London Stock Exchange Group's ELITE programme welcomed the winners of the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards to mark the event's eighteenth edition, which took place on 12 November 2019.

The market open is one of the most iconic events in the British business calendar, so the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards' participation is both a reflection of the central place the show and its winners occupy within the business community, and a tangible representation of the way the awards help empower British business.

It is also a continuation of the celebration which began with the glamorous black-tie occasion celebrating achievement, growth and innovation. 2019's ceremony was hosted by BBC newsreader Simon McCoy and featured an inspiring keynote speech by astronaut Major Tim Peake.

This year, the awards recognised UK business community's biggest success stories, including Outstanding Achievement Award-winner Sara Davies MBE—now the youngest ever investor on BBC's Dragons' Den—and Leader of the Year James Timpson OBE, chairman of shoe repair and key cutting retailer Timpson.

Other recipients included i News New Entrepreneur of the Year Jordan McCabe of Aztec Diamond Ltd Lloyds Bank Positive Social Impact Award-winner Company Shop Group, Give a Grad a Go Employer of the Year Award-winner Weston College, and Artificial Intelligence Business of the Year Award-winner Darktrace. All the winners demonstrated impressive growth, innovative new practices and ethical approaches to business.

Simon Parker, Executive Vice-President of the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards said: 

“The Lloyds Bank National Business Awards is now a fixture on the UK business calendar, and we're delighted to cement that position by opening the market at the London Stock Exchange today. For eighteen years, the event has welcomed and rewarded some of the UK's most recognisable business leaders and organisations, as well as young entrepreneurs, charities and public sector bodies—we're pleased to be able to welcome some of those winners here today to continue celebrating their achievements.