Top European innovators celebrated

Market Gravity hosted its sixth annual Corporate Entrepreneur Awards this week, celebrating big business innovation and recognising the individuals and teams behind it.

Luxury lingerie, swimwear and nightwear retailer Rigby & Peller secured the award for Best New Product or Service for its in-store 3D mirror, which scans and measures women while in the changing room and takes photographs of the wearer in the outfit they are trying on, to help them make a purchase decision and to enhance the in-store experience.

Pearson, the world’s largest education company, came top of the class in the Best Innovation Culture category for its global framework for investment and development. It committed huge resources to the project and has delivered an innovative network to bring about change in the global education sector.

The award for Best New Business Launch was presented to Lego for Future Lab – a dedicated research and development team, focusing on moving quickly, downscaling, launching and experimenting with new products. The team has been instrumental in turning the business from a near bankrupt organisation in 2003 into a profit generating, design-driven company and the biggest toy manufacturer in the world (2014).

Castrol scooped the Best Game Changer award with the launch of Nexcel, a unique car engine oil cell. Aston Martin is the launch partner and the product has already generated positive feedback from equipment manufacturers and potential collaborators.

The Innovators’ Choice award, voted for on the night by the 400 attendees, was presented to the Barclaycard team for bPay, a contactless payment device (wristband, fob or sticker) connected to a pre-paid account, saving consumers time and helping Barclaycard expand its user base and enter adjacent markets.

Robin Scarborough, Partner and Managing Director of Market Gravity said: “We were overwhelmed by the standard and volume of nominations this year and it’s fantastic to see such outstanding, innovative work being produced by so many top European businesses. Our congratulations go to all the winners and their fantastic projects as well as to all the shortlisted companies.

“The finalists in each category demonstrated creative thinking in response to them identifying a gap in their market to meet their customers’ needs. The level of innovation was impressive and showed a real commitment to evolving existing business models to better cater to the needs of their customers.”

The finalists: 


Best Product or Service

3D Mirror, from Rigby & Peller; Dispatch App from London Air Ambulance; High Performance Insurance from Direct Line Group; Freestyle from Coca-Cola Enterprises; and bPay from Barclaycard

Best New Business Launch

Future Lab from Lego; TSB for Intermediaries, from TSB; Element Hotels from Starwood Hotels & Resorts ; iD from Dixons Carphone PLC; and 56 Degrees, from Standard Life.

Best Game Changer

Nexcel from Castrol; AdSmart from Sky; D-Air from Dainese; Agiliti from Fiserv; and YR Free from Amey.

Best Innovation Culture

One Pearson Global Product Lifecycle from Pearson PLC; Unilever Foundry from Unilever; Innovate18 from Crossrail; Learning faster than the competition from William Hill Online and RWE Innovation Hub from RWE.