Businesses were shortlisted across five different categories: Chinese Corporate of the Year, Scotland-Hong Kong Partnership of the Year, China Welcome of the Year, Marketing Campaign of the Year, and Graduate Employability Initiative of the Year. 

BYD won the award for Chinese Corporate of the Year: a category which celebrates the huge contribution that Chinese businesses make to the Scottish economy. BYD is a global leader in new energy technology, founded in 1995 and focused on the research, development, and production of batteries, consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and renewable energy products. Over the years, BYD has grown to become one of the largest electric vehicle manufacturers worldwide. In 2025, the company sold over 50,000 cars in the UK, and is making a strong impact on promoting the sustainable growth of New Energy Vehicles in the Scottish market. 

Celebrating connections between Scotland and Hong Kong - The Scotland-Hong Kong Partnership of the Year went to Edinburgh Napier University (ENU). Transnational education is central to Edinburgh Napier University’s internationalisation strategy, and one of the university’s strongest TNE partnerships is with the University of Hong Kong’s School of Professional and Continuing Education (HKU SPACE). Over the past 50 years, approximately 8,000 students have graduated through the ENU–HKU SPACE collaboration. The partnership exemplifies long-term trust, academic excellence and sustained impact, and remains a cornerstone of ENU’s engagement with Hong Kong.

The China Welcome of the Year Award was created to recognise Scottish companies in the retail, travel and hospitality sectors who have gone above and beyond in embracing Chinese visitors to Scotland. This year’s winner was Glasgow Prestwick Airport. Over the past year, the airport has placed increasing strategic emphasis on strengthening its profile in the Chinese market, developing a marketing campaign to build meaningful engagement with the Chinese aviation and logistics market. Since the campaign began, scheduled cargo operations have increased from five to 21 scheduled weekly flights, representing a 320% increase. This growth reflects increasing confidence from airline and logistics partners and a strengthening of Prestwick’s role within the China-focused cargo market.

The Marketing Campaign of the Year Award went to Intercultural Connections Initiative. Intercultural Connections Initiative (ICI) is a Scotland-registered community interest company dedicated to fostering meaningful cultural, educational, and creative exchange between China and the United Kingdom. ICI is best known as the organiser of Chinese Culture Week (CCW) at the Edinburgh Fringe. To promote CCW in 2025, ICI executed an ambitious and effective Scotland-China marketing campaign. The campaign introduced high-quality Chinese cultural brands, institutions, and creative content to Scottish audiences, while simultaneously promoting Scotland’s festival culture to Chinese consumers and industry partners. The campaign achieved over 150 million views on Weibo, more than 400,000 user engagements, and generated over 2,000 pieces of original content - making CCW one of the most widely viewed cultural campaigns promoting Scotland in China in 2025. 

Finally, the Graduate Employability Initiative of the Year Award - which recognises organisations that have developed innovative approaches to supporting students to prepare for employment - was awarded to The University of St Andrews. The Award highlighted the university’s ‘Coffee Connect’ programme. Launched in September 2020, using a simple virtual model delivered in partnership with the University’s Careers Service, the initiative enables students - particularly those interested in international careers - to benefit from the lived experience of graduates working in China, Scotland, and in China-Scotland connected roles across sectors such as business, trade, education, and innovation. By fostering authentic, peer led connections, Coffee Connect has become an effective and sustainable platform for enhancing graduate employability and reinforcing long term China-Scotland professional networks. 

Now going into its 13th year (having completed a full cycle of the Chinese zodiac!), the China-Britain Business Council’s Chinese Burns Supper, in partnership with the University of Edinburgh and Scottish Development International and Scottish Enterprise, has become a permanent fixture in the China-Scotland business calendar.   

The unique event featured a fusion of Burns Night traditions with those of Chinese New Year as a backdrop for black-tie networking for the China-Scotland business and educational community. Guests enjoyed a dynamic programme of entertainment - ringing in the Year of the Horse in style - with the customary Address to a Haggis, a Lion Dance, a ceilidh, amongst other performances. 

Funds were raised to support the Migrant Children’s Foundation - which enriches and develops the lives and education of disadvantaged children in China via a plethora of educational and health focused initiatives. 

The Awards were generously supported and made possible by our Partners and Sponsors: The Confucius Institute for Scotland in the University of Edinburgh, Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Development International, Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office, SF Express, Scottish Confucius Institute for Business & Communications, and Invest Hong Kong.

The full list of Nominees for each Award category is as follows: 

Chinese Corporate of the Year

• BYD
• Neusoft

Scotland-Hong Kong Partnership of the Year

• Forsyths
• Speak With Impact
• Edinburgh Napier University

China Welcome of the Year

• Glasgow Prestwick Airport
• W Edinburgh

Marketing Campaign of the Year

• LNER and PingPong Digital
• Intercultural Connections Initiative
• Edrington
• Uoffer Global

Graduate Employability Initiative of the Year

• University of St Andrews
• Intercultural Connections Initiative 

View photos from the event here

For further enquiries about the awards please contact James Brodie at James.Brodie@cbbc.org.