Celebrated '˜class of 2016' to enter academy

Mike Peters recives his Lancastrian of the year award

The Be Inspired Business Awards, the BIBAs, has unveiled the programme for its BIBAs Academy, a programme of masterclasses and site visits which its 16 winners will have access to in the next year.

The announcement comes days after the 2016 BIBAs winners were treated to a VIP dinner at the Leyland Hotel, Leyland, where they received their plaques.

The Academy, supported by Moore & Smalley and UCLan includes visits to food firm Farmhouse Biscuits, animal nutrition group Tangerine Group, defence firm BAE Systems and shale gas group, Cuadrilla Resources.

They will also have access to some of the county’s top business leaders such as Edwin Booth, Mike Blackburn, regional director for BT, the boss of fabrics firm Panaz, Tony Attard, and former Saatchi and Saatchi chairman, Kevin Roberts.

Babs Murphy, chief executive of awards organisers, the North and Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, said the package would help boost its winners.

She said: “The BIBAs is about more than just recognising the achievements of Lancashire firms and handing out trophies, it is about leaving a legacy.

“We introduced the Academy to help the best in our county get even better which can only spur their growth, employment and innovation.

“The programme we have this year should provide our winners with the inspiration, ideas and knowledge to take their businesses forward.”

Last week, the BIBAs winners which were unveiled at a glittering ceremony in September attended a special dinner to celebrate their achievements and launch the Academy programme.

The winners included the East Lancashire-based furniture firm, The Senator Group, which were named the Business of the Year, and Lytham’s Excel Fostering and Chorley accountancy firm True Bearing, which were both double winners.

Babs added: “The Academy is open to any representatives of our winners, they could be long-serving directors or apprentices just starting their careers, it is all about making the most of the opportunity.”

The programme gets under way in November when Stephen Gregson, corporate finance director at accountants Moore and Smalley, hosts a workshop on developing a strategic framework for growth. This masterclass session will set the scene for the Academy programme which continues with a masterclass led by Edwin Booth, the chairman of the family-owned supermarket chain, in January.