The European Business Awards announced the winner of the RSM Entrepreneur of the Year Award, The Cambridge Satchel Company, at an awards ceremony in Istanbul.

The Cambridge Satchel Company was founded four years ago at the kitchen table, by Julie Deane and her daughter with £600. The company now employs over 60 people and manufactures around 900 bags a day in the UK, with leather sourced in the EU. Exports are growing rapidly every year and the satchels are now sold in over 100 countries worldwide.

The European Business Awards ceremony marks the culmination of a one year decision-making process which began with over 15,000 businesses and ended with only 100 Ruban d'Honneur finalists, all hoping to become one of the ten category winners.

Over 150 judges, made up of European business leaders, academics and entrepreneurs, have been involved in the robust, four-stage awards process which included written submissions, video entries, judging and face-to- face presentations.  Entrants have been judged on a vast array of business markers including innovation, ethics and an international mind-set.

Matthew Howell, Head of Marketing at RSM Tenon, said: "Julie Deane, founder of The Cambridge Satchel Company, is an inspiration to all UK entrepreneurs. The European Business Awards is a great opportunity for UK businesses to demonstrate their achievements, celebrate success and set the benchmark for the UK."

Adrian Tripp, CEO of the European Business Awards said, "Judging of this year's awards has been particularly tough, with so many companies showing real success and tenacity in the face of the on-going economic difficulties in Europe. The introduction of the video entries stage has helped our judges to see behind the paper application form and understand more of the personality of the business. This is something we will use again in our 2013/14 awards."

Tripp adds, "The main aim of these awards is to help create a stronger European business community and we are proud to see this beginning to take shape with entrants past and present taking advantage of the networking opportunities offered to them, and forging beneficial business relationships. Over the next year, we are upgrading our website to create a leading online resource for anyone interested in business across Europe."

For more information, or to register your interest in the 2013/14 awards, please visit: www.businessawardseurope.com.

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For media enquiries relating to RSM Tenon and European Business Awards contact:

Deborah Rothfield, PR and Communications Manager, RSM Tenon 0207 5355 579 deborah.rothfield@rsmtenon.com

About the European Business Awards 2012/13:

The European Business Awards recognises and rewards excellence, best practice and innovation in companies across the European Union. The competition is free to enter and open to organisations of all sizes and from any industry sector.

The European Business Awards programme serves three purposes for the European business community:

It provides examples for the business community to aspire to

  • It celebrates and endorses individual's and organisation's success

  • It provides case studies and content for learning from these exceptional organizations

An innovative, strong and thriving business community makes a successful and prosperous Europe.

About RSM

RSM is a worldwide network of independent accounting and consulting firms. RSM and its member firms are separate and independent legal entities. RSM does not itself provide accounting or consultancy services. All such services are provided by member firms practicing on their own account. The network's total fee income of US$3.8 billion places it amongst the top six international accounting organisations worldwide. Member firms are driven by a common vision of providing high quality professional services, both in their domestic markets and in serving the international professional service needs of their client base. RSM is a member of the Forum of Firms. The objective of the Forum of Firms is to promote consistent and high quality standards of financial and auditing practices worldwide. www.rsmi.com

About RSM Tenon

RSM Tenon is the 7th largest accountancy and business advisory firm in the UK, employing more than 2,600 people across over 35 offices. RSM Tenon Group is an independent member of RSM International, the 7th largest network of independent accounting and consulting firms worldwide with more than 700 offices across more than 100 countries.

Visit the RSM Tenon website - www.rsmtenon.com

About Millicom

Millicom is a leading telecoms and media company dedicated to emerging markets in Latin America and Africa. Millicom sets the pace providing digital lifestyle services to the world's emerging markets, giving access to the world, primarily through mobile devices. Operating in 15 countries, Millicom offers innovative and customer-centric products. The Millicom Group employs more than 10,000 people and provides mobile services, access to the internet, content and financial services to over 47 million customers as well as ecommerce acroos Africa and Latin America. Founded in 1990, Millicom International Cellular SA is headquartered in Luxembourg and listed on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm under the symbol MIC. In 2012, Millicom generated revenue of USD 4.81 billion and EBITDA of USD 2.07 billion.  www.millicom.com

About UKTI

Whether you're a seasoned exporter or just beginning to expand overseas, talking to UK Trade & Investment is one of the best moves your company can make.

Through a range of unique services, including participation at selected trade fairs, outward missions and providing bespoke market intelligence, we can help you crack foreign markets and get to grips quickly with overseas regulations and business practice. www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk

Infosys partners with global enterprises to drive their innovation-led growth. That's why Forbes ranked Infosys 19th among the top 100 most innovative companies. As a leading provider of next-generation consulting technology and outsourcing solutions, Infosys helps clients in more than 30 countries realize their goals. Visit www.infosys.com and see how Infosys (NASDAQ: INFY), with its 153,000 people, is Building Tomorrow's Enterprise® today.

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