Best Investor Communication Award

sponsored by Emperor

 
The 2024 shortlist:

AB Dynamics plc

AB Dynamics is an international group of companies operating in the automotive sector, and is a global leader in the provision of automotive test solutions, aiding in developing safer, efficient, and sustainable vehicles. The group is based in Wilshire and its customers include the top 25 global vehicle manufacturers, tier 1 suppliers, all 8 Euro NCAP laboratories, numerous global test facilities and autonomous vehicle developers.

ABD has been regularly shortlisted in this category for its engaging, transparent and consistent investor communication. The group also received positive feedback for the site visit recently held for investors.

ESG: ABD’s core purpose is to accelerate customers to Net Zero and improve road safety. The group is a Living Wage accredited employer and has obtained an ‘AAA’ MSCI rating. ABD has calculated a full baseline of carbon emissions and has set a target to become carbon neutral by 2030.  

Cohort plc

Cohort is the parent company of six innovative, agile and responsive businesses providing a wide range of services and products for British and international customers in defence, security and related markets. The group is headquartered in Reading, Berkshire.

Cohort’s investor communications were summarised by the Voting Panel as ‘most improved’. The group’s long-term strategy was observed to be well presented and its investor content was described as highly accessible. 

ESG: Cohort contributes to the security of the UK by providing equipment and services that protect armed forces and deter aggression. The group actively supports STEM through outreach in schools and colleges. Carbon reduction plans are continually being developed and adopted throughout all its UK sites, including offering electric car leasing schemes to employees.  

CVS Group plc

Norfolk-based CVS Group is a provider of veterinary services across the UK and Australia. The group has around 500 veterinary practices across its four markets, including 9 specialist-led referral hospitals and 40 dedicated out-of-hours sites. 

CVS Group was one of the top performers in the benchmarking exercise conducted in this category. The group’s branding across its investor communications is strong and it was observed that both positive and adverse news is very well communicated to the market. 

ESG: CVS group works with its network of over 300 Environment Champions on ESG progress. Activities include improvements to waste management systems, installation of energy efficient appliances, the training of 470 Mental Health First Aid employees and providing a knowledge hub of 700 programmes to 8,000+ colleagues. 

hVIVO plc

hVIVO is a rapidly growing specialist contract research organisation (CRO) and the world leader in testing infectious and respiratory disease vaccines and therapeutics using human challenge clinical trials. The group is based in London and has a broad global client base of biopharma companies.
 

hVIVO is another regular on the Best Investor Communication shortlist. The group’s Capital Markets Days are well received and can be viewed via video content from the investor website. The group maintains consistent and engaging dialogue with stakeholders.
 

ESG: hVIVO is committed to being a responsible business and plays a pivotal role in improving global health by supporting the clinical development of medical products. The group recognises the importance of continuous improvement in ESG and is undertaking several initiatives including ISO 14001 implementation and engaging suppliers on its ESG performance.  

Loungers plc

Loungers is a substantial and growing operator in the UK hospitality sector. The group is based in Bristol and, as of May 2024, operated 262 sites in England and Wales across three distinct but complementary brands; Lounge, Cosy Club and Brightside. 

Loungers has made good use of Investor Meet and other retail investor platforms to enable retail investors to view and ask questions on the interim and full year financial results presentations, which has resulted in a positive uptake from investors.

ESG: Loungers sustainability strategy, entitled “The Good Stuff”, is focused on building a loyal customer and employee base, whilst helping those who need it most in their local communities. The group is also targeting to be Net Zero by 2040.  

Tracsis plc

Tracsis is a leading provider of software, hardware, data analytics/GIS and services for the rail, traffic data and wider transport industries. The group is based in Leeds and has around 550 employees serving its growing customer base from offices in the UK, Ireland and the US.

Tracsis uses video content to provide investors with an overview and demonstration of its UK Rail Technology product offerings. The group has a strong Annual Report containing a solid investment case.

ESG: Tracsis is fully committed to delivering sustainable growth that benefits the communities in which it operates.  The group has established ISO certified management systems in Quality, Environment and Information Security.  

Best Use of AIM Award

sponsored by Winterflood Securities

The 2024 shortlist:

Cavendish Financial plc

London-based Cavendish is a trusted advisor to both public and private companies across various industry sectors. The group delivers expert services in equity capital markets, M&A, debt advisory, and private growth capital. 

Following the merger of Cenkos and finnCap in September 2023, Cavendish has delivered transformative results.  During the period, the group raised over £180m of equity capital for its clients and completed public M&A transactions with a value of £1.5bn. 

ESG: Post-merger, Cavendish remains committed to operating sustainably and contributing to its communities. It offsets its emissions, seeks to reduce its environmental impacts through policies such as zero-to-landfill waste, and promotes a number of DEI initiatives.  

Ensilica plc

Based in Oxford, EnSilica is a leading fabless supplier of complex mixed signal ASIC to OEMs and system houses. The group has world-class expertise in designing and supplying custom RF, mmWave, mixed signal and digital ICs to its international customers in the automotive, industrial, healthcare and communications markets.

