UK-Italy Business Awards for Italian investors in Borsa Italiana
Italian excellence in business and culture was under the spotlight at the 7th edition of the UK-Italy Business Awards.
The event represents a chance for the British Government to celebrate the success of Italian investors that have chosen the United Kingdom as a key market for their international business development in the course of 2013.
The ceremony was organised by the British Consulate-General in Milan and UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), the government agency for export and investment promotion, and it took place in Palazzo Mezzanotte, home to Borsa Italiana – London Stock Exchange Group. A gala dinner ensued with the presence of two ministers and distinguished guests from Italy and the UK.
Awarded companies and individuals:
These include:
- Moleskine – Brand Recognition Award
- Tratos Group – Industrial Investment Award
- Seda Packaging Group – Industrial Investment Award
- Assicurazioni Generali – Long Term Investor Award
- Iconsulting – Market Entrant Award
- Reflex&Allen – Internationalisation Award
- Sisvel – Business Growth Award
- SpaceOnVip – Tech City Award
- Zambon – Research & Development Award
- TerniEnergia – Green Economy Award
- Objectway –Elite Award
- Investindustrial – Investor of the Year
The Career Recognition Award was bestowed upon Sir Antonio Pappano, the internationally renowned director of the Royal Opera House in London. During the evening Sir Pappano graciously played a sublime piece of classical music on the piano which he dedicated to Maestro Claudio Abbado, who passed away recently.
The films “Il Terzo Tempo”, “Kush”, and “Medeas” won the ”Creative Industries Award: Best Innovative Budget”, while the Giro d’Italia (Cycling Tour of Italy) was given the Sport is Great recognition, as this year the race will start in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The “Trofeo Senza Fine” and the “Maglia Rosa” (“Endless Trophy” and “Pink Shirt”) were on show, the latter being presented for the first time outside of its traditional venue.
This year, too, the event put a strong emphasis on the UK-Italy Innovation Awards, dedicated to the high growth start-ups who won the many business competition organized or supported by UKTI in Italy in 2013. The winners are:
- Optosensing – Bright Future Ideas Award
- APWonders – Bright Future Ideas Award
- NISO Biomed – Bright Future Ideas Award, Vision for Growth
- on-iris – UK-Italy Entrepreneurship Award
- Qurami – UK-Italy Springboard
A ceremony attended by distinguished guests
Michael Fallon, UK Minister of State for Business and Energy, was present at the event and said: “Italy continues to be an important source of investment projects, both in Europe and across the world. Italian investment in the UK has and continues to contribute vastly to the British economy. The winners all share a strong commitment to innovation, technical excellence, entrepreneurial expertise and sustainability.” Other distinguished guests were:
- Flavio Zanonato, Minister for Economic Development, representing the Italian Government,
- Christopher Prentice CMG, HM Ambassador to Italy
- Vic Annells, HM Consul General and Director General of UKTI Italy.
They were greeted by the hosts
- Massimo Tononi and
- Raffaele Jerusalmi
respectively the Chairman and CEO of Borsa Italiana. To both of them and to Borsa Italiana the warmest thank you for their continuous and crucial support.
Raffaele Jerusalmi said: “We are pleased to host for the seventh consecutive year this prestigious event organized by UKTI. Borsa Italiana and UKTI are partners in a number of initiatives and have a very constructive working relationship. We are pleased that this year UKTI has decided to create an award for companies enrolled in Elite, the Borsa Italiana programme dedicated to SMEs with ambitious growth and internationalization plans.”
Tiziana Marcuccio, Head of Inward Investment, UKTI Italy, presented the Awards Ceremony.
During the evening two artists from the Company Sanpapié, part of Associazione Etre, a project supported by Fondazione Cariplo, paid a tribute to Pina Bausch, a key figure in contemporary theatre dancing who passed away in 2012.
A special thank you goes to Missoni, winner of the International Business Award in 2010, for supporting the event.
A business-oriented economy
The UK has the most open and business-oriented economy out of the major European countries, as the more than 330,000 new companies registered in the UK every year show (120 every hour). It is the sixth largest economy in the world and eighth out of 144 countries in terms of international business competitiveness according to the World Economic Forum. In 2012 investment flows to the UK increased by 21.5% up to 62 billion dollars.
The role of UKTI
UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) helps UK-based companies succeed in the global economy and assists overseas companies to bring high-quality investment to the UK. The Investment Team of UKTI Italy delivers bespoke information to potential and actual investors on market opportunities and government incentives, as well as practical information.
In the course of the last financial year Italy ranked third among foreign investors for the number of projects delivered, thus confirming the strong interest that Italian entrepreneurs have for the United Kingdom and the dynamism of the bilateral relationship between Italy and the UK. It is also for this reason that the UK-Italy Business Awards ceremony became such an important appointment for the Italian business world.
UKTI contacts for Italy
Investment: Tiziana Marcuccio, Head of Inward Investment inwardinvestment.milan@fco.gov.uk milancommercialenquiries@fco.gov.uk
Press and media: Raffaella Previtera, Head of Communications Team communicationsmilan@fco.gov.uk