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Announcing the 2024 British Business Awards Winners!

Written by BCCJ
November 9, 2024
British Business Awards

[Photo Credit: Life.14]

On Friday, November 8, the British Business Awards (BBA) 2024 celebrated its 17th year of recognising excellence in UK-Japan business relations under the theme “Better Business, Better World“.

Organised by the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan (BCCJ), this prestigious event honoured achievements in innovation, entrepreneurship, and social and environmental responsibility across six award categories. Winners were selected by an esteemed panel of six independent judges, outlined in this article.

Congratulations to this year’s winners for their outstanding contributions and inspiring impact – championing the best of British excellence in Japan!

2024年11月8日㈮、ブリティッシュビジネスアワード (BBA) は、「より良いビジネス、より良い世界」というテーマのもと、第17回目となる【日英ビジネス関係における優れた成果と卓越性】を称える授賞式を開催いたしました。

この名誉あるイベントは、在日英国商業会議所 (BCCJ) により主催され、《革新》《起業家精神》《社会的および環境的責任》における成果を、6つの賞のカテゴリーで表彰しました。各カテゴリーの受賞者は、6人の著名な審査員からなるパネルにより厳選な審査を経て選出されました。今年の受賞者みなさまの卓越した貢献と、創造あふれる刺激的な影響に心からお祝い申し上げます。

日本における、英国の優れた企業精神を代表する存在として、皆様のさらなる活躍を称賛いたします。

BBA2024 WINNERS

Company of the Year

FGS Global (Japan) GK

FGS Global, a strategic communications consultancy, proudly supports companies to succeed during pivotal moments, both in Japan and abroad. This year’s nomination is in recognition of a groundbreaking 12 months in which the company saw unprecedented growth, advising on some of the most significant M&A and corporate reputation challenges in Japan.

UK-Japan Partnership:

PW Productions – TOHO Co., Ltd.

PW Productions and TOHO Co., Ltd. joined forces to co-produce Spirited Away’s 2024 European premiere at the West End’s London Coliseum. It was the largest stage production in recent history with a Japanese cast and in the Japanese language outside of Japan, and was a huge success, both critically and commercially.

Entrepreneur of the Year

Astris Advisory Japan

Astris has been an entrepreneurial journey, founded from scratch with no external capital. During the border closures, we survived on sheer will. Post-COVID, we soared! Our team now 20 strong, working with industry giants like Sony, Honda, Mitsubishi Materials, and Seiko Epson. We’ve doubled revenues, expanded business lines, and secured major partnerships.

Responsible Business

Barclays Japan

Barclays Japan is committed to building a stronger and more inclusive economy that’s better for everyone. Collaborating with trusted charity partners, the Barclays LifeSkills programme supports underserved communities in breaking down barriers to get into work, thrive in the digital age, and better manage their money. By unlocking skills and employment opportunities, the programme is helping those in need onto a new trajectory.

Outstanding Contribution

Joseph Tame

Having spent a decade building up his creative agency Wild Tame to serve major clients in Japan, the UK, the US and beyond, in the past year Joseph has invested significant time and resources in giving back to the community, supporting the PR and social awareness activities of Tokyo-based NPOs with strong links to the international community.

“This recognition means so much to Satoko, myself and the team at Wild Tame. It celebrates our commitment to community projects, strengthening UK-Japan relations through our work, and the effort made to be an inspiring employer and mentor.
I’m incredibly grateful for the supportive network of individuals and organisations (including the BCCJ of course!) who believe in us and have powered our growth over the past 13 years—this has truly been a team effort. And we’re only just getting started!””

Digital Technology & Innovation

Oxford Instruments Kabushiki Kaisha

Oxford Instruments is at the forefront of high technology, offering cutting-edge products and services to industrial leaders & scientific researchers. We created a significant global impact by integrating our sophisticated dilution refrigerator into a device that enables the first quantum computer to operate in a Japanese commercial data centre.

BBA2024

The #BBA2024 gala was supported by a diverse community of BCCJ member companies and friends, this year welcoming three Gold sponsors: BAE Systems, Forvis Mazars and Robert Walters Japan.

