ASOS lauded for growth efforts alongside Vin Murria and GB Group

Fashion e-commerce business ASOS walked off with Company of the Decade at the 10th annual Grant Thornton Quoted Company Awards.

Having joined the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in 2001 and built itself up to become the biggest company on the junior exchange, ASOS was lauded for its efforts during a celebration of smaller quoted companies.

At the 10th outing of the Grant Thornton Quoted Company Awards, the business scooped Company of the Decade after being voted winner by quests on the night.

The awards, hosted at the Natural History Museum in London by GrowthBusiness sister company Growth Company Investor, also saw Advanced Computer Software (ACS) founder Vin Murria scoop Entrepreneur of the Year. Murria was recognised for her efforts in turning ACS into an ‘AIM star’, by carrying out a number of acquisitions at the same time as growing profits and sales.

Advanced Computer Software founder Vin Murria

Vin Murria is also a partner at Elderstreet Investments

Asked what makes a good entrepreneur, Murria says, ‘The ability to take a risk and get out there and do something while not being tied to a salary. 

‘But, actually, the government is supporting entrepreneurship quite significantly at the moment. It is a fantastic environment to be an entrepreneur in this country right now.’

Vin Murria on entrepreneurship and acquisitions

CEO of the Year went to Richard Law of GB Group after the identify management company grew shares by nearly 100 per cent in the last year. Having joined the board as finance director in 1995, Law became CEO in 2001 and has led the acquisitions of criminal records specialist TMG.tv for £3 million and Crewe-based criminal records outfit CRD UK for £1.32 million.

More on the Quoted Company Awards:

The evening, which brought together 700 business executives and corporate financiers to focus on high achieving listed companies quoted below the FTSE 350 through to AIM and ISDX, was hosted by BBC World News presenter Naga Munchetty.

Grant Thornton Quoted Company Awards

The Company of the Decade was awarded during the awards’ 10th outing

Deal of the Year went to Ithaca Energy for its £203 million acquisition of fellow North Sea oil concern Valiant Petroleum, ahead of ACS for its purchase of Computer Software Holdings for £110 million. New admission Plus500 picked up the IPO of the Year gong, with the Israeli CFD and forex trading company raising £46 million and doubling its 115p lot price since last July.

In the two other interactive voting categories, the Broker of the Year accolade was awarded to finnCap while Redleaf Polhill picked up PR Firm of the Year.

The Natural History Museum, London

The awards were held in the dinosaur room of the Natural History Museum

Full list of winners:

Chairman of the Year – Martin Lightbody, Finsbury Food

Chief Executive of the Year – Richard Law, GB Group

Finance Director of the Year – Keith Butcher, Optimal Payments

IPO of the Year – Plus500

Deal of the Year – Ithaca Energy’s acquisition of Valiant Petroleum

Non-Executive Director of the Year – Mark Laurence, Dart Group

Investor of the Year – Mike Prentis, BlackRock Smaller Companies

Entrepreneur of the Year – Vin Murria, Advanced Computer Software

Company of the Decade – ASOS

Fund Manager of the Decade – Harry Nimmo, Standard Life UK

Broker of the Year – finnCap

PR Firm of the Year – Redleaf Polhill

2014 Sponsors

Grant Thornton – Headline sponsor

Growth Company Investor – Organised by

Bentley Motors – Event partner

Cantor Fitzgerald – Award sponsor

finnCap – Award sponsor

First Flight Non-Executive Directors – Event sponsor

GrowthBusiness.co.uk – Award sponsor

The Independent – Media partner

ISDX – Award sponsor

Redleaf Polhill – Official PR partner

Rosenblatt Solicitors – Award Sponsor

Shore Capital – Award Sponsor

White Water Group – Event partner

Hunter Ruthven

Bernard Williamson

Hunter was the Editor for GrowthBusiness.co.uk from 2012 to 2014, before moving on to Caspian Media Ltd to be Editor of Real Business.

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