Gekko wins top Amazon Growing Business Award
Newbury marketing agency claims national accolade at ceremony in London
A NEWBURY-based marketing agency has won a prestigious Amazon Growing Business Award at a national ceremony in London.
The London Road company saw off competition from hundreds of entrepreneurs and businesses from across the UK to claim the top prize.
Gekko won the Employer of the Year award after competing against names including Celfone Trading, Brainlabs and Simply Business.
Created by and backed by the CBI, the Amazon Growing Business Awards are the most established and respected national recognition programme for SMEs and entrepreneurial success, with previous VIP guests including Bill Gates, Gordon Brown and Stelios Haji-Ioannou.
The event was hosted by Rob Beckett, stand-up comedian and regular on television panel shows, and .
The 2016 event, held at The Brewery in London, received nominations from more than 500 SMEs from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Speaking after picking up the award, Gekko managing director David Todaro said: “2016 has been a fantastic year for Gekko and to win this award is a huge testament to the talent, dedication, and team-spirit of our staff.
“Specialising in the branding and field marketing sector ourselves, we know the importance of gaining this type of recognition, so we’re over the moon to win Employer of the Year, especially with backing from leaders like Amazon, the CBI and .
Doug Gurr, UK country manager at Amazon, said: “We would like to offer our congratulations to all the winners and businesses highly commended.
“Small businesses are the backbone of Britain, and so it’s immensely inspiring to hear such a number of success stories, showing that creative ideas and relentless drive is found around the country.”
Speaking in support of the Amazon Growing Business Awards, Tom Thackray, CBI director of innovation, said: “The CBI is delighted to support the Amazon Growing Business Awards, championing the vibrant network of SMEs as they undergo their scale-up journey.
“We wish all those who have taken part the greatest of success for the years ahead.”
Hunter Ruthven, editor of , said: “This year’s winning and highly-commended businesses deserve huge recognition for their success in seeing off a record level of competition across every award category.
“On behalf of everyone at , we would like to thank all those who entered this year’s Amazon Growing Business Awards and we look forward to hearing even more inspiring stories in next year’s entries.”
Since its launch in 1999, the awards have celebrated exceptional growing businesses with past winners including Innocent Drinks, Betfair, Lovefilm and Fever-Tree.
