Growth Company Awards 2003

Now in their third year, the Growth Company Awards — sponsored by KBC Peel Hunt — continue to honour those responsible for enhancing both the reputation and performance of growth companies. The depth and quality of research conducted by Growth Company Investor also ensures that the awards genuinely reward those most deserving — an assertion reinforced by the growing esteem in which they are held.

Introducing the 2003 awards, Simon Brickles, Head of Aim at the London Stock Exchange, explained that 'the contribution of growth companies to the UK economy should not be underestimated. The Growth Company Awards, Brickles continued, 'play an important role in highlighting the success of such companies and acknowledging the work carried out by all those in the growth company sector.'

Research

As in previous years, Growth Company Investor conducted extensive research to compile shortlists for each award. In the five adviser categories this involved a survey of Aim chief executives, asking them to name their nominated adviser, broker, PR firm, lawyer and accountant, then rank them on a five-point scale ranging from Very Poor to Very Good.

Research for the remaining three awards was specific to each category. In the case of the Aim Company of the Year award, sponsored by Seymour Pierce, the focus was primarily on earnings growth over the past year. For the Smaller Companies Fund category, attention switched to net asset value performance over a three-year period.

Candidates for the Tax-Effective Investor best VCT Group award, meanwhile, had to have had at least two VCTs running for a minimum of two years. They were then shortlisted, based on their total returns to date and the sustainability of this performance.

In each case, the names of the five (or six in the accountants category) were then sent to our panel of independent judges, who ranked them in order of preference. None of the judges were asked to vote on a category in which their own companies were eligible.

Once again, our research found that Aim companies are generally happy with the service provided by their advisers —especially that of accountants, lawyers and PR firms, all of whom were described as being either Very Good or Good by more than 75 per cent of their clients.

Special mention, meanwhile, should be given to Ernst & Young, Financial Dynamics and Numis — the only three firms to have been nominated in their respective categories of accountant, PR firm and broker at every Growth Company Awards to date.

With such high approval ratings in abundance, the Growth Company Investor team would like to congratulate all of this year's winners.

AIM Company of the Year 2003 – Sponsored by Seymour Pierce

Winner: Numis

Runner-up: Jacques Vert

Shortlisted: Caledonian Trust, Landround, SectorGuard

Growth Company Adviser of the Year 2003

Winner: Numis

Runner-up: WestLB Panmure

Shortlisted: Investec Henderson Crosthwaite, John East & Partners, Shore Capital

Growth Company Broker of the Year 2003

Joint winners: Collins Stewart, Numis

Shortlisted: KBC Peel Hunt, Rowan Dartington, Shore Capital

Growth Company Accountant of the Year 2003

Winner: Baker Tilly

Joint runners-up: BDO Stoy Hayward, Ernst & Young

Shortlisted: Deloitte & Touche, Grant Thornton, Horwath Clarke

Growth Company Lawyer of the Year 2003

Joint winners: Ashurst Morris Crisp, Norton Rose

Shortlisted: DLA, Halliwell Landau, Theodore Goddard

Growth Company PR Firm of the Year 2003

Winner: Bankside Consultants

Runner-up: Beattie Financial

Shortlisted: Bell Pottinger, Capital PR, Financial Dynamics

Smaller Companies Fund of the Year 2003

Winner: Aberforth UK Smaller Companies

Joint runners-up: Gartmore Fledgling, Investec UK Smaller Companies

Shortlisted: Discretionary Unit Fund, Platinum

Tax-Effective Investor: VCT Group of the Year 2003

Winner: Close Brothers

Runner-up: Baronsmead

Shortlisted: Murray, Northern Pennine

And finally, we would like to thank all of our judges for their time and effort and also KBC Peel Hunt and Seymour Pierce, without whose continued support the 2003 Growth Company Awards would not have been possible.

The judges:

Adam Hart, KBC Peel Hunt

Andrew Buchanan, Close Brothers

Chilton Taylor, Baker Tilly

Clive Garston, Halliwell Landau

Henry Fairpo, PKF

John Dodd, Artemis

John Gunn, Scheidegg

Mike Henshaw, Insinger de Beaufort

Nick Hasell, The Times

Peter Ashworth, Charles Stanley

Peter Binns, Binns

Peter Webb, Unicorn Asset Management

Richard Feigen, Seymour Pierce

Robert Tyerman, Growth Company Investor