Save the Children has announced the winners of its inaugural Corporate Business Awards, a new scheme which aims to recognise and thank the charity’s corporate partners for their support.

The Awards programme was launched under the leadership of Douglas Rouse, Save the Children’s corporate partnerships director who joined the development NGO 18 months ago from the British Heart Foundation.

Corporate supporters including GlaxoSmithKline, FirstGroup and Mothercare were honoured at a ceremony last week at London’s BT Tower.  Categories included ‘Outstanding achievement in promoting Save the Children’s mission and values’, 'Outstanding achievements in employee fundraising’ and ‘Special achievement award for a new corporate partner’.

Thirteen companies and two individuals were honoured, with awards presented by the charity’s chief executive Justin Forsyth and ambassador Natasha Kaplinsky.

The Awards were the pinnacle of a big expansion in Save the Children’s corporate partnership activity under Rouse’s leadership. In the wake of a new strategy and team structure, projected income for this year is £13m, a huge jump on the 2009 figure of £3.9m.

New partnerships have been secured this year with Morrisons, Mothercare, Lloyds Banking Group and Arsenal Football Club, and a number of existing partnerships have also grown significantly.

To take part in Fundraising's Corporate Partnerships Survey 2011 click here.

The full list of winners are:

• Outstanding achievement in promoting Save the Children’s mission and values - Twinings
• Outstanding support in pioneering programme work - GlaxoSmithKline
• Outstanding results in engaging the public - FirstGroup               
• Greatest achievements in building a diverse partnership - Reckitt Benckiser
• Outstanding achievements in employee fundraising - Mothercare
• Exceptional achievements in programme funding - IKEA
• Exceptional achievements in cause related marketing - Bulgari
• Greatest achievement in building a successful long-term partnership - Thomson Reuters
• Special achievement award for a new corporate partner - Morrisons
• Outstanding Emergency Response Partner - Vitol
• Most innovative marketing partnership - Aviva
• Outstanding Gift in Kind support - Clifford Chance
• Outstanding Volunteer Initiative - Lloyds Banking Group

Individual Awards

Outstanding individual contribution in support of a partnership:

• Sandra Hennessy, Reckitt Benckiser (pictured)
• Keith Mullin, Thomson Reuters