MEET THE JUDGES
JUDGE’S NAME Sir Eric Peacock CMG DL
The first benefit you have as a King's Award winner is the kitemark of approval of being one of the UK's best
CATEGORY International Trade
AREA OF INTEREST SME/Mid-market
Hailing from a successful background in large corporates, Eric Peacock has spent the past 25 years following his entrepreneurial instincts to focus on the SME/Mid-market sectors, with his main areas of interest being Technology, FMCG, Financial Services and Manufacturing. Mr Peacock has sat on many Government boards and is active within the charity sector, supporting issues like helping young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and progressing animal welfare. He is a Trustee of both the Big Cat Sanctuary and the Paradise Wildlife Park, both of which focus on education, conservation, breeding and returning animals to the wild. Sir Eric has won no fewer than five Queen's Awards, all of which - by his own admission - have proved invaluable in growing his businesses.
too modest in saying what your business is achieving in so many different facets. Focus and share the markets you are winning, in particularly the complex markets like China, Japan and South America, but don't forget the mature markets in the USA and Continental Europe to name but a few. Encapsulate your business model and the strategies you are pursuing, comment on your people policies and your CSR achievements, and, if you are a recently entrepreneurial business, don't forget to tell us a story of how you got the idea and how it has translated into a thriving business. DESCRIBE THE BENEFITS OF BEING A KING'S AWARDS WINNER, AS YOU SEE IT The first benefit you have as a King's Award winner is the kitemark of approval of being one of the UK's best. It's a door-opener to break into new markets and particularly challenging ones. In my own case after two years of trying, and following a King's Award, I broke Into the Japanese market on the back of this accolade. We fly the King's Award flag on all of our communications and we tell stories of the celebratory event which we had in accepting the award. I cannot stress enough the opportunities where you can use your King's Award to support your company’s development, particularly in emergent and development markets. DESCRIBE A FEW FEATURES YOU BELIEVE MAKE BRITISH BUSINESSES SUCH A GLOBAL SUCCESS Without doubt we excel in creativity and innovation and in taking an idea and bringing it to commercial fruition. We excel in the differentiation our product and service offer and we are amazingly good at ensuring linkages with other great business brands - and of course the Monarchy itself. We find that our Embassies and posts overseas are amazingly helpful in opening their black books to help us drive our businesses forward and the amount of advice received from them is, quite frankly, incalculable. ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO ADD? You are missing a trick if you do not take advantage of applying for this Award!
WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE TO BE A JUDGE FOR THE KING'S AWARDS? I chose to be a King's Award judge as I am an advocate and evangelist for these Awards, which can be so helpful to a business’growth in international markets. It is an opportunity to meet with fellow judges, compare notes on performance and be at the cutting edge of what aspirational companies are achieving through creativity, innovation, people focus and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). WHY DO THE KING'S AWARDS MATTER TO BUSINESS? Firstly they are a stamp of credibility on consistently improving a business in the most complex and difficult markets around the world. They demonstrate the commitments an organisation has to constantly improve and accelerate the businesses expansion. They also enable a business to differentiate themselves from competitors, giving them a competitive advantage, and are a kitemark for an exhaustive process demonstrating they are the best of what British businesses stand for. WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING A KA JUDGE? It is definitely one of the highlights of my business year. In the course of the judging process, I see across all industry sectors from all companies - small, large and medium - examples of high performance in so many areas of their business. Not only in the growth of their international sales but the strategies which get them there and the focus of their activities in mature markets, development markets and emergent markets. WHAT SPARKS YOUR INTEREST ACROSS KING'S AWARD APPLICANTS THIS YEAR? It is noticeable the increase of tech businesses, the growth of Fintech, and the rise of service-related businesses and professional businesses that have managed to achieve this Award. There is so much happening in Fintech and of course the tech sector has had amazing levels of growth through the pandemic, and this has accelerated creativity, innovation and made it easier for customers to access and shorten the cycle of availability. WHAT’S YOUR TOP TIP FOR A COMPANY THAT IS THINKING OF APPLYING FOR A KING'S AWARD? Apart from the obvious - to ensure you meet the criteria - it is to not be
King’s Awards Magazine 2024
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