Sixteen coveted trophies covering every aspect of business life have been presented to the winners of the 18th Lloyds Bank National Business Awards.

The prestigious event, the culmination of a year-long programme, was attended by 1,200 business leaders, entrepreneurs, politicians and journalists in a true celebration of the very best of British entrepreneurship.

The evening began with the of the Outstanding Contribution award, recognising Britain's biggest business achievements, which was awarded this year to Sara Davies MBE.

Aged only 35, Sara has already won numerous awards for her innovative and finely-tuned approach to business. She was awarded an MBE for her services to the British economy in 2016 and has recently become the youngest ‘dragon' to join the BBC's Dragon's Den.

Simon Parker, Executive Vice President of the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards said: “We know that these awards set a powerful benchmark for excellence and entrepreneurship across the country and it's clear that Sara has used the momentum behind winning our SME award back in 2010 to rocket forward on her journey of success.

It is only right that nine years on she graces our stage once more in recognition of her continued drive, passion for excellence and inspirational leadership that has seen her boost trade and skills across the country. I could not think of anyone more deserving of this honour.”

The attendees were then treated to an awe-inspiring speech from Major Tim Peake, whose voyage aboard the International Space Station has left him with incredible experiences and show truly astounding photographs.

James Timpson OBE, CEO of the Timpson Group, was named the recipient of the coveted Leader of the Year Award.

James has actively chosen to reject traditional management methods, instead introducing the ‘Upside Down Management' scheme across all branches of Timpson and investing heavily in people who can drive the business forward through their personality, initiative and inventiveness. Pioneering a maverick approach to management, James' vision involved empowering his colleagues by giving them the freedom to innovate. This approach makes James a worthy winner of this award.

Reflecting on the awards ceremony, Parker went on to say: “This year's awards has seen fierce competition in every single category. I would like to extend the warmest congratulations to all this year's winners. Our entrants face a rigorous judging process, so it's no mean feat getting on the shortlist of The Lloyds Bank National Business Awards, never mind winning one. However, our winners this year have proven themselves to be world-class British businesses and we hope these awards continue to encourage and foster even more ambitious and achievement in the future.”

Paul Gordon, MD SME & Mid Corporates, Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking added: “Every year, we are blown away by the volume and calibre of entrants of all sizes, sectors and industries. It's important to recognise the many thriving businesses and individuals out there, and to come together, exchange ideas and celebrate the best of British ambition.”

The other Lloyds Bank National Business Awards winners are:

The Lloyds Bank Exporter of the Year Award: Stiltz Ltd

Stiltz Ltd is redefining the home lift industry and received praised at the National Business Awards 2019 for its continued innovation since the company's formation in 2010. Scaling quickly and sustainably to impact the US marketplace within only three years of trade, manufacturing from its own factory in China, it has built up a network of distributors across the globe.

 
The Innovation Award: SCX Ltd

SCX Special Projects provides bespoke engineering solutions for all lifting and mechanical handling challenges. Its customers range from the nuclear and defence sectors, to aerospace and manufacturing, stadium and kinetic architecture, energy and utilities. Its forward-thinking approach has generated business from first-in-class global companies, expanding its portfolio with an excellent RoI.

The Experian Data Excellence Award: Aggreko

Aggreko specialises in temporary power generation and temperature control equipment. With customers locally and across the UK, its overseas vision has seen it power events worldwide and engineer solutions to establish and maintain the smooth running of multiple businesses key to everyday life, executing this by listening and delivering bespoke solutions to each of its customers' needs.

The Artificial Intelligence Business of the Year Award: Darktrace

Founded in 2013 by mathematicians from the University of Cambridge and government cyber intelligence experts in the US and the UK, Darktrace has seen huge revenue and employee growth, and is today recognised as the world's leading AI company for cyber security. With deep expertise in mathematics and machine learning, it continues to expand its services to empower world-wide organisations to defend their online systems against the most sophisticated cyber-threats.

The i News New Entrepreneur of the Year Award: Jordan McCabe, Aztec Diamond Equestrian UK

Upon leaving college at 17, Jordan McCabe launched her own brand of women's equestrian clothing; since 2014, Jordan has turned Aztec Diamond Equestrian into a globally-respected, highly-desirable firm. Embodying the heart and soul of a true entrepreneur, she continues to innovate, inspiring repeat business from her loyal followers and customers.

The Give a Grad A Go Employer of the Year Award: Weston College

Rather than taking on a single recruit per year, Weston College's graduate scheme accepts several intakes of students throughout the year. With high quality guidance and care, Trainee Lecturers move across a variety of disciplines to learn on the job, and move towards their Level-5 teaching qualification.

The Castle Corporate Finance Scale-Up Business of the Year Award: ReBOUND

ReBOUND's mission was to transform how the eCommerce industry felt about returns. The firm has certainly exceeded these goals, becoming the service provider of choice for over 500 global retail brands. By offering an intelligent returns experience, it helps firms leverage return data to increase international sales through a simplified and reliable returns process.

The Lloyds Bank Small to Medium Business of the Year Award: MNB Precision Engineering

Predicting massive changes to its industry, MNB Precision Engineering chose to innovative to stay ahead of the curve and continue creating more opportunities for growth within its sector. Today, it still offers a range of in-house turnkey services, and cares for its team and planet while doing so. It has now provided manufacturing and precision engineering services to the world's leading oil and gas, aerospace, and manufacturing firms for over 35 years, utilising British-made products and boosting the UK economy.

The Inflexion Entrepreneur of the Year Award: Dr Nik Kotecha OBE, Morningside Pharmaceuticals

Never one to shy away from new methods of working, Morningside Pharmaceuticals CEO Dr Nik Kotecha is something of a pioneer. His mission was to ‘make quality healthcare an affordable and accessible reality throughout the world"