In December 2023, EnSilica announced a fundraise of £1.56m to support its growing sales pipeline. The equity raised will support the group’s burgeoning business prospects, given its projected sales pipeline of $360m, in addition to expanding its operational footprint internationally.

ESG: Ensilica has adopted the QCA Code and made a number of environmental and social commitments. It is working to gain the ISO14001 environmental management accreditation and has committed to measuring its direct carbon footprint.   

FRP Advisory Group plc

FRP Advisory is a leading national business advisory firm based in London. The group delivers strategic solutions across a broad range of situations and specialises in forensics, corporate finance, debt, restructuring and financial advisory. 

Since the group’s IPO in March 2020, FRP Advisory has utilised AIM in a number of ways to benefit its multiple stakeholders. This innovative use of AIM has resulted in an increased market capitalisation from £190m to over £325m.

ESG: FRP is committed to enhancing its environmental and social impact, achieving a Silver EcoVadis rating. It continues to develop its strategy around GHG emission reduction, having cut Scope 1 emissions by 55% setting targets for Scope 2 emission reduction and enhancing its Scope 3 calculations.    

Onward Opportunities Limited

Onward Opportunities is a London-based investment company recently launched by Dowgate Wealth. The group seeks to generate absolute returns of at least 15% per annum through its investments in UK smaller companies.

Since launch, Onward Opportunities has consistently championed capital back into the market. The fund outperformed the UK AIM All-Share by +24.3% during the period and its investment performance has consistently been in the top quartile. 

ESG: Onward Opportunities has integrated core governance principles since its listing. It follows the AIC Corporate Governance Code, has developed foundational policies e.g. whistleblowing, data protection and adherence to principles of appropriate ESG policies exists at both Company and investment level. 

Property Franchise Group plc

Bournemouth-based Property Franchise Group is the UK’s largest multi-brand lettings and estate agency franchising group. The company has a portfolio of outstanding estate and letting agency brands including Belvoir, Fine and Country and Mortgage Advice Bureau.

Property Franchise Group demonstrated its successful use of the market after completing two successful transactions this year. The group merged with Belvoir in March 2024 and followed up this transformative deal with the acquisition of The Guild and Fine & Country in June 2024..

ESG: The Property Franchise Group has integrated its recently acquired businesses into its ESG Governance forums up to Board level. It has set an ambition to mobilise its Net Zero strategy by calculating a full baseline of its emissions this year.  

SigmaRoc plc 

London-based SigmaRoc is a lime and minerals group targeting quarried materials assets in the UK and Northern Europe. The group purchases assets in fragmented materials markets and extracts efficiencies by forming the assets into larger groups.

Sigmaroc was last year’s winner of the Best Use of AIM Award. The group continues to use the market effectively, as demonstrated by its £200m equity fundraise used to partly fund its $1.1bn acquisition of the European lime operations of CRH plc, resulting in another transformational year for SigmaRoc.

ESG: SigmaRoc is committed to sustainable growth underpinned by a robust, data-driven ESG strategy. It has developed a detailed roadmap to becoming a Net Zero business by 2040. 79% of its business is ISO certified, covering at least one of Quality Management, Environment Management and Health and Safety Management. 

Best Technology Award

sponsored by Cavendish

The 2024 shortlist:

ActiveOps plc

Reading-based ActiveOps is a global SaaS provider helping large enterprises achieve more with their service operations. The group’s decision intelligence software blends AI and human intelligence to deliver the most complete and useful set of predictive and prescriptive insights.

ActiveOps has over 15 years of operational data at its disposal, to inform the development of its Decision Intelligence tools and train its AI algorithms. Decision Intelligence allows the group’s customers to reduce overtime, reduce temporary hires, balance workloads and manage employee wellbeing. 

ESG: Activeops continues to adopt a formal approach to managing ESG and is in the process of aligning activities with the GRI framework and appropriately selected standards.  The group has committed to defining more formal targets for their sustainability practices in 2025.  

Concurrent Technologies plc

Concurrent Technologies is a designer and manufacturer of leading-edge computer products, systems and mission critical solutions used in high-performance markets by some of the world’s major OEMs. The group is based in Colchester, Essex.

Concurrent technologies has enjoyed significant growth over the last few years. The group secured eight major design wins across US, UK, Europe and Asia Pacific during the period, in addition to winning its largest ever contract to date of $6m with a major US Defence & Aerospace prime contractor, providing validation to its technology. 

ESG: Concurrent has made significant progress with its ESG journey in recent years. Its key focus has been on employee engagement and welfare, making investments in training and development, and a targeted cultural transformation programme.   

Craneware Group plc

Craneware Group is the market leader in automated value cycle solutions. The group collaborates with US healthcare providers to plan, execute, and monitor operational and financial performance so they can continue to deliver quality care to their communities.

Craneware’s Trisus platform is a sophisticated cloud-delivered data aggregation and intelligence platform. It combines revenue integrity, cost management, 340B performance, and decision enablement into a single, SaaS-based platform. The group signed a landmark collaboration with Microsoft for its Trisus offerings earlier this year. 

