The awards, sponsored by UK Trade & Investment, One NorthEast and the North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC), recognise the efforts of individuals who have helped their companies boost its international sales performance.
Darren Jobling, Director of Business Development at software firm Eutechnyx, a world leader in the driving and racing computer games market, won the Overall Export Achievement Award last year.
Eutechnyx has developed a strong relationship with UK Trade & Investment over several years, and has been assisted with market visits to Japan and in attending games developers' conferences and exhibitions in the United States.
Darren's success in last year's Exporters Awards followed the company's breakthough into the Chinese market, again with assistance from UK Trade & Investment; with an International Trade Adviser the company travelled to Digital Games Missions organised by UK Trade & Investment in both Chengdu and Shanghai.
Darren said:
"I am a great believer in the power of exporting, so it was therefore a huge honour for my efforts on behalf of Eutechnyx to be recognised in the North East Export Awards. The recognition of my peers in 2007 has further spurred me on, resulting in Eutechnyx best ever results for 2008. I would encourage exporters of any size to apply."
The winners of the North East Exporters Awards 2008 will be announced at a special gala dinner to be attended by Lord Digby Jones, Minister for Trade and Investment, at The Hilton, Gateshead on Thursday, 17 July when leading figures from the world of business will gather to celebrate the region's international trade success. The event is also sponsored by the Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays and Emirates airline.
Entries are now sought for the awards in each of the five categories:
New Exporter Award - for the individual new to exporting who demonstrates exceptional achievement.
Export Award - for the individual who has shown outstanding achievement in international trade.
Innovation in Export Award - for the individual engaged in international trade who can demonstrate added value to their company through innovation.
Export Communicator Award - for the individual who can demonstrate how the application of his/her language skills has increased business performance in international trade.
Passport to Export Award - for an individual who has worked with an International Trade Adviser to develop an Export Action Plan that has resulted in commercial success in their target market.
The awards will go to those who, in the judges' opinion, achieved the most for their companies in pursuit of export business. Each of the winners will receive a special trophy and £1,000.
David Coppock, UK Trade & Investment's International Trade Director, said:
"Darren has a brilliant record as an exporter and was a worthy winner of his award last year. We are delighted to have his support both for this year's awards and for the initiatives that UK Trade and Investment offers to help exporters in the region".
For details of how to enter the awards or to purchase tickets, price £55 each or £500 per table, for the North East Exporters Dinner on Thursday, 17 July at The Hilton, Gateshead, contact the North East International Trade Hotline on 0845 05 05 054 or log onto www.exportersawards.co.uk. Deadline for entries is the end of May.
Companies wanting to find out more about the range of services available through UK Trade & Investment to help them succeed overseas can also contact the hotline.
