Capital International won the Award for International Business of the Year at last year’s Isle of Man Newspapers’ Awards for Excellence.

The group was founded in the Isle of Man in 1996 and, in 2014, opened an office in Cape Town. Its success in South Africa has led to a second office being opened in Johannesburg.

In this extraordinary year that has led to colleagues working together in locations with very different levels of Covid infection and measures to prevent the disease from spreading but chief executive officer Greg Ellison said that this has actually increased the spirit of teamwork.

’The Isle of Man has now been out of lockdown for five months and most of our employees have returned to the office, with some opting to continue working remotely,’ he said.

’In South Africa, restrictions have been eased slightly and a limited number of employees are able to work from the office.

’During the lockdown, any interaction between colleagues was facilitated by video calls. This meant that, regardless of location, all of our employees found themselves in the same boat, cooped up indoors and seeking social stimulus.

’At this testing time, our staff came together to support each other, and one of the positives that we will take from lockdown are the stronger relationships that have been forged between our Isle of Man and South Africa staff.

’To build on this, staff have been holding dial-in video contests in which they compete to win points at events throughout the year. The competitive spirit has united our staff and reinforced the connection between the two jurisdictions.’

â?¢Have you or your business, charity or public sector team done something outstanding during this extraordinary year? If you have why not enter the Awards for Excellence and tell everyone about it?

Categories include Caring for the Island’s Wellbeing, Doing the Impossible During the Pandemic, Our Local Heroes and Business Supporting Our Community.

The awards are open to businesses of all sizes, individuals, charitable and cultural organisations and public sector teams and you can enter more than one category. If you need advice about which category to enter and what makes a good entry you can call Trudi Williamson on 695694

You will find information and entry forms at www.excellence-awards.com. Entries close on January 15.