Winners announced for Sheffield Business Awards 2023

The event, organised by Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, saw hundreds of people gather to honour the businesses, individuals, collaborators, and not-for-profit organisations making waves in Sheffield right now.

With a new venue for this year’s festivities, the dress code returned to black tie, and guests were treated to a three-course dinner served by the university’s acclaimed catering team, accompanied by live entertainment from a six-piece cover band called Undercovered.

Winners from across 16 revamped categories were announced by special guest host, Chelsey Ward from BBC Radio Sheffield, inside the Octagon Centre – kindly provided by Headline Sponsor and Chamber Patron, The University of Sheffield.

For the first time in the award ceremony’s history, nominations were not limited to just businesses, but also open to individuals, collaborators, and Third Sector organisations – providing the opportunity for a wider mix of the business community to showcase their unique talents and achievements.

The new format led to a notable increase in applications with more than 170 entries submitted. These were judged by a carefully selected judging panel who followed a rigorous standardised judging matrix to ensure full legitimacy and consistency across all categories.

Louisa Harrison-Walker, Chief Executive of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, said:

“Last night’s awards were our best yet! We celebrated so many different individuals, businesses, and organisations in a brand-new venue – provided by our generous sponsors at the University of Sheffield. We really made the most of this year’s Sheffield Business Awards.

“To all those organisations that were shortlisted, and to all those who were named winner on stage, you represent the very best of Sheffield and are all part of what makes our city the best place in the UK to start, grow or run a successful business.”

Karen Mosley, President of the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, said: “We had an incredible night celebrating everything we love about our great city.

“Bringing together both the Chamber President’s Dinner and the Sheffield Business Awards brought about a bigger and better event than ever before. It has been an honour to be a part of that experience as my term as president nears its end.

“Congratulations to everyone who was shortlisted this year, and of course, our fantastic winners too. We’d also like to thank all our judges who took time out of their busy schedules to read applications and to our sponsors who helped make this event happen.”

The full list of winners is as follows:

The Spirit of Sheffield Award (sponsored by Counter Context and Altitude)

· Marketing Sheffield, Sheffield City Council

The Community Impact Award (sponsored by Westfield Health)

· FareShare Yorkshire

The International Trade Champion (sponsored by UK Export Finance)

· Trek-Group

Outstanding Contribution to Employee Health and Wellbeing (sponsored by Sheffield United Community Foundation)

· SBD Apparel Limited

The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champion (sponsored by B. Braun)

· King Ecgbert School

Outstanding Contribution to Workforce Development (sponsored by Opportunity Sheffield

· Pricecheck

The Environmental Impact Award

· OSL Group Holdings Ltd (T/A OSL Group)

The Brand Campaign of the Year

· Exhausts UK Ltd (T/A Cobra Sport)

The Inspirational Leader of the Year (sponsored by Shorts Chartered Accountants)

· Sarah Sharp, Director, The Montgomery Theatre and Arts Centre

The Leading through Innovation Award (sponsored by Wake Smith Solicitors)

· The LabLogic Group

Small Organisation of the Year (sponsored by Sheffield Hallam University)

· River Stewardship Company

Medium to Large Organisation of the Year (sponsored by SBA Apparel Limited)

· The LabLogic Group

The Collaboration Excellence Award

· Chef's Counter Community Interest Company

The Learning Champion of the Year (sponsored by The Sheffield College)

· Alexandra Heppell, Customer Service Advisor - Apprentice, OSL Cutting Technologies (Part of the OSL Group)

Start-up Organisation of the Year (sponsored by Business Sheffield)

· Amodo Design Ltd

The Chamber President’s Special Recognition Award (sponsored by HLM Architects)

· The Children’s University

For more than 150 years, Sheffield Chamber of Commerce has supported, connected, and represented local businesses of all sizes in Sheffield with an aim to lead the way in making the city the best place in the UK to start, grow and run a successful and sustainable business. Events like the Sheffield Business Awards are a huge part of that commitment.