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Cathay Pacific announces winners of 2010 Cathay Pacific China Business Awards

Wednesday 2, February 2011

 

Cathay Pacific announces winners of 2010 Cathay Pacific China Business Awards

 

Penguin Group (China), CRCC Asia and SMD Holdings were revealed today as winners of the 2010 Cathay Pacific China Business Awards. Introduced in 2005, these annual awards are designed to acknowledge and celebrate UK business dynamism and success in China and Hong Kong.

 

The three winning companies were selected from a pool of entries received from a range of sectors including commerce, construction, education, professional services and technology.

 

The achievements of the winning organisations were recognised by Cathay Pacific’s General Manager Europe, Angus Barclay, in an awards luncheon held at The Mandarin Oriental, London attended by leading business figures from the UK, Hong Kong and China.

 

The Continued Commitment Award was won by Penguin Group (China). The award recognises outstanding and continued commitment to Hong Kong and China, through past efforts or future projects, by an established UK based company. Penguin, which was founded in the UK in 1935, is one of the world’s largest publishing groups, publishing nearly 4,000 titles a year. The judges were highly impressed by Penguin’s long-standing commitment to opening up the world of English literature to the Chinese market, in particular their work with translators, 26 of which they now employ. Currently Penguin literature makes up over half of the shelf space for English language publications in key Chinese retailers. Penguin is also making a substantial investment in Chinese language publishing, and has provided training at its own expense for all six of Penguin’s co-publishers in China, a programme which includes trips to the UK to experience and learn from Penguin’s marketing methods, series development, and branding strategies.

 

Jo Lusby, Managing Director at Penguin China, said “We are honoured to receive the Continued Commitment Award. Penguin is committed to bringing the best of English writing to China, and vice versa, and we are delighted that our work in China has been recognised. We were particularly pleased that the judges highlighted the ethical and culturally sensitive nature of our work. We will continue to pursue our collaborative approach, working with Chinese publishers and training translators to help increase the flow of literature between the two countries, and one day we hope to count China among our biggest and most loyal markets.”

 

The Rising Stars Award was presented to Preston based textile company, SMD Holdings. This award acknowledges business dynamism and success by small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in Hong Kong and China.  Textile company SMD Holdings opened its Shanghai office in 2007, but now relies extensively on its Chinese supply chain. The company supplies textiles and readymade home products to retailers like Tesco, Asda and John Lewis, and Chinese purchases of their homeware have grown by 40% in the last year. SMD has been instrumental in introducing many of its Chinese suppliers into the British markets, particularly in assisting them to meet compliance with British Standard requirements. The judging panel felt that for a UK company to achieve success in a foreign market in such a short space of time in the current economic client was testament to the very spirit of dynamism worthy of winning this award.

 

Jason Kenworthy, Managing Director at SMD Group, said, “We’re delighted to have been chosen for the Rising Stars award, it's fantastic to be recognised for our work in building relationships and improving working processes in China. We're committed to continuing to help Chinese businesses improve their safety and working environments in line with the UK retailer standards 'SEDEX', helping to improve the production of high quality fabric in China. As a growing company, we plan to increase our offer in China by establishing a wholesale arm which will manufacture and distribute British designed products to the Chinese markets. We hope to launch our first range in 2011.”

 

The Cathay Pacific New Horizons Award recognises a single project or initiative that displays compelling evidence of dedication to China and/or Hong Kong through business innovation, research projects, or examples of environmental or corporate social responsibility activity. 

 

The judges selectedLondon recruitment firm CRCC Asia.  Founded in 2006, CRCC has already developed a network of offices in the UK and China and developed programmes to help Western employees transfer to the Chinese employment market in a seamless and effortless manner. CRCC operates out of offices in London, Beijing and Pennsylvania and its predominant business focus is its Beijing Internship Programme. CRCC places British and American students and graduates in one to two month internships with major companies in Beijing. The companies they work with include Chinese organisations like Orient Fund Management Company and Zhaopin.com as well as the Beijing offices of multinationals like PWC, Novartis and Ogilvy. CRCC equips its interns with all the skills necessary to flourish in the Chinese business environment, from beginner Mandarin to lessons in Chinese history. The judges felt that CRCC’s Internship Programme not only fostered business links between the UK, the US and China, but also helped to improve cross-cultural understanding between the West and the Far East.

 

Edward Holroyd Pearce, Director at CRCC Asia, commented “As a company we are honoured to have been acknowledged with the New Horizons award.  We have been working in partnership with major companies in China and the UK to try and increase the number of graduates who are well versed in the business and social cultures of both countries." 

 

Daniel Nivern, Director at CRCC Asia, also said "We were delighted that the judges highlighted the fact that CRCC is providing fantastic graduate opportunities in China during a time in which such opportunities in the UK are scarce. We are committed to investing in the region and expect our relationship with China to be long term and beneficial to all involved. It is great that our work so far has been recognised".

 

Angus Barclay, General Manager Europe, Cathay Pacific, said, “Each year the entries for the Cathay Pacific Business Awards are of a very high standard. This year the judges were extremely impressed by the quality and diversity of the entrants. It is inspiring to see just how many UK organisations are choosing to make the most of the business opportunities available in China. Cathay Pacific Airways has a long history of facilitating links between businesses trading in the UK and China. The Cathay Pacific Business Awards provide a way for us to recognise and celebrate the ongoing growth of the relationships forged between the UK, China and Hong Kong.”

 

 

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