Yorkshire-based Naylor Industries has been named as a UK National Champion in The European Business Awards.

The Awards aim to identify the most innovative businesses across the continent and promote success, innovation and ethics in the European business community. Now in their 9th year, the 2015 awards have engaged with over 32,000 businesses from 33 European countries. 678 companies from across Europe have been named today (9 September) as National Champions, going through to the second phase of the competition.

Naylor Industries is a fourth generation family business that manufactures pipes and other construction materials. The company has turnover of £50m, employing 350 people and operating six UK factories. It is competing for the Award for European Growth Strategy of the Year, having successfully diversified and innovated to achieve considerable business growth.

Edward Naylor, the company’s chief executive, said: “We’re very proud to be selected to represent the UK as a National Champion. The European Business Awards are widely recognised as the showcase for Europe’s most dynamic companies and we are now looking forward to the next round of the judging process where we can explain in more depth how we are achieving business success.”

Adrian Tripp, chief executive officer of the European Business Awards, said: “Congratulations to Naylor and all the companies that have been selected to represent their country as National Champions. They play an important part in creating a stronger business community.”

The next round requires National Champions to make a presentation video explaining their business success. After viewing each of the National Champions’ videos, judges will award the one they identify as the most impressive ‘Ruban d’Honneur’ status. Ruban d’Honneur recipients will then go on to be part of the grand final in 2016.

Separately, the National Champion videos will be made public on the European Business Awards website, www.businessawardseurope.com, as part of a two stage public vote, which will decide the ‘National Public Champions’ for each country. Last year more than 170,000 votes were cast as companies from across Europe were publicly supported by clients, staff and peers, as well as the general public.

Supported since their inception by the Awards’ lead sponsor and promoter RSM, a worldwide audit, tax and advisory network, the European Business Awards was set up to support the development of a stronger and more successful European business community.

In the 2014/15 competition, all EU member markets were represented, plus Turkey, Norway, Switzerland, Serbia, Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Their combined revenue exceeded €1.5tr, and together they generated profits of greater than €60bn and employ more than 2.5m people.

Image: Edward Naylor, Naylor Industries group chief executive officer, and Bridie Warner-Adsetts, Naylor Industries group chief operating officer.