Spotlight on Global Personals – Digital Business of the Year

Global Personals – the largest privately-owned online dating company in Europe – walked away with one of the biggest gongs of the evening at the 2010 Digital Entrepreneur Awards.

An outstanding company, Ross Williams and his team at Global Personals have a proven talent for innovation. The judges recognised the firm’s “diversified thinking” and its offer of a range of products across a variety of platforms that always stick to a winning online formula.

Founded in 2003, Windsor-based Global Personals has grown from humble beginnings in a small apartment into a firm now employing over 70 full-time staff with annual revenues in excess of £14 million.

After launching its first dating site, Singles365.com, in 2003, WhiteLabelDating.com was established as a platform for companies and individuals to power their own-branded dating sites. Over time WhiteLabelDating.com has welcomed some of the world’s most successful media organisations to the service including Bauer Media, National Magazine Company, Future Publishing and Dennis Publishing.

WhiteLabelDating.com is also the dating platform of choice for hundreds of successful internet entrepreneurs including those behind dating sites PlentyMoreFIsh.com, Single50s.co.uk, Canoodle.me.uk and TheDatingGroup.co.uk.

Asked how it felt to pick up the Digital Business accolade, Ross Williams, CEO and co-founder, said: “We are very proud. This is a fantastic achievement for the company, a real testament to every single employee who works so hard to make Global Personals what it is today. It’s taken a lot of hard work – seven years’ worth, in fact – from all of us and it means a lot.”

GlobalPersonals.co.uk recognises the need to grow both the domestic and international online dating markets and has continued to invest heavily in a number of key consumer propositions which it controls including Singles365.com, DatingAgency.com and Flirtfix.com.

Passionate about connecting people, Global Personals believes that life is for living and it aims to make a positive difference to people’s lives.

With further international expansion planned and under way, GlobalPersonals.co.uk aims to become the global online dating market leader.

The business relocated to a bigger and better open-plan office in February 2010 and strengthened its employee engagement strategy.

A new company website was launched in June the same year that reveals behind-the-scenes insights into the workings of an online dating company and videos from staff describing what it’s like to work at Global Personals.

Williams says the growth of the company provides the opportunity to recruit the best talent possible – not only benefitting the business and its future giving the current team the best opportunities to learn from some of the best professionals in the industry.

Reason enough, we thought, to name Global Personals the Digital Business of the Year 2010.