The great and good of the smaller company scene turned out in force for this highlight of the quoted company calendar, with some 1,000 in attendance.

The great and good of the smaller company scene turned out in force for this highlight of the quoted company calendar, with some 1,000 in attendance.

The Quoted Company Awards, sponsored by Grant Thornton and organised by Growth Company Investor, sought to laud the achievements of companies listed below the FTSE 350 and raise the spirits of stock market participants following a turbulent 2008.

Former nurse Kate Bleasdale walked off with the Entrepreneur of the Year gong for driving forward fast-growing AIM company Healthcare Locums. She founded the business in 2003 and it has expanded organically and through acquisitions to become the UK’s largest specialist healthcare staffer. The company, which reported a 260 per cent surge in profits to £5.8 million at the half year, now has sales of more than £176 million.

Other winners included former Marks & Spencer and Arcadia high flyer Charles Wilson (Chief Executive of the Year), the highly regarded head honcho of Booker, the UK’s biggest cash and carry operator making strong progress in a challenging market as well as genial German Rene Gawron (Finance Director of the Year) of acquisitive software testing star SQS Software Quality Systems.

Investor of the Year went to astute smaller company stock picker Gervais Williams, who runs Gartmore’s Growth Opportunities trust and co-manages its UK and Irish Smaller Companies Fund.

David Rasche, who led insurance software specialist SSP to a successful stint on AIM before the business’ takeover by private equity at a healthy premium, bagged the Chairman of the Year award, whilst the IPO of the Year gong was handed to Hugh O’Donnell, CEO of the fast growing AIM-traded oil services, engineering and construction play Kentz.