By Steven Bell

TAYSIDE’S BUSINESS community was told to talk itself up last night as seven “fabulous” success stories were recognised at a gala awards ceremony.

The winners of the fourth Tayside Business Awards, run by Scottish Enterprise Tayside in conjunction with the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), were announced at the Apex City Quay Hotel in Dundee.

Companies picking up prizes ranged from an adhesive tape supplier to a creative enterprise set up to run Perth Concert Hall.

Hundreds of people attended the ceremony, now one of the highlights of the Tayside business community’s social calendar.

There was fierce competition in the eight categories, with more than 70 entries, and the winners will now go forward to the Enterprising Scotland Business Awards later in the year.

Scottish Enterprise Tayside chief executive Shona Cormack said the high attendance demonstrated the strong level of commitment from the public and private sectors to ensuring Tayside had a vibrant and dynamic economy.

She told the audience, “These business awards are a tremendous opportunity to recognise and showcase Tayside’s top performers.

“In addition to overall performance, we focus on some of those characteristics that are likely to bring about business success— entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity, accessing international markets, utilising technology and investing in skills and learning.

“I’ve noticed over the past four years that businesses in Tayside are often modest about their successes. There’s no reason to be. There are fabulous stories to tell.

“Too many people still have an image of Tayside that is far from the current reality.

“We all have a responsibility to shape the confidence of potential investors, customers, employees and visitors by talking up Tayside and its successes.”

The master of ceremonies for the evening was Scottish television presenter Stephen Jardine.

Guest speaker was leading female entrepreneur Sahar Hashemi.

Together with her brother, she founded Coffee Republic in 1995 and went on to establish it as a well-known brand.

Along with the sponsorship from RBS, the category sponsors were Perth and Kinross Council, Michelin Tyres, the University of Abertay, Business Gateway Tayside, Highland Spring, Forth Ports and Dundee College.

The media sponsor was The Courier.

Andy Kilgour, director of commercial banking Tayside at RBS, said, “We are proud to have been involved with this prestigious event and extend our congratulations to all the winners.

“The competition was as fierce as ever and the diverse range of sectors demonstrates the strength and depth of the business community in Tayside.”