Like so many other events, this year’s celebration of Burns Night and Chinese New Year – held by the China-Britain Business Council – took place online. Even so, the variety of companies receiving China-Scotland business awards – now a fixture in Scotland’s corporate calendar – has once again demonstrated the health of the two countries’ economic relationship.

Speaking at the event, CBBC chairman Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles drew attention to the thousands of jobs in Scotland that now rely on its links with China, and looked forward to this year’s COP26 climate change summit as another opportunity to showcase those ties. In his remarks, he paid tribute to the award winners and nominees:
 
“The variety of contenders for awards this evening alone is testament to the broad range of sectors in which Scottish businesses now engage with China, from engineering to education to high-end retail,” Sir Sherard said.
 
“Highlighting areas where Scotland, and the broader UK, can co-operate to mutual advantage is becoming ever more important,” he added.
 
The remarkable performance of Scottish exporters in maintaining high levels of sales to China last year, despite the pandemic, was typified by Ireland Alloys, named as Exporter of the Year. The company, which specializes in recycling and selling superalloy scrap, achieved £1.3 million worth of exports last year, in part thanks to its careful research into the Chinese market.

This year’s Chinese Investor of the Year award went to Logan Energy, which specializes in the delivery of engineering solutions for integrated hydrogen technology systems. It has attracted £1 million of investment from Henan Lanxing Power Equipment Co to help develop the hydrogen market in China, where there is currently no other hydrogen tech specialist on a par with Logan.
 
The last award for Entrepreneur of the Year was handed to James Buchan, who founded Dundee-based Zudu in 2014 to focus on digital marketing, development, and strategic consulting for both the UK and Chinese markets. By combining the skills of both British and Chinese development, marketing and growth experts, Zudu helps organisations reinvent their digital profile and implement results-driven online and offline strategies for their target market. The company is notable for its success in growing Scotland’s brands and culture recognition in China.
 
Summary of Winners
 
Exporter of the Year – Ireland Alloys
 
Award for Climate Action – Wood
 
Educational Partnership of the Year – sponsored by Huawei – University of Glasgow – UESTC
 
Chinese Investor of the Year – Logan Energy
 
Entrepreneur of the Year – James Buchan (Zudu) 

The post China-Scotland Business Awards 2021 Winners appeared first on Focus - China Britain Business Council.

The shortlist for the 2021 China-Scotland Business Awards is as follows:

The post Finalists of China-Scotland Business Awards announced appeared first on Focus - China Britain Business Council.

Michael Hill-King of Huawei Technologies explains below how the Chinese tech company has been investing in Scotland since 2016. It began as a collaboration with the University of Edinburgh and eventually led to the establishment of a joint lab between the two in 2017.

The Huawei Edinburgh Research Centre is focused on AI-related basic software research. Presently the Huawei Edinburgh Research Centre has 30 employees, and by year-end 2021, Huawei estimates it will have 100 employees.

The company’s ‘Seeds for the Future’ programme has involved the recruitment of undergraduates for a month-long summer school in Beijing and Shenzhen involving business, cultural and technical training. Fifty UK students are recruited on the Seeds programme each year and since 2018, ten places have been allocated each year for students studying in Scottish universities. To date, over 30 Scottish students have benefited from this life-changing and career-enhancing experience.

Watch below to learn more about Huawei’s partnership with the University of Edinburgh

ENTRIES TO THE CHINA-SCOTLAND BUSINESS AWARDS ARE NOW OPEN. HOW CAN YOU APPLY?

• The online application form can be saved, so you can return to it at any time and edit it right up until the deadline at midnight (BST) on 5th November 2020.
• Please be aware that you are required to submit a three-minute video in support of your application. The video should be submitted via a YouTube link added to the online application form. More details on how to upload to YouTube can be found here. The video will provide the judges with extra information from which to select the winners of each category. See more details on content below.
• The organisers reserve the right, at their discretion, to reject any applications that are deemed to be inappropriate and the decision of the judges is final.

FAQS

Can my organisation make more than one application?
Yes, your organisation may apply more than once. For example, various departments from a university may make separate applications within the same category or across multiple other award categories. Only one application can be submitted per category, it is not permitted to send the same application for two different award categories.

Can I attach documents to support my application?
Yes, you may attach up to three separate documents through the online application form. Please note, each attachment should be no more than one page in PDF or one picture in .jpeg format – the maximum size of each attachment cannot exceed 20Mb. Attachments that are more than one page will not be reviewed by the judges.

How are the applications assessed?
One judge, specialised in his or her award category, will score each award category individually. Each question in your application is scored out of 10. Once the scores are counted the judge picks a number of shortlisted candidates, based on the overall scoring and overall quality of applications in the group – the China-Britain Business Council has final discretion on the number of shortlisted candidates.

Once all categories have been shortlisted, the full judging panel will come together to view each shortlisted candidate’s video. The judging panel will then vote for each category winner based on their application score and their video.

How do I submit the required three-minute video pitch?
The video should be to the standard of that taken on a handheld mobile recording device or better – it is not necessary to produce a professional video solely for these awards unless you really wish to do so. It is the content which matters. We would encourage applicants to show their product or service in the three-minute video as this often helps bring your application to life for the judging panel during the assessment process.

YouTube is the preferred option for uploading video content and we would encourage applicants to amend their video to the unlisted option when uploading a video to YouTube. Click here to learn how to change videos to be Unlisted. The time limit for videos is three minutes maximum. Any video content beyond three minutes will not be viewed during final awarding assessments.

Where do I submit the three-minute video?
Once the video content has been uploaded to YouTube then you must provide the full URL link in your online application where requested.

What should be covered in the three-minute video?
The video offers the opportunity for you to showcase your business, team or product/service to the full panel of judges. The three-minute video does not need to be the business leader speaking for three minutes, it can include a demonstration of your product or service, have customer testimonials or show some of the team hard at work.

When can I reserve a table for the awards?
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, it is currently unclear whether or not an in-person dinner will be possible on 4th February, although the event is being held at the Waldorf Astoria, Edinburgh should an ease of restrictions allow.

If a physical event remains impossible, the awards ceremony will be hosted virtually on 4th February, more details of which will be shared closer to the time.

The post Huawei, winner of the China Investor of the Year Award appeared first on Focus - China Britain Business Council.

Rachel Jones launched her online product monitoring company SnapDragon after discovering that products she was making with another company in China were being faked and sold online.

Totseat – the company she founded back in 2004 – had grown to the point where it was manufacturing in China but she was shocked to discover that fake versions of the product were available online. Rachel then started a company that monitors online platforms to find fake products and report them so that the fake products can be taken down. She explains that what started off as a slow manual process is now done with AI and automation and with the support of the platforms themselves, which are eager to see fake products removed from their sites. SnapDragon now has 35 employees that help protect brands, revenues and customers, and has won numerous awards for the excellent work it does.

Watch below to learn more about Rachel’s journey and what winning the 2020 China-Scotland Entrepreneur of the Year award meant to her.

ENTRIES TO THE CHINA-SCOTLAND BUSINESS AWARDS ARE NOW OPEN. HOW CAN YOU APPLY?

• The online application form can be saved, so you can return to it at any time and edit it right up until the deadline at midnight (BST) on 5th November 2020.
• Please be aware that you are required to submit a three-minute video in support of your application. The video should be submitted via a YouTube link added to the online application form. More details on how to upload to YouTube can be found here. The video will provide the judges with extra information from which to select the winners of each category. See more details on content below.
• The organisers reserve the right, at their discretion, to reject any applications that are deemed to be inappropriate and the decision of the judges is final.

FAQS

Can my organisation make more than one application?
Yes, your organisation may apply more than once. For example, various departments from a university may make separate applications within the same category or across multiple other award categories. Only one application can be submitted per category, it is not permitted to send the same application for two different award categories.

Can I attach documents to support my application?
Yes, you may attach up to three separate documents through the online application form. Please note, each attachment should be no more than one page in PDF or one picture in .jpeg format – the maximum size of each attachment cannot exceed 20Mb. Attachments that are more than one page will not be reviewed by the judges.

How are the applications assessed?
One judge, specialised in his or her award category, will score each award category individually. Each question in your application is scored out of 10. Once the scores are counted the judge picks a number of shortlisted candidates, based on the overall scoring and overall quality of applications in the group – the China-Britain Business Council has final discretion on the number of shortlisted candidates.

Once all categories have been shortlisted, the full judging panel will come together to view each shortlisted candidate’s video. The judging panel will then vote for each category winner based on their application score and their video.

How do I submit the required three-minute video pitch?
The video should be to the standard of that taken on a handheld mobile recording device or better – it is not necessary to produce a professional video solely for these awards unless you really wish to do so. It is the content which matters. We would encourage applicants to show their product or service in the three-minute video as this often helps bring your application to life for the judging panel during the assessment process.

YouTube is the preferred option for uploading video content and we would encourage applicants to amend their video to the unlisted option when uploading a video to YouTube. Click here to learn how to change videos to be Unlisted. The time limit for videos is three minutes maximum. Any video content beyond three minutes will not be viewed during final awarding assessments.

Where do I submit the three-minute video?
Once the video content has been uploaded to YouTube then you must provide the full URL link in your online application where requested.

What should be covered in the three-minute video?
The video offers the opportunity for you to showcase your business, team or product/service to the full panel of judges. The three-minute video does not need to be the business leader speaking for three minutes, it can include a demonstration of your product or service, have customer testimonials or show some of the team hard at work.

When can I reserve a table for the awards?
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, it is currently unclear whether or not an in-person dinner will be possible on 4th February, although the event is being held at the Waldorf Astoria, Edinburgh should an ease of restrictions allow.

If a physical event remains impossible, the awards ceremony will be hosted virtually on 4th February, more details of which will be shared closer to the time.

The post Rachel Jones winner of the 2020 China-Scotland Entrepreneur of the Year Award appeared first on Focus - China Britain Business Council.

Established in 2008 and now in its twelfth year, the biennial British Business Awards (BBA) recognises and promotes excellence in innovation, enterprise, and endeavour. The Awards are a fantastic opportunity for British businesses and Chinese businesses with UK links to share great success stories.

The British Business Awards 2020, organised this year by the British Chamber of Commerce Shanghai, and supported by Department for International Trade (DIT), The British Council, CBBC, Confederation of British Industry (CBI), and British Chambers in Beijing, Guangdong and Southwest, seek to celebrate the fantastic work being done by British businesses across China and the ever-growing trade between China and the UK.

“The UK and China have fostered a constructive trade relationship over recent years. 2019 saw record volumes of UK-China bilateral trade. Total bilateral trade reached GBP 104.5 billion. China remains the UK’s third-largest export market after the EU and North America. The UK is the global number one destination for foreign direct investment in Europe and was the largest recipient of Chinese investment in Europe in 2019. We have also seen high levels of UK foreign direct investment flow into China, reaching £3 billion in 2018, up 159% on 2017,” says Chris Wood, British Consul-General in Shanghai,

“Although the epidemic has indeed hit hard trade around the world, including trade between our two countries, Britain and China maintain confidence in the prospects for future economic and trade cooperation. British and Chinese businesses will be at the heart of the recovery and of that cooperation – helping not only to exchange knowledge and expertise but also to maintain and build trade ties between the UK and China. The British Business Awards will play a hugely important role in highlighting the skills and expertise which British businesses can offer to China,” says Wood.

Ambassador Woodward at the 2018 British Business Awards

This year’s awards will involve a total of ten awards categories including the newly introduced British Exporter of the Year Award co-developed by CBBC and BritCham Shanghai.

“This year, we expand the Awards by introducing three new categories, British Exporter of the Year Award, Leadership Award and Best Employer Award. By doing so, the Awards cover more areas and aspects to recognise and reward the best that British companies offer to China,” says Ray Chisnall, Chairman of the British Business Awards 2020.

Chisnall also encouraged applicants to build a bright future for both Chinese and British economies in this challenging time with their entrepreneurial spirit and cooperative stewardship. “We are living in truly unprecedented times, and it is only by working collaboratively across all boundaries that we can overcome the challenges and make sure business continues to grow between the UK and China. The Awards are a recognition of the tremendous work being done, and it is vital we continue to build on the strong foundations that exist. I encourage all companies to seize the opportunity this presents to showcase their business in the UK, China and beyond.”

The British Exporter of the Year Award is open to companies who can demonstrate sustained exports to the Chinese market for at least three years and the positive impact this has had on the UK economy. Applicants can be UK manufacturers who export to China from third markets with products that utilise British IP/patents/knowledge.

“The China-Britain Business Council is delighted to be partnering with BritCham Shanghai to introduce the British Exporter of the Year Award to the 2020 awards,” says Tom Simpson, CBBC‘s managing director, China. “The British Business Awards is a fantastic opportunity for the business community to celebrate the many success stories taking place within the UK-China trade and investment space. British Exports to China reached an all-time high in 2019 and with China among the fastest growing export markets for the UK over the last five years.”

To enter the British Exporter of the Year, you have to be a British-owned company or organisation operating in mainland China or a company or organisation operating in China that the general public and/or business community would perceive as being British.

Winners of the 2018 BBAs

The judges will look for evidence of how the applicant identified their market in China, how applicant adapted to the China market – either their product/service and/or their approach to exporting, and absolute growth in export volume. They will also look at how the applicant has realised a sustainable model for exporting its product/service to China, the strength of the applicant’s strategy for how to build on its achievement and sustain further growth, and the greater significance or wider impact of the applicant’s exporting on the UK (company or supply chain expansion), wider industry, and key influencers in China.

The British Business Awards accept online entries only. Enter the Awards here or via the BBA website, register an account, complete company profile and then you can select the category you wish to enter and complete the online application form.

The applicant can save the application as a draft until he/she is happy with the answers. Once submitted as final, the application cannot be altered. The closing date for submissions is 31 July 2020. Finalists will be announced on 3rd September and the Awards Gala Dinner will be held on 29th October 2020.

The post British Business Awards 2020: UK Exporter of the Year Award appeared first on Focus - China Britain Business Council.