Calling growing businesses “the engines that [will] drive this economy back to recovery”, Lambert’s keynote address won him cheers and applause from the audience, which included Dragon Theo Paphitis, EasyJet tycoon Sir Stelios Haji-loannou and Reading FC’s John Madejski. Here’s why: “Let me quote some useful figures from a recent study by NESTA, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts,” began Lambert. “They crunched the numbers and came up with some remarkable conclusions about the role that growing businesses play in generating prosperity and jobs. “On their definition, only six per cent of all the UK firms that employed ten or more people could be categorised as high growth. “But that small fraction of the total figure generated more than half the new jobs created by existing businesses between 2002 and 2006 – 1.3 million out of 2.4 million new jobs. More than half.” Cue thunderous applause. Lambert continued: “What these businesses have in common is a heavy emphasis on innovation – doing things differently, even in mature industries. Innovative firms grow twice as fast as the rest. More cheers from the audience. Lambert ended his speech on this high note: “The final piece of good news is that, at least on the latest available data, the UK has one of the biggest proportions of high-growth firms in the industrialised world. “We – or rather you – are obviously doing something very right here.” Lambert went on to present the Company of the Year Award, with Caffè Nero’s Gerry Ford, to a delighted Simon Calver, CEO of LoveFilm. Read more about the winners of the 2009 Growing Business Awards here. Related articles:Growing Business Awards 2009: How it went downHow it feels to win a Growing Business AwardStelios celebrates Amputees in Action at Growing Business Awards
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
