A one-of-a-kind awards ceremony to celebrate innovation and success in Staffordshire’s business community returned with a bang at Keele University last night.

The Breaking the Mould awards returned in person for the first time post-pandemic, with Keele’s Smart Innovation Hub once again providing a perfect setting for celebrating the best of business innovation across the region.

The evening shone a spotlight on the growing number of innovation-led organisations, businesses, not-for-profits and charities that have benefitted from the suite of innovative support programmes that are available from Keele University.

In keeping with the theme of celebrating innovation and “breaking the mould”, the event left behind the traditional awards ceremony format and celebrated the creativity and collaborative spirit of the area’s business community, with performances and entertainment adding to the spectacle.

Hosted by award-winning broadcast journalist and presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy, the ceremony saw awards given to companies that are performing truly inspiring work across the region.

Winners included Project Vae, a technology company using virtual reality to improve mental health and wellbeing in care home patients; Emily Goodwin, a student who set up two successful businesses during her studies; and Biocomposites, who added the Keele University Science Park Company of the Year Award to their list of accolades, having recently achieved two Queen’s Awards for industry.

The flagship award of the night, Collaboration of the Year, was awarded to Hixon Group Ltd for their commitment to supporting businesses through lockdown, working with students from Keele Business School, and their support for Keele’s business support programmes.

Speaking after receiving the award, Jonathan Lawton, CEO and Founder of Hixon Group Ltd said: “A massive thank you to the Keele community - everybody that we meet on a daily basis, whether it's staff and students that provide expertise or the programmes that we've been through - without any of this, we wouldn't be in the position that we're in now.

“Collaborating with Keele has just come so easily, in terms of the community we’ve got around us - it's been immense. Thank you also to my team, as well as the Keele team.”

Professor Trevor McMillan OBE, Vice-Chancellor of Keele University added: “It’s a real pleasure to have been able to host the Breaking the Mould awards in person again this year after two years away. All of our award winners, and those who were shortlisted, are thoroughly deserving of recognition in this year’s awards for their inspiring work to improve and grow the region’s business prospects and economy.”