Celebrating leaders of Canada’s economy
Nearly 200 guests gathered in Toronto on November 25 for the 2015 Private Business Growth Award. Global Relay earned top honours among 10 finalists. IMAGE COMMISSION
Grant Thornton LLP CEO and executive partner Phil Noble (left) and Canadian Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Perrin Beatty (right) presented the 2015 Private Business Growth Award to Vancouver-based Global Relay as represented by Vice President of Sales Bryan Young. IMAGE COMMISSION
Privately held companies are a vital pillar of the Canadian economy, providing employment opportunities for thousands of people across the country. Yet without the obligation to report their financial results publicly, they often go without the attention they deserve.
For this reason, Grant Thornton LLP, in partnership with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, is proud to present the 2015 Private Business Growth Award, which honours the achievements of 10 fast-growing companies that have demonstrated the leadership necessary to prosper in competitive landscapes both at home and globally. Both organizations feel it is important to recognize such achievements to encourage their continued success and to inspire other private companies focused on growth.
This year’s finalists come from a wide variety of industries, from childcare to dental care, from food to finance. What they share is the commitment to build on solid foundations to create companies that continue to grow strategically.
“These are companies with the visionary leadership necessary to see well beyond the next quarter to achieve the sustained growth that will allow them to flourish into the future and create even more valuable jobs for Canadians,” said Phil Noble, CEO and executive partner at Grant Thornton. “These role-model business leaders know the importance of investment, innovation, employee development and geographic expansion when it comes to executing successful growth strategies. They are willing to take risks, but do so in a well-planned and thoughtful manner. Our sincere congratulations to each of this year’s finalists.”
The finalists were chosen by a panel of judges who looked not only at top- and bottom-line growth, but also at innovation, market development, leadership, culture, stakeholder relations and community involvement.
This year’s winner, Global Relay of Vancouver, serves some 20,000 customers in 90 countries with proprietary software that stores and retrieves data for some of the world’s largest corporations. The data is indexed in all of the world’s major languages. The software was championed by co-founder and CEO Warren Roy, who was able to see the advantage of cloud-based technology long before it became the popular model of data management it is today.
Global Relay has been successful due to the speed at which it can access the data and the value it adds by helping customers find ways to use it. The company’s growth has been driven mainly by focusing on larger financial institutions, especially global banks. With centres in North Vancouver and Toronto, it now stores data for 22 of the world’s top banks and competes against the biggest tech giants in the world.
“It is quite impressive when you think that many of the world’s largest banks trust this Vancouver-based company to manage their confidential data,” said Perrin Beatty, president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. “It is this type of innovation that will continue to drive Canada’s competitiveness into a globalized future and grow our economy here at home.
“It is essential to celebrate private companies that have grown and continue to thrive,” Beatty said. “We are proud to say congratulations to these visionary leaders for the important success they have achieved.”
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