Mersey Maritime, the representative body for the maritime sector in the North West of England, is proud to announce the winners of this year’s Mersey Maritime Industry Awards (MMIAs).
The organisation, which represents the interests of a maritime cluster of more than 1,700 businesses, held its annual awards yesterday evening (Thursday) at a black tie dinner at Wallasey Town Hall on the Wirral.
There were 10 winners on the night in categories ranging from Best Newcomer to Business of the Year Award. The winners are: Best Newcomer (sponsored by Brookes Bell Group) Geo Data Systems; Rising Star Award (sponsored by Maritime and Engineering College, North West) Paula Crosby, Proposals Manager, Hughes Sub-Surface Engineering; Engineering Company of the Year (sponsored by Liverpool John Moores University) Royal Haskoning DHV; Innovation Award (sponsored by The Environmental Network) Peel Ports Group; Freight & Logistics Award (sponsored by Brabners LLP) Warrant Group; Maritime Professional Services Award (sponsored by Tilney Bestinvest) Brabners LLP; Global Reach Award (sponsored by NatWest) Isle of Man Ship Registry; The Jim Teasdale Award for Maritime Ambassador (sponsored by Liverpool Football Club) Angie Redhead, Cruise Terminal Operations Manager, Liverpool Cruise Terminal; SME Business of the Year (sponsored by Cammell Laird) Brookes Bell Group; Business of the Year (sponsored by Peel Group) Cammell Laird.
The judges’ award for Maritime Ambassador is decided each year by an independent judging panel, which was unanimous in picking Angie Redhead of Liverpool Cruise Terminal as its 2016 winner.
The award recognises Ms Redhead’s decade-long commitment to the development of a thriving cruise industry in Liverpool and her central role in bringing Cunard’s ‘Three Queens’ spectacular to the River Mersey in May 2015.
The Maritime Ambassador was renamed this year in honour of its first ever recipient, Jim Teasdale, a former chief executive of Mersey Maritime, who retired last year.
Describing the MMIAs as an opportunity to showcase the excellence that exists in the maritime sector in the North West, Chris Shirling-Rooke, Chief Executive of Mersey Maritime, said: “Tonight was the second year of these prestigious awards and they are already seen as a firm fixture in our region’s annual industry awards calendar. Award submissions were up by almost 60 per cent on 2015, giving our judging panel a unique insight into the many successful businesses that are operating in the North West.”
He added: “The maritime industry, including UK Shipping Minster Robert Goodwill, the UK Chamber of Shipping and DG MARE, the Maritime and Fisheries Directorate at the EU Commission in Brussels, has shown tremendous support for these awards, which provide an excellent showcase for the sector.”
Key guests within the maritime sector included UK Shipping Minister Robert Goodwill MP; Alessia Clocchiatti, Senior Policy Officer at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE); Sir Michael Bibby, MD of Bibby Line Group; Mark Whitworth, CEO of Peel Group; Jacqueline Foster MEP and John Garland of the Isle of Man Government.
Mersey Maritime’s Industry Awards also helped raise money for Fairbridge, a registered charity that provides individually tailored personal development programmes for young people aged between 13 and 25. It combines one-to-one support and group activities, delivered by a dedicated team in Prince’s Trust Centres around the UK.