ESG: The Craneware Cares programme focuses on supporting employee communities. The group donated to 30 different local charities in 2023.  Craneware is committed to being a net zero business, has 47% women across its business and 3 women on its board. 

Creo Medical Group plc

Chepstow-based Creo Medical is a medical device company focused on the development and commercialisation of minimally invasive electrosurgical devices, bringing advanced energy to endoscopy.

Creo Medical successfully brought to market the CROMA Advanced Energy platform. This platform is powered by Kamaptive Technology which provides clinicians with increased flexibility, precision and controlled surgical solutions and has the potential to change the landscape of surgery and endoscopy.

ESG: Creo Medical Group has achieved the environment management ISO 14001 accreditation. The Group DEI strategy focuses on gender diversity, and they provide mental health support to employees as well as allowing hybrid working.  

Eagle Eye Solutions Group plc 

London-based Eagle Eye is a leading SaaS company enabling retail, travel, and hospitality brands, such as John Lewis and Pret a Manger, to earn the loyalty of their end customers by powering their real-time, omnichannel, and personalised consumer marketing activities.

The group’s cloud-based platform, Eagle Eye AIR, provides the most flexible and scalable loyalty and promotions capability in the world. The group plans to launch a growing number of EagleAI offerings, including 'Personalised Flyer', an AI powered personalised digital flyer in 2025.

ESG: Eagle Eye is a virtual-first business with a people-first culture. The group tracks and reports against a range of ESG KPIs such as energy consumption, gender pay gap and Board independence. 

Microlise Group plc

Nottingham-based Mircolise is a leading provider of transport management solutions to enterprise customers. The group’s proprietary technology solutions address very complex needs for transport companies. 

Microlise automates and optimises critical processes such as scheduling, routing, driver performance monitoring and resource allocation, while providing valuable, actionable real-time data. The group’s technology offering supports the entire transport arm of a logistics operation, which has led to UK market dominance.

ESG: Microlise has enhanced its governance frameworks and risk, financial, and operating controls. The group’s focus is upon transitioning to a sustainable, low-carbon future, while supporting clients with their decarbonisation strategies. 

Diversity Champion Award

sponsored by Addidat

The 2024 shortlist:

Flowtech FluidPower plc

Wilmslow-based Flowtech Fluidpower is the largest supplier of fluid power products, systems and solutions in the UK, Ireland and Benelux. The group works across all industry sectors, serving the needs of its customers who are designing, building, maintaining and improving industrial plant, equipment and operations.

Diversity and inclusion is a key pillar of the group’s ESG strategy. Last year Flowtech Fluidpower reinvigorated its Group Leadership Team and now has a 50/ 50 ratio of male to female, in addition to welcoming a number of women into senior management roles.

ESG: Flowtech Fluidpower is working towards a full TCFD disclosure to be issued with its FY24 annual report. The group invests in young talent through an apprenticeship scheme and also supports local schools and charities.  

Kooth plc

Kooth has grown to become one of the largest and most trusted providers of digital mental health in the UK. The group is contracted by more than 90% of NHS England CCGs to support the mental health needs of children and young people. 

Kooth has created Diversity Working Groups for Menopause, LGBTQIA+, Neurodiversity and Race. The group is proud of its female representation throughout the business, which is 33% female at board level.  73% of women are in management positions. 

ESG: Social values are a priority for Kooth and are incorporated into the business model. The group is a UN Global Compact participant, reports alignment to the UN SDGs and is developing a carbon reduction strategy having established its emissions baseline.  

Lords Group Trading plc

Lords Group Trading is a specialist distributor of building, plumbing, heating and DIY goods, based in London. The group principally sells to local tradesmen, small to medium sized plumbing and heating merchants, construction companies and retails directly to the general public.

Lords remains committed to driving diversity across the group by bringing in fresh talent and has pledged to employ 50 apprentices by 2030, as part of the BMF’s initiative to promote apprenticeships in the industry.

ESG: Sustainability is a priority for LGT, it has formalised its ESG governance structure and hired an ESG manager. In 2024, it published its updated environmental policy and continues to focus on reducing its carbon footprint.   

Pebble Group plc

Based in Manchester, The Pebble Group is a provider of digital commerce products and related services to the global promotional products industry. The group is comprised of two differentiated businesses, Facilisgroup and Brand Addition.

The Pebble Group is the first AIM company to be awarded The RACE Equality Code Quality Mark, acknowledging its commitment to DEI. This award has not only validated the group’s efforts but also allowed the business to further refine its DEI strategy. 

ESG: The Pebble group has a comprehensive approach to all core aspects of ESG. The group has two women in senior positions on its board, 56% women in leadership positions and achieved a B in CDP.  

Personal Group Holdings plc

Milton-Keynes based Personal Group is a workforce benefits and services provider. The group enables employers across the UK to improve employee engagement and support their people's physical, mental, social, and financial wellbeing. 

