A Double Celebration for Flexiteek at the British Marine Trade Association Awards
It was a memorable evening for the Flexiteek team at the British Marine Trade Association Awards, with two awards recognising both the continued growth of our business and the talent within our team.
Flexiteek was named British Marine Sector Association Business of the Year, while Chris Pannell, Group Sales and Marketing Manager, received the Marine Trade Young Person Award. Together, these awards reflect an exciting period of growth and development for Flexiteek, from expanding our international operations to investing in our people and continuing to innovate for our customers.
Recognising Business Growth
The Business of the Year Award celebrates companies demonstrating excellence across the UK marine trades industry, including business performance, leadership, workforce development, customer satisfaction and contribution to the wider sector.
For Flexiteek, this recognition comes at an important point in our journey. Despite challenging conditions across the global marine industry, we have continued to grow internationally, strengthening our operations in both the USA and Denmark while expanding our presence in new markets.
This growth has been supported by closer collaboration across our international teams. Sharing knowledge, best practices and resources has helped us improve efficiencies while maintaining consistent standards across manufacturing, customer service and product quality.
Innovation remains central to our approach. Our mission is to produce high-quality decking and marine products, combining performance, design and practicality. This ambition continues to shape our product development and our approach to meeting the changing needs of the marine industry.
Just as importantly, our people remain at the heart of the business. We have continued to invest in employee wellbeing and development through internal training, support for external qualifications and opportunities for collaboration across the wider group.
Our customers are another important part of this journey. We have built long-standing relationships with leading OEM boat builders, distributors and partners around the world on trust, product quality, reliability, innovation and customer service. These relationships continue to support our growth and strengthen Flexiteek’s position within the leisure marine industry.
Celebrating Young Talent
The evening also provided an opportunity to celebrate the next generation of marine industry talent, with Chris Pannell receiving the Marine Trade Young Person Award.
Since joining Flexiteek in 2023 as European Sales Manager, Chris has quickly established himself as an important part of the business. His role has developed alongside Flexiteek’s international growth, with Chris working closely with OEM boat builders, distributors and partners across Europe and further afield.
His contribution extends beyond commercial development. Chris has played an active role in product innovation, including contributing to the development and launch of Flexiteek 3, supporting our continued focus on product improvement, quality and sustainability.
He has also taken on increased responsibility across OEM and distributor management, developing strong customer relationships while working closely with colleagues across the business to improve collaboration and communication.
Chris’ enthusiasm, professionalism and commitment to the marine industry have been evident throughout his time at Flexiteek. The award is a fantastic recognition of his development and the contribution he is already making to the industry.
Two Awards, One Proud Team
Receiving these two awards at the British Marine Trade Association Awards was a fantastic moment for everyone at Flexiteek.
The Business of the Year award recognises the progress and achievements of the company, while Chris’s award highlights the talent and ambition of an individual helping to shape that progress.
Both are a reflection of where Flexiteek is today and, importantly, where we are heading.
We’re proud to be recognised by British Marine and to be part of a marine industry that continues to innovate, develop and look towards the future.
There is plenty more to come for Flexiteek, and we’re excited to continue that journey.
Written and edited by Phoebe Maxted.
