The winners of the 25th Sussex Business Awards were announced at the Brighton Dome.

Great British Life: Terry Nitman and Steve Hayman, Cheesmur Building Contractors - The Boss of the YearTerry Nitman and Steve Hayman, Cheesmur Building Contractors - The Boss of the Year (Image: Julia Claxton)

Five hundred of the county’s leading business people gathered to celebrate 25 years of business excellence, many of whom were previous award winners themselves.

VIPs in attendance included Peter Field, Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex and Chairman of the Judges; Jason Kitkat, Leader of the Council and the Mayor of Brighton, Denise Cobb.

Presented by Countdown’s Rachel Riley, 15 awards were presented to the winning companies and individuals.

Peter Field, Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex Chair of the Sussex Business Awards judging panel for the third year commented: “I am really impressed at the resilience of our companies and individuals in the face of a slow economic recovery and to see that, far from just staying alive, all our entrants managed to develop their businesses and increase their market share.

“To me it proves that the timely and clever decisions they made while trading through the downturn has ensured that they held their nerve and are ready to take the advantage as the economy steps up another gear.

“Their stories and achievements are all remarkable, and it was only at the end of a very long day of debate that the final list of winners for the Awards emerged.”