An award-winning Middlesbrough exporter who has benefited from the assistance offered by UK Trade & Investment is encouraging colleagues at other firms in the region to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the North East Exporters Awards 2008.
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 their international sales performance.
Alan Timothy, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Profile Analysis Ltd, which specialises in helping firms to manage field sales data in order to maximise sales and sales team performance, was winner of the Innovation in Export Award in last year's North East Exporters Awards.
Profile Analysis is the holding company for Rocket Science and i-snapshot, which operate in the UK and overseas. The company has i-snapshot subsidiaries in the UK, USA and Germany and distribution agreements covering Australia, Holland, Canada and South Africa.
The company has taken advantage of the full spectrum of support offered by UK Trade & Investment to help them develop overseas sales of their innovative i-snapshot tool. The company joined UK Trade & Investment's flagship Passport to Export scheme to help them develop a workable and achievable export strategy for the market. The service provided both financial and practical support to help Profile Analysis maximise their chances of success in a very demanding market.
In addition, UK Trade & Investment has provided information and feedback on sales prospects in the German market through its Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS). Profile Analysis intends to fully exploit the value of this market research by using UK Trade & Investment's Virtual Export Manager service.
Alan Timothy said:
"Winning the award has helped raise the profile and importance of our overseas activities within Profile Analysis and was seen by our overseas partners as reinforcement of our commitment to their markets. I would encourage all those engaged in export to share their successes through the awards"
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:
"Alan has an excellent record an exporter and was a worthy winner of his award last year, and we are delighted to have his support for this year's awards".
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 Regional International Trade Hotline on 0845 05 05 054 or log onto http://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.