DEIB has been identified as an integral part of Personal Group’s objective of providing a welcoming and inclusive working environment. The group’s 2023 employee survey found that 87% of its people felt positively that Personal Group was a diverse and inclusive place to work.

ESG: Personal Group has 3 women on its board, all in senior positions and 50% women in leadership. The group links ESG performance to its executive pay and is a certified disability confident employer.  

M&C Saatchi plc

London-based M&C Saatchi is a worldwide creative solutions company. The group operates across five global specialisms: Advertising, Consulting, Issues, Passions, and PR & Media. 

M&C Saatchi believes in Diversity of Thought. Similar people think similar thoughts. Diversity of people creates diversity of thought. The group’s “In The Loop” survey in June 2023 included 59% under-represented gender identities and 20% of employees from under-represented ethnicities.

ESG: The group aligns its ESG strategy with the UNSDGs and has SBTi validated emissions reductions targets and is now working towards establishing a full net zero target. 

AIM Transaction of the Year Award

sponsored by HSBC Innovation Banking

The 2024 shortlist:

AOTI, Inc.

AOTI is based in California and Galway, Ireland. The group is a medical technology company focussed on the durable healing of wounds and prevention of amputations. 

AOTI was the first company in the Healthcare Sector to IPO in the UK in 2024. The IPO raised a total of £35m, giving the group a market cap of £140m at admission, making the transaction the largest AIM IPO since February 2022.

ESG: Aoti seeks to have a positive impact on the communities in which it operates, for example by improving access to care. Internally, the group encourages staff to engage and give feedback and is ISO 13045 certified.  

Concurrent Technologies plc

Concurrent Technologies is a designer and manufacturer of leading-edge computer products, systems and mission critical solutions used in high-performance markets by some of the world’s major OEMs. The group is based in Colchester, Essex.

Concurrent Technologies completed the acquisition of Phillips Aerospace for $3.375m in September 2023. The acquisition significantly enhanced the group’s capabilities in addition to providing a manufacturing base in California from which to access the substantial US market. 

ESG: Concurrent has made significant progress with its ESG journey in recent years. Its key focus has been on employee engagement and welfare, making investments in training and development, and a targeted cultural transformation programme.  

GlobalData plc

London-based GlobalData provides business information in the form of high-quality proprietary data, analytics, and insights to multiple sectors. The group’s vision is to be the leading data, analytics, and insights platform for the world’s largest industries.

GlobalData partnered with Inflexion Private Equity Partners at the end of last year to carve out its Healthcare division as a standalone entity in a transaction valuing that business at £1.1bn. The deal provided Inflexion with a 40% stake in the business with the company receiving net proceeds of around £434m.

ESG: Globaldata discloses its gender pay gap and focuses DEI efforts on a range of areas including ethnicity, gender and LGBT+. The group reports its carbon emissions, undertakes carbon reduction activities and has set a net zero target year of 2050. 

Property Franchise Group plc

Bournemouth-based Property Franchise Group is the UK’s largest multi-brand lettings and estate agency franchising group. The company has a portfolio of outstanding estate and letting agency brands including Belvoir, Fine and Country and Mortgage Advice Bureau.

Property Franchise Group merged with its biggest rival, Belvoir, in March 2024 creating a £214m business. The combined geographic footprints provide scale and diversification for the group combined with high levels of recurring revenue.

ESG: The Property Franchise Group has integrated its recently acquired businesses into its ESG Governance forums up to Board level. It has  an ambition to mobilise its Net Zero strategy by calculating a full baseline of its emissions this year.  

SigmaRoc plc

London-based SigmaRoc is a lime and minerals group targeting quarried materials assets in the UK and Northern Europe. The group purchases assets in fragmented materials markets and extracts efficiencies by forming the assets into larger groups.

In November 2023, Sigmaroc acquired the European lime operations of CRH plc, partly funded by  a £200m equity fundraise in challenging equity markets.. Given the size of the transformational deal, the acquisition was considered to be a reverse takeover. 

ESG: SigmaRoc has developed a detailed roadmap to becoming a Net Zero business by 2040. 79% of its business is ISO certified, covering at least one of Quality Management, Environment Management and Health and Safety Management.  

Young & Co’s Brewery plc

Young & Co’s principal activities are the management and operation of pubs. The group has 288 managed pubs and one tenanted pub, principally located in London and the South of England.

In March this year, Young & Co completed its acquisition of City Pub Group in a transaction worth £162m. The deal represented a rare opportunity to increase its managed trading estate in addition to expanding its footprint to new geographic areas, including Cambridge and Norwich.

ESG: Young & Co is improving employee retention by creating growth opportunities, in addition to offering flexible working and developing health and wellbeing initiatives. The group has pledged a £150k community fundraising target for this year. 

AIM Corporate Governance Award

sponsored by One Advisory

The 2024 shortlist:

Johnson Service Group plc

Cheshire-based Johnson Service Group provides textile rental and related services across a range of sectors throughout the UK and the Republic of Ireland.  The group is the leading supplier of work wear and protective wear in the UK in addition to providing premium linen services for the UK hotel market.

