AXA - Be Life Confident

For Applied Language Solutions, which offers transcription and translation services in more than 150 languages, winning the AXA Small and Medium Size Business of the Year Award is another step on the road to success which began in Company Director Gavin Wheeldon's back bedroom in 2003. The company swiftly grew and by 2006 had moved into its third premises in Armitage Bridge. In 2006, it developed a dedicated web portal Talkbase.net to help its team of translators be even more efficient through a project and payment tracking system. The firm's impressive client list includes many household names such as Google, Aston Martin, Boots, ITV, Oxfam, Yahoo, Sony, Comic Relief, Hewlett Packard, Nike, and Sainsbury's.

Today it has eight offices in Europe, the US, Asia and South America, and has a 80-strong team in the UK and over 7,000 translators based around the world to interpret and translate website contracts, technical journals, brochures and letters. Over the next few years, it plans open offices in Australia as well as more in Europe, mainland China, and the East Coast of America.

Commenting on how Applied Language Solutions stood out from other entries, Paul McMahon, managing director of AXA Distribution Services, said: "Applied Language Solutions marked itself out as a winner as they have excellent model that has shifted the market place materially. They are an outstanding business performer with strong and inspirational leadership that has a tremendous focus on building a winning culture irrespective of geography. Significant reinvestment and a scalable model means that Applied Language Solutions is clearly building for the future and we wish them every success."

The other finalists vying for the prestigious AXA Small to Medium Sized Business of the Year Award were:

• SJD Accountancy, Hemel Hempstead (www.sjdaccountancy.com) - The UK's largest specialist provider of fixed fee, limited company accountancy services.
• DCG Datapoint Group, Lightwater, Surrey (www.dcgdatapoint.com - An information management company that protect, manage and restore data wherever business needs it, worldwide.
• The Best Of, Birmingham (www.thebestof.co.uk) - An online network of local business directory and guides.
• epyx Ltd, Meriden (www.epyx.co.uk) - An information management company that protects, manage and restore data wherever business needs it, worldwide.
• Point Source, Southampton (www.point-source.co.uk) - Manufacturers of laser solutions for precision instrumentation.
• Clifton Packaging Group, Leicester (www.cliftonpackaging.com) - Manufacturers of flexible packaging material for the snack foods confectionery, nuts and bakery industry.
• Tyrrells Potato Chips, Leominster (www.tyrellspotatochips.co.uk) - Producers of gourmet snacks to over 5000 independent retailers in the UK and last year's regional winner for the second time.
• Valueworks, Wigan (www.valueworks.co.uk) – Provider of tailor-made supply chains that remove cost inefficiencies and controls purchasing behaviour across organisations.
• Quartix, Newtown (www.quartix.net) Producers of a vehicle tracking system to commercial fleet operators, and finalists for the second year running.

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