PURPOSE OF EM TOP 500

BY PROFESSOR DAVID RAE

Words by Professor David Rae Editor East Midlands Top 500 Companies

he East Midlands Top 500 Companies index (EM Top 500) aims to highlight the largest businesses based in the region, and to track the changes in the composition and performance of this group of companies. The index shows the range and strength of the leading businesses in the East Midlands, across the ‘Three Counties’ of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire areas covered by the East Midlands Chamber. These businesses are at the heart of the East Midlands’ economy and are high on the list of those most likely to drive growth and create jobs in the future. Their prosperity affects not only the workforces, supply chains and the communities around them, but ultimately everyone in the region.

The first EM Top 500 was launched in May 2020, with both the 2020 and 2021 reports published whilst the effects of the COVID19 pandemic and lockdown impacted on our lives and businesses, whilst the 2022 report was also overshadowed by uncertainty from political events and the war in Ukraine.

The fourth East Midlands Top 500 Companies 2023 again appears in a changing economic context, in which the UK economy has avoided recession and the region’s businesses continue to show resilience in responding to diverse challenges as well as emerging opportunities.

The Top 500 companies are announced on Friday, June 30, when the live breakfast event reveals the results and what they indicate for our region, both now and in the future.

The East Midlands Top 500 2023 is a partnership led by Professor David Rae and Adam Brown, at Leicester Castle Business School, De Montfort University, with valued contributions from our research analyst Manisha Iben; and from Alex Charles

(University of Derby), Dr Will Rossiter (Nottingham Trent University); East Midlands Chamber; Reach Media; and our media sponsors. This year, we said farewell to Linda Hickson and we thank her for past contributions to both the Leicestershire Top 200 and East Midlands Top 500.

For the second year, you are reading this in Real Entrepreneurs Magazine! We are delighted to work with Real Entrepreneurs Magazine and Cross Productions as a complementary media partner to Business Live. This brings the full Top 500 report to a wider readership in a high-quality printed magazine for a longer period.

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