Dr John Sentamu is the headline speaker at The Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards
and will speak about responsibility in business in his address at the ceremony.
He said: “I am delighted to have been asked to speak at and present the Excellence in Business
Awards.
“The role that businesses have in achieving fairness in our society is significant and their
integrity must provide the compass for actions serving the common good.
“These are exciting and challenging times for businesses, industrialists and entrepreneurs across
the Yorkshire region and these awards recognise their efforts and achievements in their chosen
fields.”
Dr Sentamu has spoken out before on the issue of inequality in society and has warned that the
concepts of fairness and income equality are struggling to survive.
He has been a vocal supporter for the introduction of a living wage, arguing that society needs to
value each and every person.
He said: “We need to rediscover the true meaning of the word economy – it means a household,
a community whose members share responsibility for each other. The giant that must be slayed is
income inequality – where some few have far too much and the many have too little.”
Dr Sentamu was appointed Bishop for Stepney in 1996, Bishop for Birmingham in 2002 and
Archbishop of York in 2005. He is Primate of England and Metropolitan, a member of the House
of Lords and a Privy Councillor.
The categories cover community engagement, entrepreneuralism, innovation and international
success, but judges will be looking for strong examples of excellence in business throughout.
DLA Piper, PwC and Yorkshire Bank continue as main sponsors; Bradford University School of
Management, Drax Group, QBE Insurance and thebigword carry on as associate sponsors.
The Excellence in Business Awards is an annual accolade that seeks to commend various
business people. Past individual winners include Sir Ken Morrison, Sir Stuart Rose, James
Lambert OBE and Victor Watson CBE.