JSG is committed to high standards of corporate governance which it believes is critical to achieving business integrity. The group has adopted the Financial Reporting Council’s UK Corporate Governance Code 2018, the key principles of which are detailed in JSG’s Annual Report.

ESG: JSG’s data-driven “Johnsons Way” sustainability strategy underpins the wider business strategy and has set a number of 2030 targets across E, S and G, including 40% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 emissions.  

Keystone Law Group plc

London-based Keystone Law is an award-winning, full-service law firm with an innovative model that enables bespoke legal advice. The group is widely considered a legal pioneer and the catalyst for change in the sector.

Keystone Law has continued to comply with the Quoted Companies Alliance Corporate Governance Code 2018 throughout the year and plans to review internal policies and procedures to ensure it is compliant with the updated QCA Code 2023 in line with its effective date.

ESG: Keystone Law is a certified carbon neutral company, offsetting via verified carbon projects, and has implemented carbon reduction activities. The group champions change in communities through volunteering and charity giving.  

Pebble Group plc

Based in Manchester, The Pebble Group is a provider of digital commerce products and related services to the global promotional products industry. The group is comprised of two differentiated businesses, Facilisgroup and Brand Addition.

One of the group’s ESG cornerstones, ‘Responsible Leadership’ ensures that The Pebble Group is committed to effective corporate governance and that this remains a strategic priority at Board level. The Pebble Group aligns and complies in full with the QCA Code and has implemented a number of initiatives that reflect its proactive stance in evolving governance.

ESG: The Pebble Group has 4 clear ESG cornerstones: advancing sustainability, empowering its people, community engagement and responsible leadership. The group has two women in senior positions on its board and 56% women in leadership positions.  

Sanderson Design Group plc

London-based Sanderson Design Group is an international luxury interior furnishings company that designs, manufactures and markets wallpapers and fabrics together with a wide range of ancillary interior products.

Sanderson Design Group recognises that good corporate governance enhances its decision-making processes, improves the success of the company and increases shareholder value. The group formally adopted the Quoted Companies Alliance’s Corporate Governance Code in June 2018. 

ESG: Sustainability is at the heart of Sanderson Design Group’s strategy, implemented via its Live Beautiful strategy in 2021 and covers E, S and G aspects. The group has gender parity on its board, including two females in senior positions and a median gender pay gap of 6%.  

System1 Group plc

London-based System1 helps the world’s largest advertisers make confident creative decisions that lead to transformational business results. The group’s advertising and idea tests measure emotion to give the most accurate predictions of the business impact of creativity.

The Board of Directors at System1 are committed to complying with both the letter and the spirit of the QCA Code. The scope of the group’s governance covers the interests of its shareholders, lenders, employees, clients, suppliers and it endeavours to be fair and transparent in its dealings and communications with all stakeholders.

ESG: System1 Group launched a new ESG strategy this year and developed a comprehensive plan to measure, reduce and offset its carbon footprint. The group is implementing a range of initiatives such as Mental Health Awareness training and a Mental Health Network. 

Tatton Asset Management plc

Cheshire-based Tatton Asset Management provides on-platform only discretionary fund management, regulatory, compliance and business consulting services, as well as a whole of market mortgage provision, to Directly Authorised financial advisers across the UK. 

The group is committed to achieving high standards of corporate governance, integrity and business ethics. Tatton Asset Management has taken into consideration the guidance for smaller quoted companies in the QCA Code, which provides a sound foundation of governance and supports the group in delivering its strategy and ethical approach.

ESG: In addition to its Ethical Portfolio investment offering, ESG is integral to Tatton Asset Management’s business model. The group has started to report its GHG emissions, ahead of regulatory requirements, and continues to take action to reduce its carbon footprint. 

AIM Growth Business of the Year Award

sponsored by BGF

The 2024 shortlist:

Ashtead Technology Holdings plc

Based in Aberdeen, Ashtead Technology is a leading subsea equipment rental and solutions provider for the global offshore energy sector.. The group’s offering is applicable across the lifecycle of offshore wind farms and offshore oil and gas infrastructure. 

During the period Ashtead reported group revenue had increased 51% to £110.5m. This was driven by strong organic growth and M&A, including the full year impact of Ashtead’s WeSubsea and Hiretech acquisitions in 2022, and its ACE Winches acquisition completed in November 2023. 

ESG: Ashtead’s sustainability approach is aligned to the UNSDGs and the group have obtained ISO accreditations for health and safety management, environment management and quality assurance.  

Filtronic plc 

Based in County Durham, Filtronic designs and manufactures RF-to-mmWave components and subsystems for mission-critical communication networks. The group’s products are critical to a range of challenging applications including telecommunications infrastructure, aerospace and defence, space, test & measurement, and critical communications.

Filtronic had a transformational year, with share price increasing by 381% between August 2023 to July 2024 (from 16p to 77p). The group has announced £34.9m worth of new contracts, a commercial tie-up with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, and revenue and EBITDA ahead of market expectations in its June 2024 trading update.

