more CBEC platforms.
Samarkand now boasts a staff of 75+ across London, Shanghai, and Hong Kong – with rapid further growth expected this year. Innovative, entrepreneurial, and problem-solving, the company’s staff works across timezones and cultures and uses a proprietary technology platform, NOMAD, designed for the unique requirements of Chinese e-Commerce.
TPP
TPP is a global healthcare technology company based in Leeds. Founded in 1997, TPP provides software that links patient records across different medical settings, saving clinicians time and allowing them to focus on providing patients with the best care. TPP currently looks after millions of patient records from around the globe and has one of the largest databases in the world. The company continues to develop innovative technological solutions to improve healthcare for professionals and patients both in the UK and worldwide, taking advantage of emerging technology such as artificial intelligence and machine learning.
With over 20 years of experience working with the NHS, TPP’s presence in China builds on its achievements in UK healthcare. The company has worked in several provinces in China and extensively with government and private organisations in the last five years to adapt the UK’s centralised computer system SystmOne for the Chinese healthcare system, and has developed and localised a tailored citizen-centred electronic health record in line with the Chinese government’s priorities. TPP’s product facilitates integrated care and addresses government efforts to provide more streamlined and efficient healthcare for the population.
