REPORT: CHINA BRITAIN AWARDS
http://www.insider.co.uk March 2020 INSIDER 93T
HREE companies, one
educational organisation
and an entrepreneur were
honoured as winners in
Scotland’s only China-focused
business awards.
The winners were announced
and presented at the China-Britain
Business Council’s Chinese Burns
Supper in Glasgow which was a
double celebration falling on Chinese
New Year’s Day and Burns Day.
The dinner was attended by 300
people, the biggest audience in the
three years the combined awards
dinner and Burns Supper has
been held. The winners in each
category were:
Chinese Investor of the Year -
Huawei Technologies
“The judges felt that the significant
growth of Huawei Technologies’
investment in Scotland in the past 12
months, coupled with its confirmed
expansion through 2020, merited
the award.”
Exporter of the Year - Calnex
Solutions
“Calnex Solutions is a fantastic
example of what a medium-sized
Scottish company is able to do
when it excels in a specialised
area – in its case the production
of testing equipment for the
telecommunications sector.
China Welcome of the Year -
Gretna Green
“Gretna Green’s concerted effort
over the past two years to apply
innovative measures to become more
welcoming to Chinese visitors caught
our attention. The transformation
Gretna Green has undergone has
borne commercial fruits: it now
creates an excellent and lasting
impression as the first stop for the
increasing number of Chinese
visitors travelling overland
into Scotland.”
Entrepreneur of the Year - Rachel
Jones, SnapDragon Monitoring
“Rachel’s passion for what
SnapDragon does is evident to
anyone that meets her. Her story
not only demonstrates her great
commercial acumen in seizing an
opportunity to enter an untapped
market, but also her ability to scale
up in short order.”
Innovation in Education -
Donghua Edinburgh Centre for
Creative Industries
“The calibre of submissions in this
category has risen year on year,making it an extremely challenging
one to judge. This year, the Donghua
Edinburgh Centre for Creative
Industries showcased a novel
approach to cross-cultural education- offering students in both countries
the opportunity to engage and
expand their own creative visions.”
Official figures show that exports
of goods from Scotland to China
quadrupled over the first nine
months of 2019 from the year before.
In congratulating the winners,
CBBC chair Sir Sherard Cowper-
Coles said: “It is fantastic to
see Scottish companies and
entrepreneurs seizing the China
opportunity to grow their businesses
and to create jobs here in Scotland.
“These awards demonstrate
just how attractive Scotland has
become as a destination for Chinese
investment, and as a place to visit for
Chinese tourists.”
There were a record number of
entries from the Scotland-China
business community this year, across
a wide variety of business sectors.
An independent jury selected the
eventual winners from a shortlist of
22 organisations.
Guests at the event enjoyed an
evening of Scottish-Chinese culture
including Burns poem To A Mouse
recited in the original by Ivan
McKee MSP, the trade minister, and
in Mandarin by Chinese Consul
General Ma Qiang.
The Address To The Haggis was
recited by turns in Mandarin by
James Brodie, the regional director of
the China Britain Business Council,
and in the original by Raymond
Tsang. There was also a performance
of music and dance by students from
the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Another notable feature of the
event was the presence of a colourful
and energetic lion dancer – a
tradition at Chinese celebrations –
which interacted with the guests. ■Scottish Business Insider is the
media partner of the China-Scotland
Business Awards.By KEN SYMONWINNERS
HAVE EXTRA
REASON TO
CELEBRATE
Above: The scene is
set for awards
Below: The dragon is
Chinese traditionBurns Supper
traditions are observed