Gloucestershire engineering firm Renishaw and Ovo Energy walked away winners from last night’s National Business Awards held at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London, in the presence of Chancellor George Osborne.

Cirencester independent energy company Ovo Energy and Wotton-under-Edge-based Renishaw won their individual categories at the prestigious event.

Ovo was selected as a finalist for the Huawei Customer Focus Award and engineering firm Renishaw the Grant Thornton Mid-Cap Business of the Year award for FTSE listed businesses and mutuals with a turnover of less than £500 million.

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Founder and Managing Director of Ovo Energy, said: “Ovo Energy was created by customers for customers, so we’re really pleased to be recognised by the National Business Awards as a company with the consumer at the heart of our business.”

Ben Taylor, Renishaw’s assistant chief executive, said, “I would like to on behalf of the two founders, Sir David McMurtry and John Deer, thank the judges for this award, but I think that we are equally proud of the fact that a manufacturer that makes all of their components here in the UK, assembles all of their circuit boards here in the UK, and exports 95% of its turnover, is very pleased to achieve an award like this.”

Ovo’s award comes shortly after being rated top energy provider in a Which? customer survey, and winning the UK Customer Experience Award 2011 for utility companies.

The Cirencester-based company was set up in 2009.

BBC presenter John Humphrys, who hosted the awards, said, “Renishaw is not only exporting British designed and British manufactured products to over 30 countries, but attracting more graduates into manufacturing at the same time.

“Developing innovative products that significantly advance its customers’ operating performance, the judges described Renishaw as ‘an irreplaceable business’.

Renishaw was shortlisted for the award along with nine other high performing UK companies including another Gloucestershire success story, SuperGroup (manufacturer of Superdry clothing), Majestic Wine, Moneysupermarket, Rightmove and the Cineworld Group.

The award is judged such that ‘The ultimate winner of this award will be held up as an example of excellent practice and an inspiration to all listed companies or mutuals in the mid-cap range, with judges considering past achievement, current performance and future potential.’