Top prizes at Wakefield District Business Awards - SLIDESHOW

A celebration of enterprise and innovation saw the district’s top business figures honoured for their achievements.

An awards dinner was held last night as winners were chosen in the Wakefield District Business Awards.

Shortlisted entrants gathered at the city’s Cedar Court Hotel for the event hosted by BBC Look North’s Clare Frisby.

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The title of Businessperson of the Year went to Herwig Vennekens, managing director of sweets manufacturer Haribo UK, a major district employer which is expanding its operation into new premises in Normanton.

The other winners were:

New Business of the Year: B42 Digital

International Business of the Year: Network Brands

Business and the Environment: Crompton Controls

People Make Performance: En Route Hair and Beauty

Employee of the Year: Ridings Centre customer service team Gosha Bogdan, Brenda Webster and Lorraine Hopson

Small to medium-sized Business of the Year: Ossett Brewery

Community Enterprise Award: The Able Project

Innovation in Business: Planet Platforms

Business of the Year: Blacker Hall Farm

Our panel of judges consisted of Wakefield Council chief executive Joanne Roney, Jeremy Garside managing partner of Chadwick Lawrence Solicitors, the event’s main sponsor, and Danny Matharu of Hillrich and Yorkshire Business Conferences.

Wakefield Express editor Mark Bradley thanked Haribo, Nano Factory, Copiserv, the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, and Chadwick Lawrence, for sponsoring award categories.

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He added: “As ever with awards events that take place over a series of years, we often welcome back familiar faces but we also see some new arrivals take to the stage as well.

“This year’s winners who took home prizes are following in some illustrious footsteps.”