Press Release

Stagecoach Wins Major Scottish Business Award

5 May 2006

Stagecoach Group has won a major business innovation honour at the Scotland plc Awards 2006.

The Perth-based international transport group won the Braehead for Business Award for Innovation at the prestigious annual event, now in its seventh year. Last year, Stagecoach was runner-up in the same category.

It is the latest in a series of innovation awards won by Stagecoach in the past three years following the launch of ground-breaking new products such as the company’s successful budget inter-city coach service megabus.com.

Stagecoach was one of five Scottish companies to be presented with awards at last night’s event at the Hilton Hotel, Glasgow, which was attended by around 600 key figures from Scotland’s corporate community.

Brian Souter, Stagecoach Group Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted Stagecoach has been recognised with such a prestigious award. Stagecoach continues to lead the way with new ideas on how to attract more people to public transport.

“Innovation, supported by long-term investment and strong marketing, has been central to the success of our growth strategy. Even after more than 25 years in business, we are still developing new ideas and new products.”

The Scotland plc Awards were launched in 1999 by Scottish Business Insider magazine and PricewaterhouseCoopers to recognise the achievements at home and abroad of the country’s quoted companies.

Independent research is carried out by the University of Strathclyde Graduate School of Business as well as follow-up interviews with shortlisted businesses before the judging panel makes its final decisions.

The full list of award winners is as follows:

• The Scottish & Newcastle Award for Outstanding Private Company of the Year - Letts Filofax Group Ltd
• The Search Consultancy Award for Developing Your People - Cairn Energy plc
• The Braehead for Business Award for Innovation - Stagecoach Group plc
• The McClure Naismith Award for Mid-size Cap plc – Murgitroyd Group plc
• The Bell Lawrie Award for Shareholder Value - Cairn Energy plc
• The Azzurri Communications Award for the Scotland plc CEO of the Year - David Milne, Wolfson Microelectronics plc
• The Insider and PricewaterhouseCoopers Award for the Scotland plc of the Year - Wolfson Microelectronics plc

Frank Blin, head of UK regions for PricewaterhouseCoopers, said: “I would like to congratulate all of this year’s winners who show that Scottish businesses rank among the best in the world. It has been tough for the judges this year as all of the finalists have put in impressive performances. This evening is a great celebration of just some of Scotland’s success stories.”

Scottish Business Insider editor Alasdair Northrop added that the awards were “a fitting tribute to the outstanding performances of Scotland’s major companies”.