CEO of the Year Awards

Meet our amazing team

The Nomination Team can assist with answering any queries that you have regarding a nomination, or the process involved in taking part in one of our award programmes.

Please get in touch with us via email or over the phone if you have any questions - we are happy to help!

Meet The Team

Key Dates

Entries Open:Wednesday 9th October 2024

Entries Close:Friday 29th November 2024

Winners Announced:February 2025

About the SME CEO of the Year Awards

SME News is excited to announce the return of the UK CEO of the Year Awards. Building on the tremendous success of its inaugural year, this prestigious award will once again honour exceptional leadership and spotlight the remarkable achievements of CEOs who have propelled their organisations to new levels of excellence.

The UK CEO of the Year Awards 2024 highlights the enduring influence of these leaders, recognising their significant contributions not just within their organisations but also in shaping the future of the broader economy and society. Today’s CEOs are uniquely positioned to embrace transformative opportunities, including the integration of sustainable practices and a strong focus on diversity and inclusion. In response to mounting demands, many companies are advancing strategies to improve energy efficiency and lower their carbon footprint. This involves investing in renewable energy, optimising supply chains, and implementing circular economy principles to reduce waste and drive sustainability.

The adoption of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and automation is rapidly gaining momentum across industries, driven by the need to stay competitive in an increasingly digital world. UK CEOs are at the forefront of these efforts, leading initiatives to digitise their operations and harness the power of these technologies to transform their businesses. As a result, CEOs are not only optimising their current business models but also laying the groundwork for future growth and success in a technology-driven marketplace.

Attracting and retaining top talent remains a significant challenge for UK CEOs, who are increasingly adopting innovative strategies to tackle this persistent issue. In today’s competitive job market, leaders understand that fostering a highly engaged and motivated workforce is vital for sustained business success and growth. To meet this challenge, CEOs are implementing a range of initiatives aimed at boosting employee engagement and satisfaction. These efforts include providing robust career development programs with clear paths for advancement and opportunities for skill enhancement. By investing in employees’ professional growth, companies can more effectively align individual ambitions with organisational objectives.

Moreover, CEOs are focusing on creating a positive organisational culture that fosters a sense of belonging and purpose among employees. This involves promoting a supportive work environment where open communication, recognition, and work-life balance are prioritised. Initiatives such as flexible working arrangements, mental health support, and team-building activities are becoming integral to retaining talent and reducing turnover rates. By embracing these strategies, CEOs aim to attract top-tier candidates while also keeping current employees engaged and committed, ultimately contributing to a more resilient and dynamic organisation.

Entering the UK CEO of the Year Awards 2024 presents a unique opportunity for businesses and CEOs alike to showcase their successes and best practices. By participating, CEOs have the opportunity to receive well-earned appreciation, inspire their peers, and highlight their crucial role in driving economic growth. This is your chance to showcase your accomplishments and reveal the significant impact of your contributions to the wider business community.

Nominations are now open to individuals and third parties. Our team of experienced professionals will evaluate all nominees based on their quality and achievements. Our commitment to fairness ensures that all candidates are evaluated solely based on their successes and contributions to their respective industries. If you know a UK CEO that deserves acknowledgement for their outstanding capabilities, we encourage you to submit a nomination to ensure their accomplishments are celebrated.

FAQ's

How long has SME News been in circulation for?

SME News was first launched in 2017 making it one of AI Global Media’s newer publications. SME News is a quarterly magazine circulated to just over 78,000 recipients. The publication seeks to inform, entertain, influence and endorse the start-up and SME business culture in the UK. We aim to achieve this by providing quality editorial and rigorous research utilising a multimedia platform capable of targeting key stakeholders of dedicated advisers, experts and contributors.

SME News is owned by AI Global Media, a UK based publisher which has over 200 issues to its name since 2010.

Where did the nomination come from?

In the interest of nurturing an environment proven to produce a high response rate, we don’t ask nominees to reveal any personal identity. With regards to methodology, we often nominate candidates ourselves and, when it comes to voting, if you didn’t cast a vote through a self-submission, it is likely to have been cast via a colleague or client who has received one of our direct invitations.

One of the main mantras of our awards system is that your ability to succeed is not linked to the number of votes received, meaning your award is presented purely on merit. In the interest of security and fairness, we track unusual behaviour on our website to identify repeat votes and cyber-threats.

