Winners of the Franco-British Trade & Investment Awards 2024

The British Embassy in Paris and the Franco-British Chamber are pleased to announce the winners of the fourth Franco-British Trade & Investment Awards. These businesses demonstrated excellence in innovation, sustainability and growth on both sides of the Channel.

In the year of the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale and the 80th anniversary of D-Day, our Awards had a special focus on Franco-British partnerships. 

Artificial Intelligence Award – Lefebvre Sarrut

Lefebvre Sarrut is a French company that specialises in legal and tax knowledge. It operates in 8 countries and works with companies, regulated legal and tax professionals and the public sector (national or international).

Why did they win for this category?

The Jury was impressed by the use of AI in a sector that wouldn’t typically use it:

• Since 2020, Lefebvre Sarrut has invested in GenAI. It has also developed a strategy to shift to AI in the legal and tax sectors, deploying an AI literacy programme for 2,500 collaborators across Europe. 
• Lefebvre has also launched a unique brand - GenIA-L (Generative AI for Legal). GenIA-L is an bespoke engineered system to mitigate hallucinations risks, Up to date as legal and regulatory updates are made, Secured and confidential - queries from users are encrypted and decorrelated from identifying data, so that our solutions can be used safely in law firms or other chartered professionals’ facilities, Easy to check, legal-wise and accountable.
• The UK brand of Lefebvre Sarrut has recently launched the latest version of GenIA-L, meaning that both the UK and France can benefit from this handy and powerful solution that lets them easily spot the legal or regulatory aspects of commercial law after Brexit, thanks to our up-to-date dedicated doctrine contents. 
• Lefebvre Sarrut also does policy work on AI in line with its core mission of responsible innovation and its commitment to the EU AI Pact, singed in September 2023.

Entente Cordiale 120 Award – Babcock France

Babcock France is a French subsidiary of British Babcock, providing aircraft, equipment, maintenance and personnel to the French Armed Forces and other government bodies.

Why did they win for this category?

The Jury felt that Babcock France demonstrated a clear commitment to bolstering the UK-France relationship and is also well aligned with the origins of the Entente Cordiale itself: 

• In France, Babcock deliver key services to Aviation and Land, and it has become the HQ for the Aviation sector leading 4 aviation countries (UK, France, Australasia and Canada). 
• Babcock France focusses on Aviation Safety and Fleet Management. It has five military bases in France, including a customer-focused support coordination centre in Bordeaux-Beauséjour.
• Since 2023, Babcock is perceived as a French defence company with appropriate access to classified opportunities and defence investments.
•  It has recently launched its Global Mobility Programme which encourages its workforce to develop its skills in France or the UK.

SME of the Year Award – Metrology Engineering Services

Metrology Engineering Services is a Wales-based aircraft maintenance-repair-overhaul (MRO) services company that offers technical services support, reverse engineering, 3D laser scanning, damage assessment and quality inspection. It is the only company that offers this kind of service. 

Why did they win for this category?

The Jury was impressed by the impact this SME is having on such an important sector for the UK and France, and its rapid expansion:

• Metrology Engineering Services is building key partnerships with the French aerospace sector, with the aim of opening repair hubs in Brive. 
• Metrology Engineering Services had a turnover of £1.6m over the last 18 months which comes from 100% export from Wales; 75% of this is to France. 
• Key French companies such as Airbus and Thales use these services – which thanks to these, the speed of getting damaged aircraft back into service is 75% faster. 
• Metrology Engineering Services have saved client airlines over $20M by identifying parts that could be repaired where they would previously have been replaced.
   

Sustainability Award – ENGIE

ENGIE is a French multinational power company present in the UK for the last 20 years, with 1,000 employees and pecialises in electricity generation and distribution, natural gas, nuclear power, renewable energy, and in the petroleum industry.

Why did they win for this category?

The Jury felt this was a clear leader in Sustainability in many sectors, in both the UK and France:

• In the UK, ENGIE invests heavily in solar, onshore and offshore wind and biomethane production. It leads the market in flexible energy storage, with Europe’s largest pumped storage plant hosted in the UK. 
• ENGIE aims to increase renewables capacity from 50GW by 2025 and 80GW by 2030. It is also enhancing biomethane production by 217 GWh/year and developing hydrogen storage solutions with a target of 1TWh by 2030.
• 80% of ENGIE’s growth investment is in the energy system of the future. It is committed to achieving NetZero by 2045 in all 3 Scopes – a goal that is certified by the Science Based Targets Initiative. 
• Between 2017 and 2022, ENGIE Group saw a 33% decrease in CO2 emissions. ENGIE continues to implement its decarbonisation roadmap with clear, quantified, and time-bound commitments for 2030. 
• ENGIE’s work in the UK’s biogas sector not only creates green power but also provides farmers with a regular source of income and reduces their carbon footprint. It also enhances soil quality and creates a natural fertiliser.
• ENGIE is part of the Ocean Winds joint venture to signify its commitment to renewables projects. 5% of the UK’s total installed power generation capacity housed in Wales, and two 50WM battery storage projects in Scotland.
• The Jury felt this was a clear leader in Sustainability in many sectors, in both the UK and France.