• Look at the notes.• Some information is missing.• You will hear a man talkin

M: Ladies and gentlemen. I’m delighted to receive this award from the UK design industry and thank everyone involved.
     My career has come a long way since I started my first job as a junior employee in a finance company.  I worked in that field for fifteen years, changing companies several times. However, in 1990 a recruitment consultancy contacted me with an invitation to join a retail chain as a senior manager, and I accepted.
     It was the right choice -- within two years I’d moved into fashion design. My early creations were mostly unsuccessful and when the company attended the London Design Exhibition, none of my work was included. However, the following year my designs were shown at another trade fair in Germany; they received a lot of attention and sales increased. There were many opportunities open to me, especially in the US, so I decided to set up my own business.
     I always try to have original ideas, to be ahead of the field. Last year, of course, I received the Conrad Prize for the graduate training scheme we introduced, but until this award I had never previously won anything for my fashion designs.
     I’d like to thank someone who’s been very important to me since I started the company ... that’s my assistant, who plays a part not just in the design department, but also in planning, marketing and recruitment.
     I certainly hope this award will help us to grow. We’re planning expansion into areas other than clothing design, including textiles and kitchen equipment.  We’ve also just started working on a contract we have with a Swedish manufacturer for a new furniture range, and we’ve recently acquired a partner company -- our Eye for Design name won’t change- but we’re working closely with the Powerhouse Group on a range of lighting equipment, something which hopefully will bring us ...