SBC chair, George Borthwick, commented: “We are absolutely thrilled with the number and quality of Award entries and winners this year.
“The number of Big Tick winners has risen dramatically by 330 per cent from six last year to 20 this year, which is a tremendous achievement. This gives Scotland the highest number of award entries outside London. We are also looking forward to the UK finals, where we have the largest number of shortlisted finalists will come from Scotland.
“This is a true indication that the emphasis on activity around corporate social responsibility has increased within Scottish Businesses.”
The award winners make for an impressive list of Scottish Businesses, including, ScottishPower, The Royal Bank of Scotland, HBOS and Kwik-Fit Financial Services.
The SBC Company of the Year awards went to Laing O’Rourke for Large Company of the Year, and Redeem for Small Company of the Year.
The prestigious SBC HRH The Prince of Wales’s Ambassadors Award for CSR in Scotland was given to Susan Rice, chief executive of Lloyds TSB Scotland. Ms Rice said she was “honoured to receive the award” and is “looking forward to my ambassadorial year ahead, and hope to make a real difference in the field of CSR in Scotland”.
The theme carried through the Celebration Dinner was ‘employability’. This has been a key issue for SBC members over the last year, with many of them becoming involved in programmes which impact employability directly.
The theme of employability was evident in the night’s entertainment. The Lone Rangers, a group on lone parents from the One Plus project, sang songs about their experiences as single parents, and the barriers they found when seeking employment.
The video clips at the dinner were produced by long term unemployed people affected by homelessness on an SBC Ready for Work placement with Media Education.
Tony Roper, in the guise of Jamsie Cotter from the hit Scottish show Rab C Nesbit also entertained the crowd with his own unique view on employability!
Samantha Barber, chief executive of SBC, added “SBC will be maximising on the energy that has come from tonight’s Dinner. We truly believe that now is the time for Scotland to grasp the opportunity CSR has to offer Scotland. With our member companies behind us, Scotland can stand as a world leader in CSR. If this evening proves anything, it is that there is a real desire by Scottish companies to be an exemplar of responsible business practice, while reaping the bottom line benefits.”
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