ESG: This year, Filtronic invested in energy-efficient machinery and three out of its four sites use 100% sustainable energy. The group actively supports local STEM education and has launched a new apprenticeship programme.  

Jet2 plc

Leeds-based Jet2 is a leading leisure travel group, specialising in low fares from its award-winning airline, Jet2.com, and package holidays from Jet2holidays. The group offers customers holidays in over 70 sun, city and ski destinations across Europe.

Jet2’s FY2024 results reported further progress had been made against its growth strategy and the group delivered record passenger numbers, revenues and profitability. Seat capacity increased 10%, overall group revenue increased 24% to £6255m and there was an increase in group profit before FX revaluation and taxation of 33% to £520m.

ESG: Jet2’s sustainability commitment includes purchasing 146 of the cleanest and quietest aircraft in its class today and striving for at least 15% total Sustainable Aviation Fuel in its fuel mix, which has 80% lower life cycle emissions than conventional fuel.  

Loungers plc

Loungers is a substantial and growing operator in the UK hospitality sector. The group is based in Bristol and, as of May 2024, operated 262 sites in England and Wales across three distinct but complementary brands; Lounge; Cosy Club; and Brightside. 

Loungers enjoyed significant milestones during the period in addition to achieving record revenues of £353.5m and record Adjusted EBITDA of £59.6m. This impressive performance was driven by the opening of a record number of new sites, in addition to like for like sales growth of 7.5%.

ESG: Loungers sustainability strategy, entitled “The Good Stuff”, is focused on building a loyal customer and employee base, whilst helping those who need it most in their local communities. The group is also targeting to be Net Zero by 2040.  

Warpaint London plc

Based in Buckinghamshire, Warpaint sells branded cosmetics under the lead brand names of W7 and Technic. W7 is sold in the UK primarily to major retailers and internationally to local distributors or retail chains.  

Warpaint’s interim results for the six months to end June 2024 showed a significant growth in sales, margins and profit, resulting in another record first half for the group. Sales increased by 25% to £45.8m in H1 2024, UK revenue increased by 17% to £15.5m and international revenue increased by 30% to £30.3m.

ESG: Warpaint has adopted a sustainability strategy focusing on four key pillars namely the plant, products, people and performance. The group reports its full carbon footprint in line with SECR, is undertaking carbon reduction activities and has established a net zero target year of 2050.

Yu Group plc

Nottingham-based Yu Group is driving innovation in energy and utility supply solutions for UK businesses. Trading under the brand Yu Energy, the group’s multi-utility offer spans electricity, gas, water and other solutions for business customers across the UK.

Yu Group has experienced exceptional organic growth in revenues over the past few years. The business made an impressive recovery from a setback in 2018 to become the fastest growing supplier of gas and electricity meters with a meter point growth of 109% versus 2022 and revenue growth up 65% on 2022.

ESG: Yu Group has a sustainability strategy that incorporates sustainable energy solutions as part of its utilities offering, as well as considering business impacts on people and planet. The group offers 100% renewable electricity and carbon neutral gas plans to customers. 

Best Newcomer Award

sponsored by Modular Finance 

The 2024 shortlist:

AOTI, Inc.

AOTI is based in California and Galway, Ireland. The group is a medical technology company focussed on the durable healing of wounds and prevention of amputations. 

AOTI was the first company in the Healthcare Sector to IPO in the UK this year. The group listed in June 2024 raising a total of £35m, giving the group a market cap of £140m at admission, making it the largest AIM IPO since February 2022.

ESG: Aoti seeks to have a positive impact on the communities in which it operates, by improving access to care. Internally, the group encourages staff to engage and give feedback and the group is ISO 13045 certified.    

European Green Transition plc

European Green Transition is based in London and Dublin. The group is focussed on building high-quality green economy assets in Europe to capitalise on the enormous opportunities created by the energy transition. 

EGT listed on AIM in April this year, raising £6.5m in its IPO. The group’s market cap on admission was around £14.5m at the placing price of 10p. Since float, EGT’s share price has increased by 40%, positioning the group well for continued future growth.

ESG: EGT is a member of Svemin, a Swedish mining association who require commitment to their ‘ethical rules’, which include environmental protection, community engagement and staff training. 

Helix Exploration plc

London-based Helix Exploration is a helium exploration company with operations in Montana, North America. The group’s focus is to discover and develop new sources of economically viable, primary helium. 

Helix Exploration listed its shares on AIM in April 2024, with gross proceeds of £7.5m at the issue price of 10p.. The IPO was well oversubscribed and since listing, the share price has  increased 180%. The group has continued to perform post IPO and recently announced a second acquisition.

ESG: Helium plays an important role in the global green transition via technological advances. Since listing, Helix Exploration has integrated core governance principles in alignment with the QCA code principles.  

MicroSalt plc

London-based MicroSalt® has achieved a breakthrough patented technology in salt production that delivers a natural salt with 50% less sodium, yet 100% of the flavour. The group’s mission is to deliver food technology solutions that enable people to live a long and healthy life.

