Fast-growing insurance broker Brightside has been named the 2011 West of England Business of the Year.
The Bristol-based group, which was formed just 10 years ago with two staff, now employs more than 600 people in its head office and a string of call centres. Last year its turnover climbed by 48.1 per cent to £66.2m.
Judges for the prestigious Business of the Year Award, which has been staged by accountants PwC for 23 years, praised the quality of Brightside’s management team and its innovation. Among its brands are Commercial Vehicle Direct, One Business and One Bike, and it sells online through the eInsuranceGroup brands such as eCar, eBike and eLife.
Chief executive John Gannon accepted the award, the premier business accolade in the region, at a gala dinner at the Bristol City Centre Marriott last night attended by more than 250 business figures.
Brightside Group was up against a strong shortlist in the category for businesses turning over more than £25m, including Bristol Airport; Smiths News, the Swindon-based newspaper and magazine wholesaler; Avon Rubber, the Melksham-based specialist engineering group; Exeter-based airline Flybe and Pittards, the Yeovil-based leather manufacturers.
Judges said just four points separated the contenders.
Rick Stein’s The Seafood Restaurant won the award in the category for businesses with turnovers less than £25million or fewer than 100 employees, beating Bristol-based Magmatic - the firm behind the Trunki child’s ride-on suitcase – Corsham-based pharmaceutical firm Qualasept and Adey Professional Heating Solutions, based in Cheltenham.