What happens if I agree to be shortlisted?

In the interest of focusing our efforts on relevant and eager candidates, we ask all nominees to accept their position on the shortlist giving people complete control in the decision on whether they would like to move forward with the award. Nominees who accept are subject to our scrutiny during the internal vetting procedure and are given the opportunity to present their own data to be considered alongside information collated by our research team. This can take up to 8 weeks for final assessments to be rendered.

Who makes the final decision?

We employ an entirely impartial panel of 5 individuals to conduct all research. At the helm of the panel, is a veteran academic leader with international academic and training experience and is well versed in research, fact-checking and mediation. SME News’ research is overseen by Martyn Walters, who holds a master’s in history and experience in coaching, sales and hospitality.

This two-tiered system allows for a neutral mediator which we feel allows a more efficient method when determining individuals and companies most deserving of winning an award and has brought us much success and commendation throughout its use.

Is there a winner’s ceremony/award dinner and if so, when does it take place?

The short answer is, no.

We decided to not focus our efforts on a celebratory event. Despite being an enjoyable occasion, it doesn’t support our group’s philosophy of cost-effective marketing. We follow the belief that optional costs associated with an award are better placed in a year’s worth of online marketing for the winner rather than spending large sums on a ceremonial evening.

Our press announcements are made digitally, online and across our network to enforce our position as digital publishers. We aim to provide you with the tools (both digital and physical) to generate real-world value.

What happens if I am deemed successful?

After you have been notified we enforce a short press embargo while the programme manager will liaise with you to establish your preferred method of coverage. Generally, our coverage takes the form of a digital celebratory magazine, we also offer physical trophies, wall mounted certificates and plaques and digital certificates, web-based advertisements and press releases which can be custom designed for you or your company.

Are there any costs involved?

As mentioned there are no compulsory costs in accepting a nomination or winning an award with SME News. We do offer a variety of paid additional benefits for our winners, but these are completely optional. To demonstrate our commitment to no mandatory fees, all our winners are offered a free of charge promotional package. Our company policy will always remain: regardless of budget, our clients should always be able to garner the full value of the award and our seal of approval. We offer a variety of promotional opportunities to our winners, as we have an extensive network and we know, more than anyone, the wider business benefits from promoting industry awards.

Why does your email domain differ from your website domain?

Because we send a large volume of emails, we separate our campaign email sends from our transactional ones. This structure helps to ensure a prompt and thorough response from one of our diligent team members. The sending email address will always be recognisable but please contact us via the address on this page if you have any concerns.

Methodology

Researching nominees

The SME News team work ardently to identify market leaders, innovators and enterprising start-ups, driving many of the nominations themselves.

We also encourage external nominations via the SME News subscribers, online visitors, social media followers, clients and wider circulation.

Nominating parties are invited to put forward either third-party businesses whom they hold in high regard, or their own organisation.

Shortlisting nominees

All nominees are formally requested to accept their nomination. Should any firm or individual rather decline at this point, they are simply taken out of the running.

Those formally accepting are given the opportunity to submit additional materials in support of their nomination. Although there is no obligation to complete and supply material, we have found that many nominees value this stage, in the process, as much as our research team do.

Evaluating and judging

Our dedicated research team will assess all information presented to them.

The team gather information independently from a variety of publicly accessible sources, which are assessed alongside any material supplied by a nominating party or the nominee themselves.

The research team casts their final judgment, based on various criteria including: client dedication, innovation, business growth, longevity, online reputation, customer feedback and business performance.

Our deserving winners

Once winners are determined, they are personally notified before any public announcement is made, allowing time for any communications throughout the wider business and the coordination of marketing strategies.

Unfortunately, not everyone can be a winner; however, all who take part are encouraged to come back next year.

Once the press embargo is lifted, details of our SME award winners will be made public via the website, award winners’ magazine and subscriber newsletter.

Making the most

We are prepared to offer a range of promotional packages and items to SME award winners, which vary from inclusion in the free-of-charge winners’ directory, to trophies, content in our magazine and on our website.

We encourage all winners to publicly announce their win independently. Announcements via company websites, social media, via publicly released press releases, and through local and national press are all great ways of maximising the exposure which can be gained from such an amazing achievement. If you have need of further advice, on how to gain maximum exposure from your win, please feel free to get in touch. We are happy to assist our clients with their needs.

CEO of the Year Awards (2024)