A record result in 2026
Essex has once again produced more winners of the prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise than any other county outside Greater London, with 13 successful applicants in 2026. Essex accounted for more than half of the East of England total this year. It was also the lead county in 2024.
The Essex winners cover all four of the existing Award categories: four in Innovation, three in International Trade, two in Promoting Opportunity Through Social Mobility and four in Sustainable Development. A new category for Young Founders has been introduced starting this year.
HM Lord-Lieutenant, Mrs Jennifer Tolhurst, said:
“Congratulations to all 13 of our remarkable winners. Winning The King’s Award for Enterprise is a tremendous achievement. The Awards, now in their 60th year, mark the highest level of success attained by a UK business and are recognised throughout the world as a benchmark of outstanding quality.”
The Essex winners (see list below) are diverse. They include a sizeable technology contingent, a provider of fire suppression equipment, a supplier of special metals and alloys, skills training providers and a not-for-profit enterprise delivering social care. They range in size from just four to 140 employees and they cover the county from Chigwell to Clacton and Southend to Saffron Walden. Four have current Awards, while others are first timers.
Dr Colin Smithers, Chair, & Gerard Smith, CEO, Redtail Telematics
Dr Colin Smithers, who is chairman of two of the winners, Plextek and Redtail, says: “The Award is an incredible door opener. It is a high-quality award, a marketing tool.” He describes Plextek, an engineering design and consultancy firm, as the “golden goose.” Redtail, a spin off, makes devices that help recover stolen vehicles and track accidents for insurers. Born in the Cambridge technology cluster, both companies sit just inside the Essex border.
Samantha McReynolds, MD, Enterprise East
For Enterprise East, the Award for Promoting Opportunity is recognition of the work that its staff and 47 volunteers undertake with vulnerable adults, helping them to “move forward to paid roles, feeling valued in the Community” says Samantha McReynolds, Managing Director. The Award will help highlight the work, boost support in the community, attract more volunteers as well as footfall in the cafés and other outlets.
Bolaji Sofoluwe, MD, ETK
Until recently, Bolaji Sofoluwe MBE, Managing Director of ETK, thought the King’s Awards were for big companies. But ETK, which advises on trade in Africa, has been successful in the International Trade category with just four employees. Revenue is split between businesses in the UK wanting to sell in Nigeria and elsewhere and African companies expanding across the continent.
Having two Awards for Innovation and one for International Trade already, Dura Composites this year celebrates a win in the Sustainable Development category. The company “delivers the lowest carbon composite walkways in the world.” Stuart Burns, Managing Director, says the application process helped the company to hone the way it describes itself: it helped us to “narrow down our …selling point within the industry…The work has also inspired us to strengthen our values.” Stuart spoke about the King’s Awards for Enterprise at a recent webinar: https://youtu.be/NqZR_EA-L1s.
Last year KOcycle, which says “it turns the world’s fastest growing waste stream into a force for good,” processed 300,000 tablets, computers, routers and other tech items. Oliver Mason, founder and Managing Director, welcomed the Award for Sustainable Development and said: “We know this can elevate our standing. We’ve seen it benefit other brands.” The company has a number of public sector customers and the Award “is a bit of a separator.” Another delighted winner.
Essex Winners 2026
Innovation
Foxway Circular, Braintree
Optical Metrology Services, Stansted
Plextek Services, Great Chesterford
Reacton Fire Suppression, Witham
International Trade
Enterprise, Trade & Knowledge Group, Colchester
Redtail Telematics, Great Chesterford
S.J.M. Alloys & Metals, Loughton
Promoting Opportunity Through Social Mobility
Enterprise East Group, Saffron Walden
The Wiggett Group, Brentwood
Sustainability
CAMA AssetStore, Southend
Dura Composites, Clacton-on-Sea
KOcycle, Braintree
Oakland Central, Chigwell
