The Awards themselves have changed and evolved over the years. Do you think there is anything that remains integral to them, some common values perhaps? The Award has never been easy to achieve. The King’s Award for Enterprise is considered the highest accolade to be bestowed upon a UK business [so] it is essential that the judges continue to set a high bar for a winning result. A member of the 2025 judging panel remarked that ‘in a world where we are drowning in data and comments, a King’s Award cuts through a lot of noise and is a signal that you are serious and good’. What would you say is the biggest difference between the Britain of 1966 – when the Awards began – and the Britain of 2026? Would you say that the landscape of the UK, as a place to work in, has changed drastically over the past 50+ years? The pace of change, which is constantly accelerating, must be one of the major differences that businesses have experienced over the last 50 years. Nearly every element of our society, government, workplace and product development has had to develop in order to keep abreast of market requirements. Sustainability, environmental policies and AI are three examples which have changed and are changing modern thinking. Many of the companies that win an Award consider it the most prestigious accolade a business can receive. Do you think this has always been the case, or have the Awards become more important over time? As awareness of the Award has grown, they have as a result become more important. The addition of two new successful Award categories over the last few year: Sustainable Development
and Promoting Opportunity, keep the Awards appropriate to the changing face of business.
Historically we have had multi Award-winning companies. Stanhope Seta have won five awards, underlining the significance the company put on the Award. How do you think the King’s Award is regarded overseas? Do you think having an Award gives a company more clout when trading internationally? I was informed by a company some years ago that the fact they had achieved a King’s Award for Enterprise, unlocked the door into China. Her Late Majesty, and King Charles III, are highly respected and revered throughout the world. The British flag reflects the quality of the product, and as a result it can provide nothing but additional sales, marketing and status to its product. How do you see the King’s Award developing in the future? I hope very much that the excellent work of the King’s Award office in supporting entries of companies and its marketing of the KAE, can be further developed going forward. I am sure that with the changes in our business landscape, in the future, we will see awards developed to keep astride of progress and change. I am sure that the newest King’s Award for Enterprise – Young Founder – will encourage a new group of companies to engage with the KAE. Do you think the scheme will still be going strong when Prince George ascends to the throne? I am certain that the Awards will develop with every decade. I hope that they will become even stronger in the future and certainly by the time Prince George ascends to the throne.
King’s Awards Magazine 2026
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