8th March 2024
Last night at the Business Desk West Midlands Leadership Awards, CEO Tony Hague collected two awards, and the fourth individual accolade since collecting the EMA Industry Leader of the Year award in September.
Tony has prepared a statement in reaction to these achievements (below).
Over the last few months, I have been in the rather strange position of being recognised by no less than four industry awards. Starting with the EMA Industry Leader of the Year at the end of 2023 followed by the Business Desk Awards CEO of the Year, West Midlands Transformational Leader and overall 2024 Leader of the Year.
The first and very obvious thing to point out is that, as delighted as I am to accept these awards, I do so on behalf of 200+ incredible employees at PP C&A whom it is my great pleasure to work with. Likewise, without our loyal and supportive customers and supply chain partners, we would not have achieved what we have achieved together – so my sincere thanks to you all.
Leadership is a privilege; it is not something decided by you but by those around you. It is a privilege you should never take for granted, as those that bestow it can also take it away.
I have been incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to support the growth of PP C&A. When I joined in September 2001, we had circa 20 employees and a £2M sales turnover. We now employ over 200 people and are pushing towards the £40M sales milestone. I have worked with so many great people that have taught me so much in this time, no more so than David Fox who was the Chairman of PP C&A when I joined him all those years ago – a true mentor and great friend.
There are too many other people to name individually – but you know who you are – so thank you for your ongoing support, friendship, and guidance.
Those that know me are aware that I am an “avid” Liverpool FC fan and hence when I think of great leaders I look at the marvel that is Jurgen Klopp – when he arrived at Liverpool all those years ago he announced himself as the “ordinary one” – a tongue in cheek statement comparing to a “special one”, Jose Mourinho. I definitely fall into the former category (actually not only ordinary but quite boring!)
On the back of these awards, I have been asked lots of questions about leadership traits and what gives you most pride. I don’t pretend to be any sort of expert – but to me there are several that are non-negotiable. The most important one for me is authenticity. Don’t pretend to have all the answers, don’t be afraid to be vulnerable at times (we all are) and never, for one second, think you are the cleverest person in the room – as you never are!
Egos are bad – they are like a pair of dirty shoes – leave them outside the door when entering the building.
In terms of pride, we are all judged on growing the numbers – but true growth and true value can’t be measured on a balance sheet or a P&L statement – it’s about growing people, it’s about growing culture and it’s about growing a community.
So on that note – thank you once again to all those people that have been part of this wonderful journey with me so far. We are far from finished. We have ambitious growth plans for the future and together we will navigate the constant challenges that UK manufacturers face “head on” and do everything we can to deliver the growth and success that you all deserve.
We are thrilled to announce that Pinaki Banerjee, CEO of PP Control & Automation, has been recognised in the first-ever Great 100 list by Made in Group – a celebration of unsung heroes powering British manufacturing and engineering.
Malcolm Condon and Richard Spears received the prestigious honour last night in front of 250 people at the NEC in Birmingham.
At the Business Desk West Midlands Leadership Awards, CEO Tony Hague collected two awards, and the fourth individual accolade since collecting the EMA Industry Leader of the Year award in September.
PP Control & Automation’s Tony Hague was named as CEO of the Year at the Business Desk West Midlands Awards last night.
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