The first Queen’s Awards for Enterprise were made in 1966, and since then there have been over 6,000 winners in all. The Awards have evolved over the years, but always to reflect and recognise the contribution businesses make to our economy and society. Those contributions are needed and appreciated now more than ever. A lot has happened in the 56 years since the first Awards, but the last two years or so have given us some of the greatest ever challenges: a global pandemic with the sorrow of loss of life, and then a war in Europe, which has caused untold suffering for the people of Ukraine.
There is no trade-off between economic well-being and human suffering and pain. Businesses are at the heart of supporting people, and people are the beating heart of businesses.
The period ahead will contain severe challenges, aside from the direct effects of Covid and War. We need to ensure that economies stay open; that they are not closed in ways that are damaging and run counter to the spirit of the Queen’s Awards. Safe openness is an important principle and practice, and achieving it will require hard work and inspiration.
Despite the times, I remain optimistic, and that optimism is reinforced by knowing the quality and determination of the winners of the Queen’s Awards.
Well done.
Andrew Bailey Governor of the Bank of England
www. queensawardsmagazine .com
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