Top innovators within large corporations celebrated in London Bridge ceremony
Market Gravity, the specialist innovation and propositions design consultancy, hosted its sixth annual Corporate Entrepreneur Awards on Wednesday 11th November, celebrating big business innovation and recognising the individuals and teams behind it.
Luxury lingerie, swimwear and nightwear retailer Rigby & Peller secured the award for Best New Product or Service for its in-store 3D mirror, which scans and measures women while in the changing room and takes photographs of the wearer in the outfit they are trying on, to help them make a purchase decision and to enhance the in-store experience.
Pearson, the world’s largest education company, came top of the class in the Best Innovation Culture category for its global framework for investment and development. It committed huge resources to the project and has delivered an innovative network to bring about change in the global education sector.
The award for New Business Launch was presented to Lego for Future Lab – a dedicated research and development team, focusing on moving quickly, downscaling, launching and experimenting with new products. The team has been instrumental in turning the business from a near bankrupt organisation in 2003 into a profit generating, design-driven company and the biggest toy manufacturer in the world (2014).
Castrol scooped the Game Changer award with the launch of Nexcel, a unique car engine oil cell. Aston Martin is the launch partner and the product has already generated positive feedback from equipment manufacturers and potential collaborators.
The Innovator’s Choice award, voted for on the night by the 400 attendees, was presented to the Barclaycard team for bPay, a contactless payment device (wristband, fob or sticker) connected to a pre-paid account, saving consumers time and helping Barclaycard expand its user base and enter adjacent markets.
More than 400 business leaders and entrepreneurs gathered at the Great Halls, Vinopolis, in London to celebrate big business innovation and recognise the individuals and teams behind it. Over 100 global and market-leading brands including Coca-Cola, TSB and Standard Life entered the awards making this year’s event the biggest yet.
Robin Scarborough, Partner and Managing Director of Market Gravity says: “We were overwhelmed by the standard and volume of nominations this year and it’s fantastic to see such outstanding, innovative work being produced by so many top European businesses. Our congratulations go to all the winners and their fantastic projects as well as to all the shortlisted companies.
“The finalists in each category demonstrated creative thinking in response to them identifying a gap in their market to meet their customers’ needs. The level of innovation was impressive and showed a real commitment to evolving existing business models to better cater to the needs of their customers.”
Gary Stewart, Director of Wayra UK, delivered an inspiring account of his professional journey and the challenges he and his team have faced and how they are working together to overcome them.
The full finalists list (winners indicated in bold):
Best Product or Service
3D Mirror, from Rigby & Peller; Dispatch App from London Air Ambulance; High Performance Insurance from Direct Line Group; Freestyle from Coca-Cola Enterprises; and bPay from Barclaycard
Best New Business Launch
Future Lab from Lego; TSB for Intermediaries, from TSB; Element Hotels from Starwood Hotels & Resorts ; iD from Dixons Carphone PLC; and 56 Degrees, from Standard Life.
Best Game Changer
Nexcel from Castrol; AdSmart from Sky; D-Air from Dainese; Agiliti from Fiserv; and YR Free from Amey.
Best Innovation Culture
One Pearson Global Product Lifecycle from Pearson PLC; Unilever Foundry from Unilever; Innovate18 from Crossrail; Learning faster than the competition from William Hill Online and RWE Innovation Hub from RWE.
