Last night it was my great pleasure and privilege to accept the runner up certificate in the Green category at the FSB Bedfordshire Business Awards on behalf of the whole company. I attended the black tie dinner hosted at the beautiful Luton Hoo Hotel who also happened to be sponsoring the Green award. The food and service were excellent and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a venue for a prestigious event. http://www.lutonhoo.com

The competition in the Green category was fierce so just making it to the final was a great achievement and to be awarded second place was a fantastic validation of all the hard work everyone at Ecotile has put in to make our product and company as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible. We were just beaten by Arabel Lebrusan who specialises in engagement and wedding rings made from ethically sourced metals and jewels and we all offer our warmest congratulations to her as a very worthy winner! http://www.arabellebrusan.com

Everyone had a wonderful evening and the FSB should be congratulated on the awards which so successfully brings together the best of Bedfordshire’s entrepreneurs and small businesses. It was a great opportunity to network in a relaxed and fun environment, the atmosphere of good will and support was uplifting. Many of you will have seen the bulletins from the FSB regarding their talks with the government on how best to protect small businesses in the wake of the vote to leave the EU and this is just one of many practical ways they can help. For further information I strongly advise you to visit their website http://www.fsb.org.uk to see all the advantages of becoming a member.

Lucinda OReilly

Lucinda O’Reilly, Exports & Marketing Director is an integral part of the team that has grown Ecotile Flooring in to the successful manufacturing business it is today. Over the last 20 years she has successfully employed her skills in sales and marketing to ensure Ecotile Flooring is recognised as the market leading manufacturer of PVC interlocking floor tiles. Lucinda’s love of travel means the Ecotile brand is dominant all over Europe, North America, the Middle East, Asia and India.

To ensure compliance with export regulations Lucinda has gained accreditations from the Chamber of Commerce in Incoterms & Export Licence Controls and Export Procedures & Documentation and has completed the Institute of Export course on Incoterms 2020. She is a member of the Institute of Export, was a finalist in the Natwest Open to Export competition in 2018 and was instrumental in Ecotile Flooring winning a Queen’s Enterprise for International Trade in 2017. Lucinda has recently been interviewed by BBC News and Channel 4 News for her insights on Brexit and is an Export Champion for the Department for International Trade.