West Kent Local News
Westenhanger Castle, near Hythe - where the winners will be announced at a gala dinner on 19 November. Image credit: Ian Knox / Geograph, CC BY-SA 2.0.
West Kent Firms Among Finalists for Kent Invicta Chamber Business Awards 2026
Finalists have been announced for the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce's Business Awards 2026, with several West Kent businesses among those shortlisted across the county-wide competition's fourteen categories.
Who made the list
The Chamber, which is based in Ashford and covers the whole county, confirmed finalists are judged by a panel, with winners revealed at a black-tie gala dinner at Westenhanger Castle, near Hythe, on 19 November. Most finalists are based elsewhere in Kent, but six West Kent entries made this year's shortlist:
Bailey Partnership
Maidstone-based surveying and architecture practice
Business of the YearMaidstone
Baxall Construction
Paddock Wood firm, shortlisted for the Helen Keen Building - a new music, science and history block at Maidstone Grammar School for Girls
Construction Project of the YearTonbridge & Malling
Gallagher Group
Aylesford-headquartered groundworks and quarrying firm; also runs Hermitage Quarry in Maidstone
Corporate Social Value Business of the YearTonbridge & Malling
GeoBrand
Maidstone creative agency
Creative Business of the YearMaidstone
Care First 24
Brasted-based homecare provider
Employer of the YearSevenoaks
Tracey Green, Enaflo Interiors
Paddock Wood commercial fit-out specialist
Entrepreneur of the YearTonbridge & Malling
Why it's worth a mention
Chamber awards like this one don't carry the same weight as, say, a King's Award for Enterprise - the Chamber Awards finalists are in fact invited to separately apply for that, via the Lord-Lieutenancy, as a step up. But being named a finalist is still a genuine, judged recognition of a business's track record, not just a marketing exercise, and it's a chance to flag some West Kent employers - across construction, care, creative services and quarrying - who might not otherwise make the news.
