Courier Business Awards 2017: The full list of winners

By Graham Huband

October 30 2017, 9:44am

“When I first found out we had won I was lost for words.”

That was the stunned reaction of operations director Stephen Edmiston after Fife payments solutions group Ingenico scooped the top prize of Business of the Year at the 2017 Courier Business Awards.

Stephen Edmiston (centre) of Business of the Year Ingenico with host Gyles Brandreth (left) and David Smith, of Henderson Loggie.

Ingenico’s crowning came after an incredible evening in which 23 separate awards were handed out to the best and brightest in business in Courier Country.

The awards, held in association with chartered accountants Henderson Loggie, took place within a spectacular star-lit marquee in the grounds of Dundee’s Apex City Quay Hotel.

Almost 700 guests were treated to an evening of top-class entertainment, fine dining and the wit and wisdom of host Gyles Brandreth.

Back to preside over the awards for a second successive year, the TV broadcaster and writer said he was blown away by the depth of business talent within the region.

A total of nine awards were handed out prior to dinner, including Digital Business of the Year which was awarded to Ninja Kiwi, the Dundee and New Zealand based computer games studio behind the smash hit Bloons series.

Pilot training group Tayside Aviation scooped the Services award, while retail went to Gillies of Broughty Ferry, and Enterprising Eastern Perthshire – which trades as GrowBiz – took home the Social Impact trophy.

After dinner, the awards continued with the largest category of the night, Family Business of the Year.

Due to the sheer number of entries, the category was split into four regional prizes for Angus, Dundee, Fife and Perth, with Clark’s Bakery of Dundee named as the overall winner.

Fast-growing drug discovery firm Exscientia took home the Science and Technology gong before Stoneridge Electronics, The Black Watch Castle and Museum and Tay Valley Veterinary and Equine Centre respectively prevailed in the Export, Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality and Small Business categories.

While Ingenico, which employs more than 500 staff at its northern European headquarters in Fife, celebrated their overall Business of the Year win, there was one final award still to be presented.

At the judges’ behest, serial entrepreneur, gamer, music fan and proud Dundee ambassador Chris van der Kuyl was presented with the Outstanding Contribution Award.

Courier editor-in-chief Richard Neville summarised Mr van der Kuyl’s incredible business career before a delighted and shocked recipient made his way to the stage to collect his award.