Muckle
Perennial good guys of the North East scene, Newcastle commercial law firm Muckle this year received the region’s top accolade when it was named North East Company of the Year. The company also announced record-breaking revenues, rising profits and received platinum status from the Investors in People scheme.
RE:GEN Group
Sunderland-based RE:GEN Group, a key player in the North East social housing market, was named the North East’s fastest-growing company at the annual Ward Hadaway Fastest 50 event. The company opened new headquarters and took on 33 staff from collapsed construction firm Tolent.
Read more:the 10 biggest business stories of the year
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Banks Group
It was a lucrative year for the County Durham family firm, which sold its renewable energy division to Canadian fund manager Brookfield for a reported for $1bn. The company also launched a new housebuilding division and in June announced a significant rise in both revenues and profits.
Winn Group
The most impressive financial results of the year were probably recorded by the Newcastle legal services firm, which saw its revenue more than double to £235m. More growth is expected this year and the company has set out plans to create more than 150 new jobs.
Wootzano
The robotics firm was a double winner at the North East Business Awards, being named Durham, Sunderland and South Tyneside Company of the Year and winning the regional innovation award. It also sealed a £37m deal in America for its fruit-picking robots, and is expanding its headquarters at Sedgefield’s NETPark.
Double Eleven/Pneuma Group
The Middlesbrough computer games developer was named the region’s fastest-growing large company and also picked up a national growth award from the Sunday Times. Meanwhile, its newly-created parent company Pneuma Group sealed a deal to take over the Six restaurant at Gateshead’s Baltic gallery and hinted that more deals are set to come in a range of sectors.
Pragmatic
The global shortage of semiconductors has made UK firm Pragmatic one of the hottest properties in the business world. Earlier this month it announced a £180m investment round that will see it build two more manufacturing lines at its plant in Durham, and create more than 500 skilled jobs in the North East and Cambridge over the next five years.
Opencast
Newcastle software firm Opencast was one of just three North East firms that made it onto the FEBE Growth 100 list, which recognises the UK’s fastest growing founder-led private companies. Opencast also secured deals worth more than £10m after extending its partnership with the Department for Education, while CEO Tom Lawson was named on the LDC Top 50 list of the UK’s most ambitious business leaders.
CellRev/3DBT
One of The Journal’s ‘Ones to Watch’ at the start off 2023, CellRev (previously known as CellulaREvolution) secured £1.4m in investment to develop its methods of creating lab-grown meat. It is also working with BSF Enterprise, the listed Newcastle tech company which owns tissue engineering company 3D Bio-Tissues (3DBT), on a joint venture that brings together expertise from the two Newcastle University spin-outs.
Nissan
The car manufacturing giant could have made this list on many occasions over the past four decades, but recent years have been tough for Nissan and the wider automotive sector both globally and locally. But 2023 has seen production figures bounce back and in November it confirmed investment of £2bn into the production of two new electric vehicles at its Sunderland plant. Nissan is once again one of the key players in the North East economy.
