At the 30th annual PWC West of England Business Awards, global engineering company Renishaw was crowned ‘Winner of Winners’. At the gala dinner held at the Harbour Hotel, Bristol in June 2018, Renishaw was named overall Business of the Year, for companies with a turnover of more than £30 million. In addition, Renishaw’s co-founder, Executive Chairman and former CEO, Sir David McMurtry, was named as the region’s top CEO.
To celebrate 30 years of the awards, businesses that had previously won were invited to re-enter. Renishaw won Business of the Year in 1996 and has experienced great growth and success since. Ten companies were shortlisted in the category, with Renishaw taking the top prize on the night. The company was judged on all aspects of business, including innovation, human resources, community, training, contribution to the region and finance.
Renishaw has experienced significant success in the last 30 years. In 1988, the business had just five overseas subsidiaries. Today, the company operates out of 35 countries and 95% of annual sales are derived from exports. In that time, Renishaw has developed ground-breaking metrology products including the REVO® 5-axis measurement system, the Equator™ gauge, the RESOLUTE™ optical encoder system and is also applying its expertise to the healthcare sector.
Renishaw’s co-founder, Sir David McMurtry was also named West CEO of the Year. In 1972, McMurtry invented a measuring device, the touch-trigger probe, upon which Renishaw was founded. Under McMurtry’s guidance, Renishaw has become a FTSE 250-listed company, a leader in industrial measurement and a business at the cutting edge of several disruptive technologies such as additive manufacturing.
“Renishaw has gone from strength to strength as a result of investing for the long term in people and innovation,” explained Chris Pockett, Head of Communications at Renishaw. “The company puts around 15 per cent of annual turnover back into research and development, fosters a culture of innovation and is passionate about treating employees well. Renishaw is honoured to be named Winner of Winners at the 30th and final year of the awards.
“The top CEO Award for Sir David McMurtry is extremely gratifying,” added Pockett. “This is a fantastic recognition of his achievements over the last 30 years. The West of England boasts a huge number of fantastic businesses and business leaders, so it is quite some recognition to be named best of the best at the 30th anniversary celebration.”
McMurtry held the position of CEO until February 2018, before becoming Executive Chairman. Will Lee, who has worked for Renishaw for over 20 years became the company’s new CEO. For more information on Renishaw visit www.renishaw.com
