Businesses celebrated at West Lothian Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards 2023
More than 170 guests attended the sparkling awards ceremony, sponsored by The Glenmorangie Company, at the luxury Macdonald Houstoun House Hotel in Uphall last Friday.
Spring Solutions picked up the prestigious Best Business Award, sponsored by West Lothian Chamber, which recognises a local business that has demonstrated true business excellence.
The Bathgate-based company serves the aerospace and defence sectors which require a high-quality standard and accreditations to win contracts, a strategy which has allowed significant continuous growth.
The business has embodied the environmental agenda whilst bringing professional solutions to a rapidly advancing market.
The Innovation and Resilience Award, sponsored by West Lothian Business Gateway
The Innovation and Resilience Award, sponsored by West Lothian Business Gateway, recognises resilience in response to business disruptions, overcoming challenges to thrive.
The award was presented to Livingston-based Valneva Scotland whose scale of business achievements to date are compelling, both the decade of investment in West Lothian and the innovation-led work of the pandemic.
Their commitment to staff welfare, training and development was also a differentiator and their on-going support for and integration within communities across the region made theirs the stand-out application.
Greig Rooney, Managing Director at Valneva Scotland Ltd, said: “The Innovation and Resilience award is for our staff and reflects not only the commitment they have to the highly-skilled work they do but also the dedication they have to advancing vaccines for better lives.
“Valneva Scotland has been on quite a journey over the past few years, and we’ve come through it much stronger and prepared for an exciting future.
“We look forward to continuing to contribute with our peers in the West Lothian Chamber of Commerce in 2024 and, more widely, playing a key role as part of Scotland’s vibrant and burgeoning life sciences sector.”
Environmental Champion, sponsored by Shin-Etsu Handotai Europe
Recycle Scotland, Livingston, was named Environmental Champion, an award sponsored by Shin-Etsu Handotai Europe, to recognise companies that have made changes to positively impact on the environment.
On winning the accolade, director of Recycle Scotland Drew Carmichael commented: “Since our inception, we have remained committed to creating a zero waste and circular approach to workplace furniture. Therefore, we are very proud to receive the Environmental Champion Award.
“It is not only a testament to the hard work of our team to get the business to where it is today, but it is also evidence that we are on the right track and making a positive impact. We look forward to working with more sectors and regions across Scotland to further drive our sustainability mission.”
Developing the Young Workforce Regional Employer Award, sponsored by DYW-West Lothian Regional Group
The DYW (Developing the Young Workforce) Regional Employer Award, sponsored by DYW-West Lothian Regional Group, is presented to an employer who has demonstrated commitment to inspiring and developing young people in West Lothian.
This year, the award went to Land Technology whose commitment to supporting young people learn new hands-on skills and become more engaged has been applauded by the judges.
In particular, for their work with local additional needs schools and how the organisation is trying to scale up the impact by working with teachers.
Shona Sibbald Woman in Business Award
This year’s Shona Sibbald Woman in Business Award, which recognises the outstanding contribution to the local economy made by a businesswoman, went to Diana Kelly of Specsavers Linlithgow.
Since opening a store in Linlithgow, her leadership and commitment has seen continuous growth in turnover and she prides herself in providing an environment for her team to flourish in.
Kelly also has a passion for encouraging young people into sport and has strong links with many local causes.
Lifetime in Business Excellence Award, sponsored by West Lothian Chamber of Commerce
There was another special award sponsored by the chamber, the Lifetime in Business Excellence Award, which was presented to David Sibbald, director of Blackridge family business the Sibbald Group, which is celebrating its 50th year.
David has navigated through turbulent times, adapted to ever-changing market needs, and continued to thrive amidst uncertainty, showing true resilience.
He has long been a champion of youth engagement within the construction sector and has been awarded an MBE for his long-term commitment to business and charities in West Lothian, with particular focus on his work with young people in the local community.
Commenting on the 2023 awards Billy MacLeod, President of West Lothian Chamber, said: “The chamber congratulates all the winners and I also extend my thanks to every company who entered this year’s awards.
“Each year our West Lothian businesses show that through hard work, resilience and innovation it is possible to achieve remarkable growth and prosperity, this is reflected in the high calibre of entrants we saw this year.”
Guest speaker Colin Maclachlan, co-founder Who Dares Cares and former SAS operative, entertained guests with stories of his experiences, while the prize draw held on the night raised more than £2,200 for the charity.
MP Hannah Bardell closed the evening by praising all the winners and finalists showcasing West Lothian and thanking all sponsors including main sponsor The Glenmorangie Company.
Full details of the event are available at www.wlchamber.com