The BCCJ was pleased to welcome 320 guests to the Awards. Led by masters of ceremonies Guy Perryman MBE and Madoka Kato, guests gathered at the Hilton Tokyo to celebrate the 17th anniversary of the British Business Awards. The event featured appearances by HM Ambassador to Japan, Julia Longbottom CMG, BCCJ President Richard Lyle, and numerous BCCJ leaders and longtime supporters.

The gala showcased a variety of creative touches that have become synonymous with the BBAs and featured a significant presence from the Noto Peninsula, highlighting the Chamber’s ongoing support for community projects in the region. This included fundraising for three NPO/charity projects taking place across the area, a silent auction for a custom-made BBA Wajima-nuri plate, a Noto x UK fusion menu (view here), and a celebrated opening drum performance from Gojinjo-Daiko.

A champagne reception was enjoyed alongside crowd-favourite drinks provided by members of the BCCJ Bar: Louis Pommery, Silent Pool (Whisk-e), Arran Whisky (Whisk-e), Wimbledon Brewery, Aspall Cyder (Hobgoblin Japan KK) and Noughty (non-alcoholic wine).

Speeches from BCCJ President Richard Lyle and HM Ambassador to Japan Julia Longbottom highlighted a year marked by promising new partnerships and forward-looking business opportunities, particularly connected with the upcoming Osaka Expo. Richard noted the collaborative spirit driving UK-Japan relations, noting how these partnerships continue to open doors for mutual growth across industries.

Julia addressed the unique challenges and conditions affecting Japan’s Noto Peninsula, expressing solidarity and acknowledging the importance of joint resilience in the face of adversity.

Following the eagerly-awaited awards ceremony and lively round of raffle prize draws, guests danced to a selection of UK classics played by Heart Cocktail Quintet.

BBA 2024 SPONSORS

Sincere thanks to our BBA 2024 sponsors, without whom the BCCJ’s seventeenth black-tie event would not have been possible:

Gold sponsors: BAE Systems, Forvis Mazars, Robert Walters Japan
Responsible Business: London Stock Exchange Group
Silver Sponsor: Argentum Wealth Management
Bronze sponsors: Standard Chartered Bank
BCCJ Bar: Louis Pommery, Silent Pool Gin, Arran Whisky, Aspall Cyder, Wimbledon Brewery, Noughty
In-Kind sponsors: ACCESS ALL AREAS JAPAN, Fuji Butcher, Hobgoblin Japan KK, Nihon 3D Design, The British Shop, Triace Co.Ltd., Ukishima Sculpture Studio, Wyke Farms
Media sponsors: Guy Perryman, Life.14, Vega

AWARD CEREMONY

Long-term BCCJ member, Kate Thomson of Ukishima Sculpture Studio created the seven coveted BBA2024 trophies reflecting this year’s BBA theme, “Better Business, Better World”.

On the night, the winner of each category was announced in a ceremony presided over by BCCJ Executive Director Sarah Backley, with HM Ambassador to Japan Julia Longbottom CMG revealing the winning company names one by one.

Competition was stiff this year, with 44 nominations received across six award categories:

Company of the Year
Entrepreneur of the Year
UK-Japan Partnership
Responsible Business (sponsored by London Stock Exchange Group)
Outstanding Contribution
Digital Technology & Innovation

LUXURY RAFFLE

A luxury raffle draw was led by BCCJ Executive Director Sarah Backley and Guy Perryman MBE, with 50% of proceeds going to support NPO Tsumugigumi, Creating the Future of Sotoura and NPO Home for All. More information on all of these can be found HERE. The delivery of the BBA2024 would not have been possible without the generous support of our hospitality and beverage prize sponsors below, and the whole BCCJ team would like to extend a huge thank you to each of this year’s 16 sponsors for their contribution to the event.

The final prize of the night was two Club World business class tickets from Tokyo to London, courtesy of British Airways, which was won through a lively game of Heads or Tails until the crowd was whittled down to one, led by BA Commercial Director Satsuki Inoue.

BBA 2024 PROGRAMME

An overview of the outstanding achievements of this year’s 44 nominees is detailed in BBA 2024 programme below.