MEET THE JUDGES
JUDGE’S NAME James Timpson
Britain is renowned across the globe as being both a trusted, fair place to do business, and the focus for creative industries. Putting these together is where themagic happens
CATEGORY Promoting Opportunity AREA OF INTEREST Philanthropy & Justice
James Timpson OBE DL is Chief Executive of Timpson Ltd, a retail business with more than 2,000 shops nationwide. The company - which has been owned by the Timpson family for more than 150 years - boasts a turnover of £300m and profits of over £20m. As well as being a Tate Trustee and the Chair of Tate Enterprises Limited, James is also Chair of The Prison Reform Trust. He supports various prison charities and support groups, and pioneered the recruitment of ex-offenders, to the extent that Timpson now employs over 600 prison leavers (equaling more than 10% of the company). This remarkable achievement was recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2011 when Mr Timpson was presented with an OBE for ‘Services to Training and Employment for Disadvantaged People’.
WHAT’S YOUR TOP TIP FOR A COMPANY THAT IS THINKING OF APPLYING FOR A QUEEN’S AWARD? Go for it! Just taking part is an important step in benchmarking yourselves, and even If you don't win an Award, you get great advice on how to prepare for a future application. DESCRIBE THE BENEFITS OF BEING A QUEEN’S AWARDSWINNER, AS YOU SEE IT If you look in any of our shops, we proudly display the Award logo, so our colleagues and customers can see how proud we are of the way we run the company. DESCRIBE A FEW FEATURES YOU BELIEVE MAKE BRITISH BUSINESSES SUCH A GLOBAL SUCCESS Britain is renowned across the globe as being both a trusted, fair place to do business, and the focus for creative industries. Putting these together is where the magic happens.
WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE TO BE A JUDGE FOR THE QUEEN’S AWARDS? Being an Award recipient opened my eyes to the wonderful opportunities the Queen's Awards gives to companies, both large and small, and recognises excellence, innovation and leadership. WHY DO THE QUEEN’S AWARDS MATTER TO BUSINESS? The recognition from a Queen's Award makes a significant difference to both colleagues and customers, clearly revealing the high standards and purpose that exist. This not only helps the bottom line, but more importantly spurs everyone on to do even better!
WHAT DOYOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING A QA JUDGE? Reading the list of applicants brings a huge sense of awe. Being a small part of such an important Award is very humbling.
WHAT SPARKS YOUR INTEREST ACROSS QUEEN’S AWARD APPLICANTS THIS YEAR? The diversity of sectors, ideas, and ambition this year clearly shows that - despite such a torrid 12 months - there are a lot of great people and organisations who have achieved so much in the face of such diversity.
Queen’s Awards Magazine 2021
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