Organisers of the Dorset Business Awards, the Dorset Chamber of Commerce and Industry, are pleased to welcome back leading law firm Lester Aldridge to the portfolio of award category sponsors. Lester Aldridge has confirmed its support for Dorset’s most prestigious award programme and is co-sponsoring the KPMG & Lester Aldridge Company of the Year Award.
Lester Aldridge’s support of the Dorset Business Awards, which is in association with the Daily Echo and Dorset Echo, originally commenced in 1994 and following a six year break the law firm is returning to the sponsor line-up. For the 2013 competition, the law firm joins forces with KPMG, the longest serving Dorset Business Award sponsor, in the annual search to acknowledge a business that exhibits all-round excellence and achievement.
Entry to the KPMG & Lester Aldridge Company of the Year Award is open to companies of all sizes, and successful entrants will need to have been trading for at least three years and have the ability to illustrate an extensive range of skills and achievements, including:
- Excellence in both products and services to customers
- Outstanding financial performance
- Past achievements and future plans
- Commitment to staff training and development plans
- Identification and exploitation of new markets
- Contribution to enhancing Dorset’s business reputation and steps to protect the county’s environment
The current KPMG & Lester Aldridge Company of the Year Award holder is LV=, the UK’s largest friendly society. Talking about receiving the accolade, Emma Banks, Head of Corporate Communications, LV= says: “We take a great deal of pride in our Award and we were delighted to win it last year. We are one of the biggest employers in Bournemouth and have gone through significant change over the last few years so it’s great to have our efforts recognised. What we find particularly valuable is the impact on our staff and how motivated they feel by this and other award wins. It makes it feel special for our people knowing they work for an organisation that has been recognised in such a special way.”
Harry Mears from KPMG says: “We look forward to hearing from as many inspirational local businesses as possible that are demonstrating all-round business excellence. We are aware of the economic conditions businesses are facing and it is especially important to highlight that companies within the county are stepping up their game and meeting these challenges head on, helping to strengthen market position.”
The Awards are also backed by the South’s leading radio station Wave 105 and are free to enter. Entrants can submit an entry via www.dorsetbusinessawards.co.uk or print off an entry form and submit a paper-based entry. The closing date for entry is Tuesday September 10. Entrants do not need to be a member of Dorset Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
For further information about the Awards, sponsorship opportunities or to reserve tickets for the Gala Dinner which will take place at the Lighthouse, Poole, on Thursday November 28 please contact Shirley Ewart on 01202 714812.
Sponsor profiles
KPMG LLP
Professional services firm KPMG LLP operates across the UK with more than 10,000 partners and staff based in 22 offices. On the south coast, KPMG’s Southampton office provides tax, audit and advisory services to local firms ranging from growing private and entrepreneurial businesses to major international corporations across a wide range of different industrial sectors.
Lester Aldridge
Lester Aldridge is a full service law firm, advising commercial organisations and private individuals on a regional, national and international scale, from offices in Bournemouth, Southampton and London. The firm’s core practice areas are real estate, dispute resolution, banking and finance, private client and commercial services.