THE great and the good of Hampshire’s business community gathered last night for the South Coast Business Awards.

Hosted by the Daily Echo and leading law firm Trethowans at the Grand Harbour Hotel in Southampton, the glitzy black tie bash celebrated the success stories in local business.

About 100 people from across the region’s business world attended the event, with firms hoping to win one of eight awards on offer – and the prestigious Trethowans Overall Winners’ award.

This year’s guest speaker was Jacqueline Gold, the Ann Summers and Knickerbox chief executive who is ranked as one of the UK’s 100 most influential women and who was named as the most inspirational businesswoman in the country by Barclays Bank.

  • To find out the winners see Monday's Daily Echo and don't forget our 24-page picture special from the event in Tuesday's paper