Solent 250 Awards 2024
The Solent 250 is an annual ranking that celebrates the top privately-owned businesses in the region listed by annual sales turnover. The ranking is compiled by The Business Magazine and sponsored by CMA, HSBC, Evelyn Partners, Vail Williams, Southampton University Business School and BDB Pitmans. The full Solent 250 listing can be viewed on The Business Magazine website.
To qualify in the ranking, qualifying companies must be independent and headquartered in the Solent which is defined as Hampshire (south of Basingstoke), parts of Dorset, Wiltshire and West Sussex.
CMA is proud to be a sponsor of the awards, which were celebrated this year at a formal dinner at Harbour Hotel, Southampton on 18th June. It was a fantastic event and a wonderful opportunity to come together and recognise the achievements of businesses in our region.
Growth Story of the Year
Our sponsored category for 2024 is Growth Story of the Year. This is awarded to a privately-owned business that has grown considerably year-on-year with a compelling story to tell. They must have shown stellar growth and can demonstrate that the company is well set up to continue this growth trajectory over the next financial year, thereby having a hugely positive impact on the Solent community.
Richard Dibden, CMA’s Commercial Director was one of the judges and found this year’s award harder to adjudicate than ever before.
One of the key criteria of the category is to achieve 20% + growth on the previous accounting year. Richard explained that for context and to show how competitive this is:
- There were 105 businesses on the Solent 250 (> 40%) with growth over 20%
- There were 48 businesses with growth in excess of 40%.
Richard says: “As judges, we were looking for so much more than just top-line growth; we are more interested in the story, the rhetoric behind the numbers.”
The judges were asking ‘How have they achieved their business growth’? And ‘what obstacles they have overcome in order to drive their business forward’? Richard explains: “We met with some outstanding businesses and each of the shortlisted companies has achieved some tremendous things and made some outstanding business decisions, invested in the right areas and positioned themselves superbly to achieve their corporate goals.”
We’d like to offer huge congratulations to all the shortlisted businesses:
- Amiri Construction
- C&O Tractors
- CLC
- Partnering Health Ltd
- Peters & May
But there must be a winner and this business greatly impressed the judges for a number of reasons.
- After a recent major SMT re-structure, one of the first things they addressed was the culture of the business. This business is a global operation with 10 offices worldwide, but they were very much working in silos, even competitively. They have worked hard to change this culture to work much more collaboratively.
- Invested hugely in equipment – best ‘cradles’ in the industry to lift the boats in and out of the water (big clue here!).
- Worked with an insurer to tailor an insurance product to simplify this key element.
- Formed a stevedore business in Florida as stevedoring services were costing them a small fortune.
- Really diversified and pushed their non-marine freight side of the business.
- Brand is in a strong place and there is huge growth potential, particularly in USA.
The Winner of the Growth Story of the Year is……Peters & May
Pictured above: Richard Dibden (CMA Commercial Director), Simon Judson (CEO, Peters & May), Michael Wood (Group Legal Director and Carrier General Manager, Peters & May), Tom Derbyshire (CFO, Peters & May).
Richard says: “This is a well-deserved acknowledgement for a company that has proven fantastic growth over the past year. As judges, we were impressed by how Peters & May had shown commitment to their development.”
The company was praised for its astonishing year-on-year growth, outstanding logistics services and positive impact on the Solent community. Simon Judson, CEO of Peters & May says: “We are very proud to have been awarded the ‘growth story of the year’ award. It goes without saying that this achievement comes from having a strong team behind the business. Although a large part of our business is generated internationally, with our headquarters based in the Solent, we are delighted to be bringing that revenue back to south coast of the UK”
