The awards, sponsored by UK Trade & Investment, One NorthEast and the North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC), recognise the efforts of individuals who have helped their companies boost their international sales performance.
Jon Aitchison, Sales Director at Comesys Europe Ltd, was winner of the New Exporter Award at last year's North East Exporters Awards.
The company, based in Cramlington, specialises in the manufacture of electronic accelerator pedals and vehicle control systems. In less than two years, Comesys has grown remarkably with 80 per cent of turnover being in export sales.
Jon said: "The past few years have been tremendous, with our export sales continuing to grow and winning the award was the icing on the cake.
"We have had support from a range of UK Trade & Investment's services including the advice of our International Trade Adviser Joyce Rawlings, who is always very helpful. We also signed up to the Passport to Export programme and have used OMIS and received financial support to allow us to attend overseas exhibitions.
"This kind of support and financial assistance is vital to help the region's exporters who are struggling against foreign competitors who receive much more support from their governments."
The winners of the North East Exporters Awards 2008 will be announced at a special gala dinner to be attended by Lord Digby Jones, Minister for Trade and Investment, at The Hilton, Gateshead on Thursday, 17 July when leading figures from the world of business will gather to celebrate the region's international trade success. The event is also sponsored by the Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays and Emirates airline.
Entries are now sought for the awards in each of the five categories:
New Exporter Award - for the individual new to exporting who demonstrates exceptional achievement.
Export Award - for the individual who has shown outstanding achievement in international trade.
Innovation in Export Award - for the individual engaged in international trade who can demonstrate added value to their company through innovation.
Export Communicator Award - for the individual who can demonstrate how the application of his/her language skills has increased business performance in international trade.
Passport to Export Award - for an individual who has worked with an International Trade Adviser to develop an Export Action Plan that has resulted in commercial success in their target market.
The awards will go to those who, in the judges' opinion, achieved the most for their companies in pursuit of export business. Each of the winners will receive a special trophy and £1,000.
David Coppock, UK Trade & Investment's International Trade Director, said:
"Jon fully deserved his success. He was a worthy winner of his award last year and we are delighted to have his support for this year's awards."
For details of how to enter the awards or to purchase tickets, price £55 each or £500 per table, for the North East Exporters Dinner on Thursday, 17 July at The Hilton, Gateshead, contact the North East Regional International Trade Hotline on 0845 05 05 054 or log onto www.exportersawards.co.uk. Deadline for entries is the end of May.
Companies wanting to find out more about the range of services available through UK Trade & Investment to help them succeed overseas can also contact the hotline.
