UK–ITALY Business Awards Ceremony
UKTI acknowledged the role of Italian investors at Borsa Italiana in Milan on 24 January 2013
Italian investors who have chosen the United Kingdom as a destination for their business development and internationalisation were once again given recognition during the sixth edition of the UK-ITALY Business Awards on 24 January.
The event, organised by the British Consulate General Milan and UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), was again held at Palazzo Mezzanotte, home of Borsa Italiana, part of the London Stock Exchange Group, underlining the ongoing cooperation between Borsa Italiana and UKTI. The gala dinner was attended by high level representatives of the winning companies and prominent figures from Italian business, press, and culture.
Representatives of the following companies were present to receive their awards:
- Prysmian Group – Investor of the Year
- Adler Group – Internationalisation Business Award
- Besana Group – Long Term Investor Award
- Bifrangi – Industrial Investment Award
- Ferrari – Innovation in Engineering Award
- Gruppo SOL – Business Growth Award
- Luigi Lavazza S.p.a. – Brand Recognition Award
- Morning Boost – Tech City Award
- Rosetti Marino S.p.a. – Market Entrant Award
- tempesta – Creative Industries Award, Best Innovative Budget
Well-known Italian personalities were also awarded Francesco da Mosto, the Venetian architect, author and presenter, received the UK-Italy Intercultural Award for having so successfully brought many fascinating aspects of Italian culture to British television screens through series such as Francesco’s Italy from Top to Toe. Former Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo received a Career Recognition Award for his contribution to English football, following the club’s double title success in the 2012 FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League.
The UK-ITALY Innovation Awards, a category dedicated to young, fast moving companies who are setting new standards of excellence and innovation in their respective fields, were once again a key part of the annual Ceremony. The winners in this category were:
- byFlow – UK-ITALY Entrepreneurship Award
- I.A.F. Embedded Systems for Consulting – Bright Future Ideas Award
- Immune Biotech – Bright Future Ideas Award
- Mosaicoon Viral Media Company – Bright Future Ideas Award, Vision for Growth
- MRS Material Recovery Systems – UK-ITALY Springboard Award
- NuZoo Robotics – Innovation in Daylife Robotics Award
- SBSkin Smart Building Skin – Bright Future Ideas Award
- Terradue – Space Innovation Award.
During his speech Michael Fallon, UK Minister of State for Business & Enterprise, remarked that “UK Trade & Investment is playing a vital role in strengthening our partnership and can help Italian firms as they look to expand their international footprint”, then adding that “In 2011/12 Italy was the second-biggest source of investment projects, accounting for 7% of all overseas investment in the UK.” He went on to underline that the UK is committed to maintaining its status as the main investment gateway to Europe, reiterating what was said by Prime Minister David Cameron in his speech about the future of Europe delivered on 23 January.
Elsa Fornero, Italian Minister of Labour, Social Policies and Equal Opportunities, Massimo Tononi, Chairman of Borsa Italiana, Raffaele Jerusalmi, CEO Borsa Italiana S.p.A., Christopher Prentice CMG, HM Ambassador to Italy, and Vic Annells, HM Consul General and Director General of UKTI Italy, also attended the event. Danielle Allen, Head of Inward Investment, UKTI Italy, presented the Awards Ceremony.
The Awards Ceremony was the perfect opportunity to announce a new joint effort by Borsa Italiana and UKTI to promote Elite, the groundbreaking project supporting the growth and internationalisation of SMEs. This initiative aims to create new opportunities for collaboration between Italy and the UK, giving new impetus to the already solid partnership which exists between Borsa Italiana and UKTI.
Raffaele Jerusalmi said: “My colleagues and I look forward to future collaboration with the UK Government and UKTI to ensure that SMEs in the UK and Italy have access to the information and capital they need for growth”.
During the evening singers from Accademia Teatro alla Scala’s Academy of Lyric Opera paid tribute to Giuseppe Verdi in the year of the 200th anniversary of his birth. Mezzo-soprano Shin Je Bang and tenor Matteo Falcier, accompanied by Luca Marcossi on piano, performed three arias from some of Verdi’s most renown operas. Guests were also given the opportunity to relive Luchino Visconti’s 1955 production of La traviata thanks to a display of costumes and photographs kindly provided by the Accademia.
A special thank you goes to Campari and Missoni, respectively winners of the Brand Internationalisation Award in 2012 and the International Business Award in 2010, for supporting the event.
For further information please contact:
UK Trade & Investment British Consulate-General Via San Paolo 7 – 20121 Milano www.uk-italybusinessawards.it www.ukti.gov.uk Twitter: @UKTIItalia & @UKTIItaly
PRESS OFFICE Raffaella Previtera Head of Communications Team Tel: +39 02 72300 253/251/249 E-mail
INVESTMENT GROUP Danielle Allen Head of Inward Investment Group Tel. +39 02 72300 222/247/008 E-mail