Old Boy named UK Entrepreneur of the Year

24/2/2008

Geoff Davies OBE (1961-63), a Senior Fellow of the Foundation and Chief Executive of leading agricultural and public sector machinery manufacturer, Alamo Group Europe Ltd, has been named National Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 by the British Chambers of Commerce.

Alamo makes agricultural and vegetation control machinery with its McConnel, Bomford Turner, Spearhead and Twose subsidiaries and Geoff impressed the judges with his entrepreneurial record in transforming many famous but declining brands into highly profitable, growing, and forward looking companies.

McConnel is a great example. The company, which was acquired in 1991, is now under the day-to-day management of Geoff’s son, Christian, and continues to grow from strength to strength with major domestic and export sales.

Geoff won the West Midlands Entrepreneur award last October and the national accolade was announced at a recent gala presentation evening at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The British Chambers of Commerce has over 650,000 member businesses within the United Kingdom.

Geoff believes in leading from the front and stamps his personality on all the Alamo companies, whilst focusing on the development of his people. At the national awards, Darren Cassidy, Director of Xerox UK said, “Almost everyone thinks they can spot a business opportunity and create a successful company but true entrepreneurs are a very rare breed.

“Geoff has pushed the boundaries to prove that there is still a place for British engineering in the UK. He has demonstrated a real commitment to creating vital jobs in the rural communities. He has set out to dominate niche markets worldwide”.

Geoff stood out against a very strong group of entrepreneurs from across the country.

Among the audience at the event was Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the founder of Easyjet, while the MC was BBC news presenter Geroge Alagiag.

Peter Mileham, President of the British Chambers of Commerce, noted “entrepreneurs are the pioneers of the modern age. They take risks. They spot opportunities when most see boundaries. We look forward to watching Geoff’s business grow and succeed in the future”.

Immediately after receiving the award, Geoff traveled to France to work on the acquisition of another business with a purported annual turnover of around 50 million euros.

He was delighted to receive the award and acknowledged it as a tribute to the talent, quality and loyalty of workforces like McConnel and Bomford Turner.

“They’re the ones who take the businesses onwards and demonstrate that rural business can become world-class performers”, he said.