The 2013 Corporate & Financial Awards, the benchmark event for business communications with the city, was held at London’s Victory Services Club tonight. Record numbers of people flocked to the venue to partake in food and drink, entertainment and a celebration of those who have excelled in all aspects of communications with the City this past year.

Andrew Thomas, editor of Communicate magazine, says, “Companies don’t just need to talk to the city; they also need to talk to those who influence the city. The Corporate & Financial Awards are the only awards event that focuses on investor relations and financial media relations. This is the second year, and we have more entrants, a stronger shortlist, and more attendees celebrating excellence in corporate and financial communications.”

The record number of applications for this year’s awards and the marked improvement in the standard of the shortlist, already high from the previous year, outlined best the prestige in which these awards are held. The panel of expert judges added a close scrutiny of all the shortlisted entries to determine the evening’s winners.

The winner of the most esteemed award of the night, the Grand Prix, was Travelodge with RLM Finsbury for their masterful reaction to a media leak and subsequent potential crisis that, according to one of the judges, was an “outstanding performance, with an enormous challenge and a triumphant success with the outcome.” Travelodge and RLM Finsbury, along with VTB Capital, were also the most successful organisations with two wins apiece.

The judges rewarded companies who had confronted the contemporary challenges of business communications with the City with innovation, creativity, unity and quality.

 

The full list of winners is as follows:

Best corporate website

GlaxoSmithKline (Radley Yeldar) - Gold

Herbert Smith Freehills (SAS London) - Silver

Anglo American (Investis) - Bronze

TelecityGroup (Nelson Bostock) - Bronze

ArcelorMittal (Investis) – Highly commended

 

Best online corporate newsroom

Centrica plc (The Group) - Silver

 

Best printed report

Shanks (Radley Yeldar) - Gold

WPP (Addison) – Gold

BP (Salterbaxter) - Silver

Sainsbury’s (SAS London) - Bronze

Hays plc (Conran Design Group) – Highly commended

 

Best online report

Pearson (Radley Yeldar) - Gold

WPP (Addison) - Silver

Centrica plc (The Group) - Bronze

Alcatel Lucent (SAS London) – Highly commended

Aviva (SAS London) – Highly commended

 

Best analyst/investor/press meeting

VTB Capital – Gold

European Die Casting Group (CitySavvy) - Silver

 

Best innovation

Tullow Oil (Investis) - Gold

Social360 - Silver

 

Best M&A/other transaction communications

Clinigen (College Hill) - Gold

Direct Line Group (Brunswick) - Silver

Rare Earth Global Limited (Abchurch Communications Limited) - Silver

China Chaintek United Co., Ltd (Cubitt Consulting) - Bronze

 

Best use of digital media

SABMiller (World Television) – Gold

 

Best management of corporate & financial media relations

Travelodge (RLM Finsbury) - Gold

Avanti Communications (College Hill) - Silver

Bloomberg New Energy Finance (Cubitt Consulting) - Bronze

 

Best management of investor and analyst relations

European Die Casting Group (CitySavvy) - Gold

Cookson (MHP Communications) - Silver

Direct Line Group (Brunswick) - Bronze

  

Best ongoing communication with overseas investors and/or media

VTB Capital – Gold

Vistajet (College Hill) – Silver

 

Grand Prix

Travelodge (RLM Finsbury)