HOT1002009HOT
WALES
Hot 100 2009 3
T
his year's Hot 100 has taken a
slightly different presentational
format than that of previous years,
although the criteria for inclusion
are essentially the same. The listing now is
presented in order of the last reported
annual percentage growth in turnover,
highest to lowest. Previously, we gave brief
overviews of each company. This year we
have provided a number of detailed
company profiles and a sector
commentary. We have also included in this
supplement a number of articles by leading
researchers at Glamorgan Business
School and from the wider business
community. We believe this format will
provide a more valid, informative and
meaningful analysis.
The Hot 100 is based on the fastest
growing companies 2007/08 to 2008/09 in
Wales measured by percentage increase in
turnover. To be eligible for this year's Hot
100, companies had to fulfil the following
criteria:
n The business must be based in Wales;
n the business must have been founded
after January 1 2004;
n the founder/s must be actively involved
in the daily operations of the business;
n annual 2008/09 sales must have
exceeded �100,000 and the company
must be profitable;
n the business must not have been
included in the Hot 100 in the previous
three years, i.e. 2006, 2007 and 2008.
The companies listed are mainly reporting
performance in 2008. The impact of the
economic downturn is just starting to show
in the make-up of the list and company
results presented. Next year's listing will
show the full impact of the recession.
Sectors such as construction, automotive
and retail have been particularly affected,
although a number of companies in these
sectors appear in our listing.
What is clear is the need for a Welsh
economy that is nimble, flexible and clever
enough to address current and future
market conditions. It is good to see that
the Welsh Assembly Government is putting
in place certain initiatives to support
sustainable economic recovery. It is the
private sector that will lead the economy
forward and every effort must be made by
both European, UK and Welsh
governments to assist and not hinder the
small and medium sized enterprises that
form the backbone of our economy and
society.
This year's listing shows the diversity of
the growth sectors in the Welsh economy.
The Hot 100 features a large number of
companies drawn from the important
service sectors in Wales.
There are some inclusions this year from
traditional industries, such as agri-food,
together with new business sectors, such
as renewable energy that point to the
many different facets of the Welsh
economy and society that we must
harness to maximise our potential.
At the University of Glamorgan, we are
making significant investments in the
people and the facilities to support our
diverse economy. We are leading the way
in applied research into new fuels such as
hydrogen and leading-edge industries
such as aerospace.
At the same time, the university has
recognised the importance of creating a
skilled workforce and, in the Business
School we have developed a range of
cutting-edge professional and academic
courses to meet the demands of the Welsh
economy.
We recently launched a new centre for
professional studies and our leading
master of business administration and
doctorate of business administration
programmes offer managers of today
access to the knowledge and skill-sets that
they will require to lead Welsh business of
the future.
The database used for this study is
Onesource.
Wil Williams
MBA Director,
University of Glamorgan
WELCOME MESSAGE
Andrew Crawley and Wil
Williams of Glamorgan
Business School, who
compiled this year's Hot 100

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