MSDUK Biennial Supplier Diversity Awards Nominee Shortlist Reveals East Midlands Majority
The MSDUK Awards applaud ethnic minority businesses such as South Asian, Chinese and African - Caribbean those have excelled in building and expanding their firms to meet the challenging demands of the market and clients, as well as corporate buyers who have explored and added ethnic minority businesses to their list of regular suppliers
- (1888PressRelease) August 20, 2010 - Nearly two-thirds of the shortlisted award nominees of a supplier diversity awards ceremony to be held in October are suppliers and corporations from the East Midlands. Compered by BBC presenter Hardeep Singh Kohli, the MSDUK Awards will celebrate supplier diversity and also serve as a meeting ground for a wide range of ethnic minority businesses (EMBs) and corporations such as British Telecom, PricewaterhouseCoopers and MasterCard. Organised by Minority Supplier Development UK (MSDUK), the UK's premier membership organisation championing supplier diversity, the Awards will take place on 5 October 2010 at the London Marriott, Grosvenor Square Hotel. The Awards are a key part of a two day event that also includes a conference and business fair.
Up to 400 attendees from leading blue chip organisations and EMBs are expected to attend the event. Some of the shortlisted businesses from the East Midlands include Nottingham-based Octavian Continental, nominated for the Responsible Business Practices Supplier Award and Leicestershire-based Corium Solutions, nominated for the supplier innovation award. PepsiCo and ExxonMobil are in the running for the Corporation of the Year. The full list of short listed companies is below. The awards are sponsored by Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Tyco/ADT, Capital One, Cisco, PepsiCo and the Ethnic Minority Business Advocacy Network (EMBAN).
Sara Todd, Executive Director at Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited and currently also the Chair of MSDUK, said: "The MSDUK diversity awards recognise and reward those companies that have done most to champion supplier diversity in the UK. Forward thinking large corporations recognise that they have a social responsibility to engage with the wider community. Equally important, they also recognise that ethnic minority business can be a source of great new ideas and high levels of service."
Dan Barber, from Leicester and London-based Standout UK which has been nominated for the Business Growth Award, said: "MSDUK has been incredibly helpful in helping us engage with large corporations. Without their help, we would not have been aware of many of the opportunities that are out there. We hope that the publicity around these awards will encourage more EMBs to think bigger and engage with bigger businesses."
Ian Brennan from PepsiCo, added: "Supplier diversity is very important to us and is a key part of our procurement process. Working with some of MSDUK's suppliers has been really refreshing, the capability, enthusiasm and innovation has been tremendous. We've got cracking suppliers with very different perspectives, who we might otherwise not have found without the help of MSDUK."
Mayank Shah, Director of MSDUK, said: "These awards signal and celebrate the shift in attitudes towards supplier diversity. Large organisations are beginning to recognise the benefits of extending their pool of suppliers outside of the usual channels to businesses owned and run by ethnic minority communities. They rightly see supplier diversity as a means to drive innovation and save money."
MSDUK has been a leading advocate of supplier diversity since 2006. MSDUK currently works with 36 blue chip organisations including BT, KPMG and Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Since it started in 2006 MSDUK members have generated over £9m worth of business with EMBs within the MSDUK network.
For information on the awards, the nominated companies and MSDUK please visit www.2010conference.msduk.org.uk
About MSDUK
Minority Supplier Development UK (MSDUK) is a private sector led not-for-profit membership organisation created to provide a direct link between its corporate members and EMBs.
Formed in 2006 MSDUK has already supported suppliers in winning more than £9 million in business. MSDUK's corporate members come from a broad range of industries and it counts PepsiCo, GlaxoSmithKline and BT amongst its corporate membership.
Notes:
Journalists interested in attending the awards on the evening of 5 October 2010 at the London Marriott Grosvenor Square should contact:
Pallavi Nanda Mehrotra 020 7993 2541- pallavi ( @ ) hereandnow365 dot co dot uk
Ruth D'Souza 020 7195 1805 - ruth ( @ ) hereandnow365 dot co dot uk
The awards are one of three events taking place at the MSDUK 2010 conference. The Knowledge Forum will allow suppliers and buyers to discuss the issues of supplier diversity, which will feature leading practitioners and experts. The Business Opportunity Fair where 60+ EMBs and corporations will be exhibiting their products and services to more than 250 visitors.
###
space
space
Satisfied Users & 
Approved Press Releases
Print
Email
Report Spam