DECLAN Curry, the familiar face from a range of BBC television finance programmes, is the host of 2009’s Daily Echo-backed Hampshire Business Awards.

The annual hunt for the cream of the county’s business crop, which is sponsored by law firm Bond Pearce, business advisers KPMG and The Royal Bank of Scotland, takes place at luxury Hampshire hotel Chewton Glen in October. There the winners of the coveted awards for Innovation, Management Team of the Year and Company of the Year will be unveiled by Declan, pictured below.

He said: “I’m looking forward to hosting the awards later this year. Recognising business excellence is very important and these awards highlight that, despite the current economic climate, there are still thriving businesses that are responding innovatively to the challenging market conditions in the UK. Good luck to all the entrants.”

Declan has an established career in broadcasting and has won several awards, including ABI Financial Journalist of the Year and Proshare Financial Person-ality of the Year.

He is currently a presenter of BBC Two’s Working Lunch programme and with more than 15 years’ experience as a business journalist, he is one of the country's best-known faces for money news.

For seven years, he was the business presenter for BBC One’s Break-fast, the UK’s most-watched morning news programme.

Declan has also recently reported for Panorama, and presented Weekend Business on BBC Radio Five Live and Heaven & Earth on BBC One. For almost a decade, Declan broadcast each morning on the US network ABC.

He has been a producer, reporter and presenter for BBC Radio, including Radio 4 and 5 Live and for the London-based news station LBC.

Now in their 19th year, the awards aim to seek out and name the county’s very best business talent. The sponsors are keen to attract entries from as many organisations as possible from the length and breadth of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and will be challenging competing companies to demonstrate examples of their business acumen.

Only ten days are left to enter. For details of how to get your company involved in the Hampshire Business Awards 2009, log onto dailyecho/business and follow the link, or call Hazel Gibbs at KPMG on 023 8020 2051.