Sponsored by Cobalt Corporate Finance, GFT and Smith & Williamson

More Industry Heavyweights Attending

London, 14th March 2013 – The ITC Entrepreneurs' Forum announces today that it is inviting entries for this year’s ITC Enterprise Awards. Winners will be announced in front of an audience of some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the UK Technology Industry at the Annual Dinner on 7 June. The venue has been changed to accommodate a doubling of the audience.

The Awards Dinner is becoming the equivalent of the 'Oscars' for Technology Entrepreneurs and one of the highlights in the IT industry’s calendar. This year, it will be attended by some of the IT industry’s biggest names, including Mike Lynch, Founder of Autonomy; Mark Lancaster, Founder Chairman and CEO of SDL; Alastair Lukies, Founder and CEO of Monitise; Mike Tobin, CEO of Telecity; Duane Jackson, Founder and CEO of Kashflow and Richard Holway, ‘Doyen’ of IT Analysts.

The five Enterprise Awards categories include: 'Young Entrepreneur' - Under 30; 'Emerging Entrepreneur' - Under £1 million revenue p.a; 'Developing Entrepreneur' - More than £1 million and less than £5 million revenue p.a; 'Enterprise Award' - More than £5 million revenue p.a; and finally a 'Special Award' – which last year was given for 'Recovery of the Year'. There will also be recognition of ‘Outstanding Mentor of the Year’. The criteria are Growth (revenues and headcount), external recognition (actual or potential), innovation (in products, service or business model), successful funding event or equivalent and resolve/stamina. Each application should also be sponsored by an ITC member and an entry of no more than 1,000 words should be submitted by 30 April.

The winners will be announced at the third ITC Enterprise Awards ceremony, held at the much larger Plaisterers' Hall, London, on Friday 7 June, 7.00 p.m. – midnight. This prestigious event was launched in 2011 to celebrate the achievements of the most successful entrepreneurs in the ITC Mentoring Programme.

John O’Connell, Chairman and the inspiration of the ITC Awards, is himself a successful entrepreneur, having founded, floated on the London Stock Exchange and then sold his software business, Staffware, at a significant premium. John said: “We’re expecting this year’s ITC Enterprise Awards to be the biggest ever, with a list of attendees that includes some of the most influential figures in the IT industry. The spirit of these awards is all about recognising and celebrating the success of technology entrepreneurs who are being guided by members of ITC. We are uniquely combining the ethos of a traditional Livery Company with the dynamism of the spirit of Enterprise. My goal in setting this up in the first place was to identify some of the technology champions of the future and to make receiving an Award the equivalent of a kitemark for Enterprise in Technology."

Stuart Clark, a previous Award winner, said: “Winning the ITC Enterprise Award was fantastic for my company, Impendium’s, image and credibility. Existing customers were reassured that they had made the right choice and prospective clients likewise felt they were about to do business with a mature respectable organisation. Winning such a prestigious award from an internationally recognised livery company with its own Royal Charter, significantly elevated our status in the eyes of overseas clients too. My team were also mightily impressed! For any aspiring company it’s a must have.”

The panel judging the winning entrants consists of top experts in this field - Eddie Anderson (Pentech), Anil Hansjee (British Computer Society), Ed Lascelles (Albion Ventures), Paddy MccGwire (Cobalt Corporate Finance), George O’Connor (Panmure Gordon) and Guy Rigby (Smith & Williamson). The judges are anticipating their toughest challenge yet as the outstanding quality of entries in previous years has set the bar extremely high.

The 2013 Enterprise Awards will be sponsored by Smith & Williamson; Cobalt Corporate Finance and GFT, the leading German technology services company which itself has a highly active Entrepreneurs Programme, from where entries for the ITC Enterprise Awards will be drawn for the first time too, thus adding a new international flavour to the event.

Guy Rigby, partner responsible for leading the Entrepreneurial Services Group at Smith & Williamson observed: "Our focus at Smith & Williamson is increasingly turning to helping emerging entrepreneurs who are building game-changing, tech-enabled businesses. These businesses need help with structuring and planning, as well as an understanding of the complex tax rules that can help them raise and manage their finances. The opportunity to align ourselves with the ITC Enterprise Awards is entirely complementary with our aims to be the leading adviser to this community and we are delighted to become a new sponsor this year."

This year one of the category winners will receive a three-month free of charge PR/marketing campaign agreed with The Whiteoaks Consultancy Ltd - the award winning Technology PR and Media Company.

If you have any queries about the ITC Enterprise Awards, please contact John O’Connell - [email protected]