Praise for ‘dynamic and forward-looking’ award winner

A Stoke-on-Trent firm playing a major role in putting the area on the world map with its outstanding export performance has won an award sponsored by Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership in The Sentinel Business Awards 2017.

The LEP’s International Trade Award went to Burslem-based IT and data company Synectics Solutions, which also scooped the Business of the Year Award, and was shortlisted in the Science and Technology in Business category. Meanwhile Synectics Solutions managing director Carol Shanahan was also shortlisted for the Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

She was presented with the International Trade Award by the LEP’s economic partnerships manager Peter Davenport.

“Winning these awards is fantastic for the whole company,” she said.

Carol Shanahan founded Synectics Solutions with her husband Kevin in 1992. The firm, which boasts clients ranging from the Cabinet Office to leading automotive brands around the world, now employs 330 people and has a £13million annual turnover.

In the past year it has invested more than £380,000 in pioneering new predictive analytics software, and was named in the Sunday Times SME Export Track 100 List 2016, which lists the British businesses with the strongest growth in international sales.

LEP chairman David Frost CBE commented: “This is just the kind of dynamic, forward-looking business that we need to create more and better jobs and help our local economy to thrive.

“This region has a strong track record in exporting across all industrial sectors, and we must continue to build on this foundation. International trade will be key to our future prosperity as we gear up for new global trade relations after Brexit.”

Peter Davenport is pictured presenting the award to Carol Shanahan and Synectics Solutions HR director Kate Beardmore.