The 2024 North West Business Awards, celebrating the best in business across the region, were held at the City Hotel on Friday, June 7th.
The event celebrated outstanding businesses and individuals across the North West, with many surprises and acknowledgments for local enterprises.
IN PICTURES: Annual North West Business of the Year awards
Sponsored by Bank of Ireland, the awards welcomed nominations from businesses and entrepreneurs throughout the North West region. The City Centre Initiative (CCI) and Londonderry Chamber of Commerce (LCC), the event organizers, extended their gratitude to everyone who entered the Awards, and attended the event. They emphasised that the evening was a celebration of the industrious spirit of the region’s businesses and entrepreneurs.
Speaking on behalf of the organisers, Jim Roddy, CEO of City Centre Initiative and Anna Doherty, CEO of Londonderry Chamber of Commerce, said: “I think everyone tonight would agree that we have some of the finest examples of business in the North West here this evening. Our winners and shortlisted nominees are very deserving of these awards.
“We would like to extend our sincere thanks to our main sponsor, Bank of Ireland, and our individual category sponsors for supporting local business and their achievements, without them we would not be able to host these awards.
“Selecting winners from the nominations we receive is always extremely difficult, and our panel of judges worked rigorously through the nominations to select very worthy winners for these awards. Not only our winners, but those shortlisted should be very proud to represent the best of the North West this year. To those who didn’t make the shortlist, we encourage you to keep applying, 2025 could be your year!”
The evening’s top honour, the Brilliance In Business Award, went to Millennium Forum. Opened in 2001, Millennium Forum is located right in the heart of the city’s historic centre and plays a vital role in impacting on culture, community, and business. A recent study reports that Millennium Forum contributed a massive £16.2million to the North West economy in 2023. The Forum’s award-winning team delivers a wide range of education, outreach and access programmes across the North West region throughout the year, as well as hosting world class conferences via its state-of-the-art facilities.
The 2024 North West Business Award Winners are:
Young Business Person of the Year – Kira McLaughlin, Scoil Mhuire Buncrana
Educational Partnership Award – FinTrU & Ulster University Business School
North West Restaurant of the Year – Walled City Brewery
North West Retailer of the Year Award – Little Acorns Bookstore
North West Hotel of the Year – The Ebrington Hotel
North West Creative Industries Business of the Year – Alleycats TV
Contribution to the North West Economy Award – Waterside Credit Union
Visit Derry Ambassadors Award – Des Rainey, Irish National Teachers Association
Innovation & Technology Award – Foods Connected
North West Pub of The Year – The Cosh Bar & Grill
Sustainability Champions Award – Translink
Creative Marketer of The Year – Millennium Forum
Taste of The North West – Carrick Foods
North West Business Hero – Declan Moore, Claudes Café
North West Small Business of the Year – North West Pest Control Ltd
NW Large Business of The Year – FinTrU
Strabane BID Business of The Year – Bejewelled At Soul
Brilliance In Business – Millennium Forum
For more information on the North West Business Awards, visit the social media pages @NWBizAwards on Facebook and Instagram, or check out the websites www.cciderry-londonderry.com and www.londonderrychamber.co.uk.