PERTEMPS CHAIRMAN SCOOPS TOP BUSINESS AWARD

Tim Watts, chairman of national recruitment agency Pertemps, based in Warwickshire, has been named Master Entrepreneur Of The Year for central England in a prestigious global business awards programme.

The award, presented on 24th June, recognises the individual who has made the greatest contribution to the success of one or more businesses over a period of more than 10 years. It is part of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Award scheme run by Ernst & Young, set up in 1986 in the USA, to applaud the achievements of outstanding entrepreneurs. The Awards were launched in the UK in 1999.

Watts, 52, was the only entrepreneur from the recruitment industry nominated for the award and was up against the leaders of Lola Cars International, Greenwoods Communications, the Owen Williams Group and East End Foods. He will now be entered into the UK national finals which take place in October this year. If he wins again he take part in the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards in 2003.

Watts believes his failed career as a young airline pilot gave him the added determination to succeed when he took over his mother’s small recruitment business in 1974.

Today Pertemps has a turnover in excess of £400 million with more than 200 branches across the country. It is the third largest employer of temporary workers in the UK and places around 15,000 people in permanent work each year. The Pertemps Group consists of more than 100 associated businesses, ranging from training companies to telephone and printing firms.

Watts believes that commitment to staff has been the key to Pertemps' success and in 1990 he set up an employee benefit trust for the entire workforce.

He said "I am still as excited about coming to work as I was in 1974 when I started at Pertemps. Obviously my working life has changed immensely but the lessons I learnt in the 1970s about quality service and looking after staff have been very influential in my career."

Andy Glover, Ernst & Young's Birmingham-based Entrepreneurial Service Partner said: "Tim Watts has consistently held true to his vision of building Pertemps as a leading player in the recruitment industry. He is a habitual entrepreneur, who continues to develop new ideas with successful outcomes. He epitomises the spirit and determination it takes to succeed in these uncertain times."

The Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards covers 11 categories including consumer services, business products, business services and emerging entrepreneurs. This year's awards programme has generated nearly 10,000 entries across 28 countries in five continents.