MicroSalt plc was the first AIM IPO of 2024 and is another successful spin out from AIM listed tech incubator, Tekcapital plc. The group raised £3.1mat 43p in its IPO, which completed in February 2024, giving the group a market cap of £18.5m. Post listing the group’s share price has tripled. 

ESG: Microsalt has taken its first steps in promoting an ethical corporate culture via formal policies and guidelines including whistleblowing and anti-bribery and corruption. 

Entrepreneur of the Year Award

sponsored by Octopus Investments

The 2024 shortlist:

Henrik Bang/Netcall plc

Henrik Bang joined Netcall in January 2004 as CEO and was appointed Non-Executive Chairman in January 2024. Previously he was Vice President in GN Netcom 1999-2004, part of the Danish OMX listed GN Great Nordic Group. Before that he held a number of international management positions in IBM and AP Moller-Maersk Line. Henrik led the transformation of the business from a single technology product company servicing a niche market to a predominately cloud business with a broad customer base.

ESG: Netcall is committed to be carbon neutral by the end of 2026. Its interim Net Zero targets have been accredited by SBTi. Netcall has been awarded a Bronze medal by Ecovadis, is Real Living Wage accredited and receives top quartile engagement scores from its employee surveys. 

Sam Bazini & Eoin Macleod/Warpaint London plc

Sam started work in a cosmetics warehouse aged 16, supplementing his income by selling cosmetics directly to the public at numerous London street markets. He set up his own business aged 18 buying and selling close-out and end of line cosmetics and fragrance and formerly went into business with Eoin in 1992.

Eoin’s first introduction to the world of beauty was at the age of 14 through a Saturday job in an indoor market selling cosmetics and perfumes. He set up his own business selling fragrance directly to the public through London street markets as well as selling into the wholesale sector.  Together with Sam, Eoin developed the business which resulted in the formation of W7.

Over the past three years, revenue has increased from £50m to 90m, pre tax profits from £3.7m to £18.2m, and EPS from 3.7p to 18.1p

ESG: Warpaint has adopted a sustainability strategy focusing on four key pillars namely the plant, products, people and performance. The group reports its full carbon footprint in line with SECR, is undertaking carbon reduction activities and has established a net zero target year of 2050. 

Louis Hall/Cerillion plc

Louis Hall is the CEO and founder of Cerillion, having led the management buyout of the original business from Logica in 1999. Louis has worked in the enterprise software industry for over 25 years and prior to forming Cerillion held a number of product, sales and management positions at Logica. Under Louis’ leadership, Cerillion has established a reputation within the global telecoms market for being a leading supplier of carrier-grade, enterprise billing and CRM software, supporting fixed wire, mobile, broadband and TV communications service providers. Cerillion solutions are now used in circa 80 customer installations across circa 45 countries.

ESG: Cerillion has a range of environmental and social initiatives in place including, reporting emissions across all scopes, working with ISO:14001 accredited data centre providers, and providing independent help for employees on mental health, financial and legal issues. 

Paul Hogarth/Tatton Asset Management plc

Paul Hogarth is the CEO of Tatton Asset Management, in addition to being Senior Partner at Paradigm Partners Ltd, Chairman at Tatton Capital Group and Founder of Perspective Financial Group Limited. Paul has over 30 years’ experience in Financial Services the majority of which being at the centre of IFA distribution. Paul has over 30 years’ experience in Financial Services the majority of which being at the centre of IFA distribution. Paul was the Co-Founder of Bankhall in 1987, and following its development and sale, he went on to establish Paradigm Partners Ltd which launched in April 2007 and has since grown to become one of the UK’s top 5 distribution businesses. 

ESG: Tatton Asset Management has started to report its GHG emissions, ahead of regulatory requirements, and continues to take action to reduce its carbon footprint.  90% of its employees would recommend Tatton Asset Management as an employer, which is also reflected in its high staff retention rate of 86%.  

Yamin ‘Mo’ Khan/hVIVO plc

Mo is CEO of hVIVO with over 25 years of experience in clinical research and the CRO industry. Mo has worked as a consultant assisting CROs to develop growth strategies and helping prepare companies for future expansion, both organic and through M&A activity. In addition, Mo has worked with Private Equity firms providing insight in identifying potential targets and conducting due diligence in preparation for M&A activity. Prior to this Mo had a variety of senior roles at Pharm-Olam where he played a pivotal role in growing a small niche clinical monitoring business to a global full-service CRO with offices across all continents. In his time at Pharm-Olam Mo had leading roles in Clinical Operations, Project Management, Business Development and Executive Management functions. As a key member of the Executive Team Mo participated in the successful sale of the company in 2017.

ESG: hVIVO recognises the importance of continuous improvement in ESG and is undertaking several initiatives including ISO 14001 implementation and engaging suppliers on its ESG performance. 

