The 2015 Queen’s Awards for Enterprise winners have been announced amid much fanfare earlier this week.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, The Queen’s Awards scheme is regarded as the most distinguished business awards in the country. This year 141 businesses were honoured, 105 of whom were recognised for their outstanding growth in overseas earnings and commercial success in the International Trade category.

We are delighted to see that our members, TestPlant and Lumishore Ltd, are both second time winners in the International Trade category.

TestPlant, an international software company with operations across Europe, North America and Asia, is the maker of the eggPlant range of software quality tools.

CEO George Mackintosh says: “To have been recognized by Her Majesty The Queen and the Prime Minister for a second time is an honour and a huge thrill to everyone at TestPlant. It makes all the international travel and time away from loved ones at home worthwhile.”

Swansea based Lumishore Ltd is an underwater lighting specialist which operates in the leisure marine sector. A privately owned company, it has an established US division, Lumishore USA, based in Sarasota, Florida.

Lumishore CEO Eifrion Evans comments: “It’s simply brilliant that we have once again received this highest national recognition, based on several years of strong growth. The business is continuing to expand and develop, and our success is true testament to our excellent team and our unrivalled product excellence.”

In addition to being able to use The Queen’s Award emblem as part of their advertising, marketing and packaging for 5 years, winners in the International Trade category also receive a year’s free membership of the Institute of Export.

One such recipient is Primeast which is based in North Yorkshire and operates from offices across the UK, USA, Czech Republic, and Southern Africa – delivering customized training and consulting solutions to boost the performance of clients including Cape plc, BASF and Novartis. Primeast also works with the United Nations and its various agencies in Southern Africa.

Primeast MD Russell Evans says: “The last three years have been particularly transformational in terms of our development, and The Queen’s Award not only reinforces the collective commitment and collaboration of our global team, but also the breadth and depth of expertise we deliver across four continents. Two thirds of our turnover is attributed to export sales and we’re looking forward to the next three years as we roll out our strategy to expand into India, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific region.”

IOE director general, Lesley Batchelor OBE, who was on the judging panel of the International Trade category, said: “Congratulations to all of the winners on such a well-deserved achievement. Winning a Queen’s Award provides worldwide recognition and demonstrates that a company is outstanding in its field. We also know from anecdotal evidence that winning the award brings added commercial value to a business.”

This year’s winners will attend a reception at Buckingham Palace in July. International Trade category winners are also invited to our annual gala dinner, which is held to honour the winners and celebrate their achievements. This year’s event will take place on September 29th at the Inner Temple, London.

If you would like more information on the IOE’s business membership, training and qualifications, please visit our website or contact us if you have any questions.