On Tuesday 19th May, The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise 2021 were launched virtually to 60 participants by the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce, in association with Hertfordshire LEP. The virtual launch event aimed to promote the importance of the awards and encourage Hertfordshire businesses to apply.

The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are highly prestigious awards for outstanding achievement by UK businesses, in recognition of:

• Innovation
• International Trade
• Sustainable Development
• Promoting Opportunity through Social Mobility

The event was led by HM Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, Robert Voss CBE, who said: “It was great pleasure to be able to promote the Queens Awards for Enterprise to a large captive audience of Hertfordshire Chamber members. I am so proud of the increasing success of Hertfordshire companies in these – the most prestigious –business awards. It was also great to hear from four recent winners who told us all of the huge and many benefits that winning the award had brought their companies.

"I must thank the Herts Chamber of Commerce for hosting the event and I hope that the Queens Awards Launch will encourage many member companies to self-nominate and to ensure that Hertfordshire remains not only The County of Opportunity but also The County of Business and Entrepreneurship.”

Mark Bretton, Chair, Hertfordshire LEP and the national LEP Network, spoke about the vital work Local Enterprise Partnerships do to boost business-led growth across the UK and Hertfordshire LEP's roadmap to recovery for the county. Mark said: “It was a privilege for Hertfordshire LEP to be the main sponsor for the launch of the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise earlier this week. As Chair of Hertfordshire LEP and the national LEP Network, I am inspired by the stories we heard from local entrepreneurs, many of them small and medium-sized businesses, and the fact that the county continues to win more than its fair share of these prestigious awards.

"Business has never had a more important role than it does now in helping local people regain the confidence to return to work, rebuild a thriving economy and create long-term hope for our communities. Hertfordshire is blessed with over 63,000 businesses and I am confident that together they will play their part in helping the UK grow our way safely out of the current crisis. My congratulations and best wishes go out to all past winners and future applicants of the Queen’s Awards, and to the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce for putting on such an excellent virtual event.”

Previous winners from Hertfordshire, including Artimeda Pharma, Lintbells, Opro, and Willmott Dixon, shared their company story and the impact of winning a Queen's Award on their business. Videos for each winner were created by Hertfordshire Chamber patron, Pearldrop Video Production. 

The Queen's Award for Enterprise 2021 is now open for applications. Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce will soon be holding virtual workshops to assist interested companies with their entries - details of these workshops will be made available shortly. 

Lear More About The Queen's Award And How To Enter

Watch the event in full below: