Pitch Perfect 2011 ends on a high note

Pitch Perfect 2011 ends on a high note

Pitch Perfect 2011, the business awards competition designed, developed and delivered by Tower Hamlets College specialist business support team, ended on a high note last Friday with top billing at the Your Docklands and City awards event. This was the night when the audience of business owners, guests, sponsors and partners came together to celebrate success. For the business support team it was time to celebrate their work, the success of Pitch Perfect, present certificates and announce the competition winner.

For the past two years the team of Asif Siddiqui, Terry Jolly, Ian Mistlin, Ian Dudley and Kobirul Islam have been delivering a European Regional Development Funded programme called, Access to Finance for Growth. Pitch Perfect, a business awards competition with a difference, was conceived to support this important programme. According to originator and organiser Ian Mistlin: “A flourishing SME community is vital to the national economy and so is their ability to access finance to fuel growth and development. The spinoff and payback is simple. A flourishing business is better able to create and safeguard jobs which urgently need to happen right now in the UK.”

Pitch Perfect has been a hit since its launch in 2010. It has gained profile, presence and ambassadors like last year’s winner Sylvia Garvin of Sejuiced, who certainly has benefited from her experience and from the relationships and investment gained. In June this year the competition attracted over 130 business entries. Six months on and four stages later 10 finalists emerged well primed and prepared for the last challenge, namely Panel Day, a Dragons den style event. Here they would have to convince the panel of judges that their business had growth potential. In addition they had to pitch for the £10K prize package, made up of £5k cash and £5k worth of editorial and advertising in the Docklands and City Magazine. The guest panel consisted of Richie Coulson of Lloyds TSB, Paul Gregory, Managing Director of Your Docklands and City Magazine, Simon Hulme, Private Investor and Ian Mistlin, Business adviser at Tower Hamlets College. This took place early in November. All would have to wait to the awards event on 25 November.

For all finalists the wait was over when close to 11pm Ian Mistlin took to the stage. Showcasing the awards, Ian profiled all finalists calling them one by one to the stage to collect their framed certificate. And so to, profiling and announcing the winner. Ian informed the audience that,

“This year’s winning business and business owner impressed us from day one. The business owner sustained our interest and excited us through the rounds and quite simply on panel day gave the panel good reason why this business has real growth potential in the UK and abroad. The business has grown organically over the last 6 years. This year the company has enjoyed record growth. Their client base has substantially multiplied and so has their impressive portfolio of clients. Quite simply the business owner continually works on the, ‘formula for business success’. There is no simple equation or one single factor. If you look under the bonnet, success is due a collection of factors including …..a high performing team, their commitment, a passionate leader with confidence , great credentials and credibility to market. It gives me great pleasure to announce that the winner of Pitch Perfect 2011 is Canary Wharf and City, an independent IT Recruitment business working with global corporations across a range of industries, from professional services through to investment banking”

Many congratulations to Michelle Palmer and her team!

Congratulations also go to Carlton Brown and Kristian Lennard, joint owners of the runners-up, Just Washroom Services, who look after some of the best loos in London in such organisations as Canary Wharf Group, Four Seasons and the Old Bailey.

Ian wrapped up Pitch Perfect for another year by sending good wishes to all finalists for the future:
‘Getting to the final was no stroll in the park. Pitch Perfect was designed to stretch and be a thorough workout for business owners. Tonight’s celebrations fittingly bring to an end The Access to Finance for Growth programme at THC which has been part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). As for Pitch Perfect this will be back in the New Year".