Innocent Speaker announced for Grampian Awards for Business Enterprise

Richard Reed, Co-Founder of Innocent Drinks, has been announced as the keynote speaker for the 2006 Grampian Awards for Business Enterprise.  The Awards, which recognise business achievement in the north east of Scotland for companies of all sizes and are sponsored by The Royal Bank of Scotland and Business Gateway (in association with Scottish Enterprise Grampian). The annual awards are organised by Enterprise North East Trust (Enterprise) and the 2006 awards ceremony will be held on Thursday 8 June at Ardoe House Hotel by Aberdeen.

The co-founder of the UK’s fastest growing food and drinks company and the number one smoothie brand in the UK, Richard Reed has always been something of an entrepreneur.  Whilst still at primary school, aged eight, Richard was washing windows for his neighbours and, until caught by teachers, selling Smurf stickers.  After a brief retirement Richard re entered the world of work aged 12 and spent a summer picking up dog biscuits in a pet food factory.  Following this short period of employment Richard once more became self employed and set up a business called Two Men Went to Mow and employed school friends to provide gardening services. 

Richard graduated from Cambridge University and went on to work in advertising for four years until he and two friends, Jon and Adam, decided to set up a fresh fruit juice company.  Following a weekend spent selling smoothies at a music festival where asked customers to help them decide whether or not to concentrate on the business full time.  They put out a sign that said ‘should we give up our jobs to make these smoothies’ and two bins, one marked ‘no’ and one marked ‘yes’.  At the end of the weekend the ‘yes’ bin was full and Richard, Jon and Adam resigned from their jobs.  Innocent Drinks are now sold throughout the UK at outlets including Harrods of Knightsbridge.

Chris Travis, Chief Executive of Enterprise comments, “We expect that more than 400 people from across the north east will attend the Grampian Awards for Business Enterprise awards ceremony.  Richard Reed epitomises the spirit of the Grampian Awards for Business Enterprise; he is creative, innovative and most definitely a leading entrepreneur.  Richard’s approach to business should provide guests at the event with much food for thought.  Not only has Innocent Drinks grown from nothing to a turnover of £10m in four years they also have funded Women for Sustainable Development, an NGO in India, and pay for urban forests in run down areas in the UK.”

Tickets are now available for the Grampian Awards for Business Enterprise black tie event on 8 June at Ardoe House Hotel at a cost of £80 per guest (plus VAT) or £800 (plus VAT) for a table of ten.  The event begins with a champagne reception at 7pm, with carriages at 11.45 pm.  Tickets for the event can be booked by calling 01467 672535, or emailing events@enetrust.com.  Tickets are expected to be in demand as the event has been a sell out each year since it’s inception.

Winners of the six categories will be announced on the night – New Business Award; Young Business Award; Business Growth Award; The Alick Buchanan Smith Spirit of Enterprise Award; The Sir Ian Wood Award for Innovation; The Ian Davidson Award for Entrepreneurship. Winners in 2005 included Poseidon Engineering, Zertech, double award winners Caledus, ANM Group and Graeme Anderson of boxportable.

More information about the awards can be found at www.enetrust.com.  Winners will be selected on 13th April 2006 and will not be announced until the awards ceremony will take place on 8th June at Ardoe House Hotel, by Aberdeen.

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For further information contact:
Lyndsay Brackenbury
Tricker PR
9 Victoria Street
Aberdeen
Telephone  01224 646491
Direct Line 01224 654086
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Email  lbrackenbury@trickerpr.com