Global thought leaders come together for ActionCOACH’s annual Business Excellence Forum
Published: 14 June 2017
Business services franchise ActionCOACH has described its recent annual Business Excellence Forum & Awards as the biggest and best yet.
This year, the annual Business Excellence Forum & Awards took place at Harrogate International Centre, and over 1,000 coaches and clients attended the event, which is sponsored by NatWest, with an Action Coach at each table.
The Business Excellence Forum exists to recognise and honour the innovation, passion, risk-taking and results of some of the best companies and business owners in the world. It brings together a like-minded community of entrepreneurs to share ideas, build relationships and learn from some phenomenal success stories.
This year ActionCOACH invited 7 world-class speakers from Australasia, the Americas and the UK including the founder of the business coaching profession, Brad Sugars. Filling the programme with breakthrough content, once the forum had concluded, every single delegate left with multiple actions to grow their business.
On day one, Professor Steve Peters entertained delegates with examples of their inner chimp, while Baroness Mone, OBE, the creator of lingerie brand Ultimo, spoke about the hurdles and successes of business ownership. Australian Richard Maloney took everyone through his experiences of increasing employee engagement by fixing the heart of businesses, and Brad Sugars led a fast-paced session on business growth through productivity and performance.
Christopher Watkin is a business owner and, with the guidance of his Action Coach, has become a lettings agency-growth guru. His second time at The Business Excellence Forum, he says: “The conference was a cocktail shaker of words of wisdom, enjoyable speeches and awesome learnings. Brad Sugars is a true leader and gave me so much to take away for my business.”
The Business Excellence Awards celebrated the last 12 months of ActionCOACH client achievements at a black-tie ceremony. A total of 16 awards were given, ranging from Best Company Culture and Best Retailer through to CEO of the Year.
Knightsbridge-based interior design business Taylor Howes took the top title of Best Overall Company. Owner Karen Howes says: “Over the last 24 years, Taylor Howes has grown from a two-women-and-a-dog business to a studio of over 30 with a turnover in excess of £6million. We’re elated to win this prestigious award in such impressive company.”
Karen is coached by ActionCOACH franchise owner Shweta Jhajharia, who adds: “What’s amazing is this business hasn’t reached its peak. This award will act as fuel to the team to create more, inspire more and achieve more.”
Dr Marshall Goldsmith kicked off day two with an inspirational session on leadership. Matthew Syed, author of Black Box Thinking, explained the importance of mindset and learning from the past with some fascinating stories from the world of sport.
Philip Hesketh was the final guest speaker and was back by public demand after he wowed the delegates of 2014’s forum. Philip shared several of his business growth practices, including the formula for reputation, five things to save and make money, his secrets to excellent customer service, and all you need to know about time management.
John Cottrell has been an Action Coach for nearly 10 years and recently won EMEA Executive Coach of the Year 2017, an award that considers business coaches across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He recommends this yearly event to all his clients, and says: “It’s not just about the speakers, business owners get fresh ideas and a passion for growth from everyone they meet. The networking opportunities can bring new clients and each interaction is thought provoking and useful.”
If you would like to be part of next year’s Business Excellence Forum & Awards and you:
- get a buzz from helping others succeed
- love learning and developing yourself
- have enjoyed success in your career or sport…
…then find out more by watching the six-minute overview video at our website.
