Showcasing the best of Welsh business: Gus Williams on why the Wales Business Awards matter more than ever

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With the Wales Business Awards fast approaching, anticipation is building across the Welsh business community.

For Gus Williams, CEO of Chambers Wales South East, South West and Mid, the annual ceremony is far more than a glittering night of trophies and speeches; it is a vital showcase of the strength, diversity and ambition of the Welsh economy.

“It’s our showpiece event of the year, not just for the Chambers, but for the broader business community here in Wales,” he says. “I think it is the prestigious number one award ceremony for Welsh businesses.”

While the winners naturally take centre stage, Williams is keen to shine the spotlight on far more than individual success stories.

He said: “It’s great for those individual businesses that enter, not just those that win. We look to showcase a number of businesses that get shortlisted as well.”

The wider mission, to challenge outdated perceptions and highlight Wales as a hub of innovation and enterprise, sits at the heart of the awards.

As Williams explains: “I think that people outside of Wales still have somewhat of a backwards view of the Welsh economy and businesses here. But we’ve got so many genuinely innovative, creative, growing businesses here in Wales that are doing really fascinating stuff, [including] some world-leading companies.

“We’ve got fantastic young entrepreneurs, but we’ve also got some really long-established family businesses here in Wales that keep innovating and keep doing new things. We’re not a one-trick pony here in Wales.”

The breadth of the economy is reflected in the awards categories, which have been refreshed this year to better represent the sectors driving growth.

The awards are looking for nominations of firms that are exploring new markets and innovating in how they reach customers worldwide for the coveted ‘Exporter of the Year Award’.

Alongside this sits Start-up Business of the Year, which Williams hopes will show Wales as a destination for entrepreneurship.

“We want to promote the fact that Wales is a great place to come and start a business,” he says. “I speak to an increasing number of young entrepreneurs who are starting up businesses here in Wales.”

Sustainability is another major focus, with Green Business of the Year recognising companies tackling environmental challenges, whether that be new businesses finding solutions to existing problems or well-established businesses making efforts to become more sustainable.

Beyond the awards themselves, Williams sees the event as a powerful networking platform at a challenging time for business. “No one succeeds on their own, no business succeeds on its own,” he says. “It’s all about relationships.”

Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on 14 May at Holland House Hotel, Cardiff, with one category winner taking home the overall prize: ‘Welsh Business of the Year’.

In 2025, that honour was handed to Concrete Canvas Ltd, a Pontyclun-based manufacturer, recognised for its ambitious growth plans and innovative engineering solutions.

Williams highlights last year’s winners as an example of what the judges look for. The company combined innovation, export growth and a commitment to people and place. “They decided to set up in Wales, they’re very committed to being a Welsh business as well as having that global outlook,” he says.

“The really good businesses in Wales are not just focused on one thing, but they’re good at doing a lot of things — talent, attraction, retention.”

As nominations open, Williams has a clear message for businesses across Wales: put yourselves forward.

“We want those good companies to submit their applications and put themselves forward for one of those awards,” he says. “It’s about celebrating those individual achievements but then packaging them together as that collective achievement of what we’re doing here in Wales.”

The awards are open to businesses of all sizes, sectors and stages, for Chamber members and non-members alike.

Entries close on 27 February 2026. Further information and entry details are available at https://cw-seswm.com/events/wales-business-awards-2026/.

The full list of categories for the Wales Business Awards 2026 are: