BCMS Corporate named ‘Best UK family business’

BCMS Corporate has been awarded Coutts Bank ‘Best UK family business (£5-25m turnover category)’. The award was made at a ceremony held in Coutts Banks headquarters in London on 6 June 2007 with over 250 people in attendance.

Coutts is the private banking arm of RBS and manages the wealth of 100,000 high net worth clients through a network of over 40 offices globally.

The aspects which impressed the evaluation committee included:

  • The thoughtful and intelligent way in which the founders identified a niche opportunity in a well established professional services sector, by taking the service concept to a new level
  • The market leadership position in the sale of smaller companies
  • Length and thoroughness of the search process
  • The obvious thought and planning with which the founders have brought family members into the business and the involvement of the third generation who are in their twenties
  • The family culture of the company in a sector that is not traditionally associated with family businesses through the encouragement of a spirit of entrepreneurship at all levels, team bonuses and regular staff social activities
  • Use of over 100 key performance indicators
  • The innovative way in which the company manages company sales and solicits multiple offers to achieve the highest price as opposed to relying on PE ratios
  • The many examples of engaged philanthropy including the formation of a family charitable trust, the building of a school and orphanage in India and the level of charitable engagement at home including the support of local charities.”

The Coutts Prize recognises firms which demonstrate a combination of:

  • Best practice in family and corporate governance
  • Business succession
  • Business strategy, innovation and charitable giving

Entrants must be companies or firms where family members have control of more than 25% of the voting shares and think of themselves as a family business.

More specifically, the Independent Evaluation Committee looked for examples of best practice, such as ethical standards reflecting family values, effective planning for succession of top family management and non-family members, a means of returning wealth to shareholders and a track record of innovation in products, services, technology and ways of doing business.

If you would like to read more about the history of BCMS Corporate, download a complimentary copy of BCMS’ official biography, written by Stephen Perry as a prize for the “Best Family Run Business” designation.