Supporting and celebrating the automative sector

Cheers, (happy) tears and some passionate, heartfelt speeches… yes, the North East Automotive Alliance Awards 2025 was quite a night at Ramside Hall Hotel, Golf & Spa in County Durham!

The awards are one of the highlights of the industry calendar for our team, as they do so much to recognise the passion and ingenuity running through the automotive sector.

As a long-standing North East Automotive Alliance (NEAA) member, we were proud to have lent our support to the event once again as brochure sponsor and designer.

Samantha Vassallo, Managing Director of Horizon Works, said: “The North East Automotive Alliance Awards 2025 was another fabulous showcase of the talent, inspirational individuals and pioneering companies that form North East England’s automotive cluster.

“It was amazing to see so many of the award recipients share their career journeys – and talk very frankly about the challenges they have faced and overcome. I am sure guests took plenty of inspiration away with them at the end of the evening.

“Our congratulations go to all of the winners on the night, who really demonstrated the strength and vitality of the automotive sector in North East England, and to all of the runners-up for their contributions to the industry.

“We’d also like to thank the North East Automotive Alliance team for their great work in organising the awards, and to Charlie Charlton for being a fantastic host and presenter.

“We’re already greatly looking forward to next year’s event.”

Guests attend the 2025 North East Automotive Alliance Annual Awards Night at the Ramside Hall Hotel near Durham Picture: DAVID WOOD

The North East Automotive Alliance Awards 2025 winners were:

• Geoff Ford MBE Apprentice Award – Ethan Constable, Unipres
• Graduate Award – Liam Wilson, Marelli
• Women Who Inspire in Automotive Award – Antonia-Lee Walker, ElringKlinger
• Innovation Award (Large/Multinational) – Port of Tyne
• Innovation Award (SME) – Preston Technical
• Digital Transformation Award – Nissan Motor Corporation
• Environmental and Sustainability Award (Large/Multinational) – Port of Tyne
• Environmental and Sustainability Award (SME) – SMS Technology
• Employer of the Year Award – Marelli
• SME of the Year Award – AR Power
• Outstanding Contribution Award – Paul Blanchard, Komatsu UK Ltd

The NEAA champions the automotive sector in North East England. An industry-led automotive cluster, it supports the economic growth and competitiveness of the sector, and helps its members make business connections whilst supporting collaboration.

It is also the largest automotive cluster in the UK, with over 280 cluster participants, and is one of the fastest-growing clusters across Europe. Its members include OEMs, and tier 1, 2 and 3 suppliers.

Horizon Works is one of the founding members of the NEAA and we have delivered design support to the organisation, as well as workshops, webinars and support programmes for its members, over a number of years.

We recently supported the NEAA with a campaign to celebrate its 10^th anniversary, which  you can read about here.

For more information on the NEAA, visit northeastautomotivealliance.com