Rob Weisz/Fonix plc

Rob has over 14 years’ experience across a range of Telecoms and Mobile interactive businesses such as iTouch PLC, Redstone, O2, Mobile Interactive Group, and Velti. He is currently the CEO of Fonix Interactive and has been responsible for overseeing some of the largest interactive campaigns in the UK. In 2009, Rob pioneered text donations for the UK charity sector, ensuring 100% outpayment across all mobile networks. For the year to end June 2024, Fonix revenue increased 17% to £76.1m, adjusted EBITDA increased 18.1% to £13.7m, and adjusted EPS rose 21.3% to 10.8p.

ESG: Fonix Mobile is committed to minimising its environmental impact by reducing energy consumption, increasing recycling, providing leadership training and encouraging sustainable travel options. Fonix also prioritises social responsibility by supporting employee wellbeing.  

Company of the Year Award

sponsored by WH Ireland

The 2024 shortlist:

Beeks Financial Cloud Group plc

Based in Renfrew, near Glasgow, Beeks Group is a leading managed cloud provider for the financial markets. The group’s Infrastructure-as-a-Service model is optimised for low-latency private cloud compute, connectivity and analytics, providing the flexibility to deploy and connect to exchanges, trading venues and public cloud for a true hybrid cloud experience.

During the period, Beeks Group delivered another set of record financial results in addition to reporting a further year of significant growth. The group widened its product portfolio, reported multiple earnings upgrades and delivered an impressive shareholder return.

ESG: In line with its core offering and client base, Beeks Group has a strong focus on governance and risk management. The group applies the QCA Corporate Governance Code and has achieved ISO 27001 data management accreditation. 

Cerillion plc

London-based Cerillion provides comprehensive billing, charging and CRM software solutions, predominantly to the telecommunications sector. The group has established a reputation within the global telecoms market for being a leading supplier of carrier-grade, enterprise billing and CRM software, supporting fixed wire, mobile, broadband and TV communications service providers.

This year Cerillion reported strong trading with record highs across all its major KPIs. In addition, the group’s new customer pipeline reached record levels, and it enjoyed a significant increase in new orders, reflecting strong customer demand. Cerillion’s recurring revenue was up 17% driven by higher SaaS revenue. 

ESG: Cerillion has a range of environmental and social initiatives in place including, reporting emissions across all scopes, working with ISO:14001 accredited data centre providers and providing independent help for employees on mental health, financial and legal issues. 

Jet2 plc

Leeds-based Jet2 is a leading leisure travel group, specialising in low fares from its award-winning airline, Jet2.com, and package holidays from Jet2holidays. The group offers customers holidays in over 70 sun, city and ski destinations across Europe.

The group’s results for the financial year recorded another year of strong performance. Jet2 group made good progress against its growth strategy, delivering record passenger numbers, revenues and profitability. Overall group revenue increased 24% and there was an increase in group profit before FX revaluation of 33%.

ESG: Jet2’s sustainability commitment includes purchasing 146 of the cleanest and quietest aircraft in its class today and striving for at least 15% total Sustainable Aviation Fuel in its fuel mix, which has 80% lower life cycle emissions than conventional fuel. 

Renew Holdings plc

Leeds-based Renew is a leading UK Engineering Services business, performing a critical role in keeping the nation's infrastructure functioning efficiently and safely. The group operates through independently branded subsidiaries across its chosen markets, delivering non-discretionary maintenance and renewal tasks.

During the period, Renew reported a record trading performance. The group’s M&A momentum continued with its acquisitions of TIS and Route One and Renew also enjoyed organic growth of 16.9%. Renew’s balance sheet continues to be strong with net cash anticipated to be ahead of market expectations.

ESG: Renew has a clear approach to sustainability, reporting against four key goals across environmental and social themes. The company has a Climate and Nature Steering Group and continues to surpass its target for supporting 50 STEM initiatives per year. 

Tatton Asset Management plc

Cheshire-based Tatton Asset Management provides on-platform only discretionary fund management, regulatory, compliance and business consulting services, as well as a whole of market mortgage provision, to Directly Authorised financial advisers across the UK. 

Tatton Asset Management has been a significant disruptor in the on-platform discretionary managed portfolio service space, delivering consistently strong growth for shareholders. During the period, the group’s revenue increased by 13.9%, while adjusted operating profit rose by 12.9%.

ESG: In addition to its Ethical Portfolio investment offering, ESG is integral to Tatton Asset Management’s business model. The group has started to report its GHG emissions, ahead of regulatory requirements, and continues to take action to reduce its carbon footprint.  

Warpaint London plc

Based in Buckinghamshire, Warpaint sells branded cosmetics under the lead brand names of W7 and Technic. W7 is sold in the UK primarily to major retailers, and internationally to local distributors or retail chains.  

Warpaint delivered impressive growth during the period, with the share price up 120%. The group’s interim results reported a significant growth in sales, margins and profit, resulting in another record first half for the group. Sales increased by 25%, UK revenue increased by 17% and international revenue increased by 30%.

ESG: Warpaint has adopted a sustainability strategy focusing on four key pillars namely the plant, products, people and performance. The group reports its full carbon footprint in line with SECR, is undertaking carbon reduction activities and has established a net zero target year of 2050.