Sir Anthony Bamford, chairman and managing director of JCB Ltd. was recognized with one of two 2003 Entrepreneurial Awards at the 2003 Transatlantic Business Awards Dinner on Oct. 23.

The annual recognition dinner is sponsored by BritishAmerican Business Inc. (BABi), a transatlantic business organization honoring outstanding business leaders and attended by more than 500 industry leaders.

“From a very strong list of nominations, Sir Anthony Bamford emerged as the unanimous choice to receive our UK Entrepreneurial Award for 2003, in recognition of his and JCB’s outstanding achievements. We are delighted that he agreed to accept this honor” said Richard Fursland, chief executive of BritishAmerican Business Inc.

“This great dinner reflects BABi’s pivotal position at the heart of the transatlantic business relationship,” Fursland continued. “We serve hundreds of middle market companies as well as the huge multinationals, so it is only natural for us to honor outstanding entrepreneurial achievement.”

Sir Anthony Bamford was honored with the UK Entrepreneurial Award on the occasion of his 58th birthday, which also coincided with the 58th anniversary of the founding of JCB by his father in a lock-up garage in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire.

Bamford said, “I am delighted to receive the award which is recognition of the success of JCB. As a company, our relationship with North America goes back 40 years, and we have always recognized the importance of UK and USA trade relationships.

“The USA is the largest market in the world for construction equipment and accounts for around one-third of the total world market. It offers huge potential for JCB, and we value our trading links,” he continued.

Bamford has been chairman and managing director of JCB since 1975, when his late father Joseph Cyril Bamford retired. Sir Anthony Bamford took over at the age of 30 when turnover of the company was just 43 million pounds. Today turnover is in excess of 800 million pounds.

Under Bamford’s leadership, JCB has become one of the world’s top five manufacturers of construction equipment. His career began with an apprenticeship at Massey Ferguson in France before he started on the factory floor at JCB’s headquarters in 1964. Five years later he established JCB France in Paris, which became the model for JCB’s further development with nine subsidiary companies around the world.

JCB has won more than 50 awards for exports, marketing, design and care of the environment. Sir Anthony Bamford was knighted in 1990 and was presented with the award of Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Merite in 1989 by the French government. In 1995, he became a Commendatore of the Order of Merit of Italy.

JCB operates its North American headquarters and manufacturing facility in Savannah, GA.

This year’s recipients of BABi’s Transatlantic Business Awards were George David, chairman and CEO of United Technologies Corporation; and Sir Christopher Hogg, chairman of GlaxoSmithKline Plc.

Also honored with a 2003 Entrepreneurial Award were Richard Robinson, chairman, president and CEO of Scholastic Corporation. A special award also was presented to Lord Marshall of Knightsbridge, chairman of British Airways Plc., in recognition of the Concorde on the occasion of its last transatlantic flight.

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