North Highland Chamber of Commerce is proud to celebrate the outstanding achievements of two of its members at this year’s Highland Business Awards, held on Friday 26 September at the Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness. Organised as the grand finale of Inverness Chamber of Commerce’s Highland Business Week, the prestigious event brought together over 250 of the region’s leading business figures to honour excellence in leadership, innovation, and community impact across the Highlands.
Malcolm Morrison Named Business Leader of the Year at Highland Business Awards 2025
GMG Energy’s managing director, Malcolm Morrison, was named Business Leader of the Year. Sponsored by leading accountancy and advisory firm Saffery, the Business Leader of the Year award recognises individuals who demonstrate outstanding leadership, inspire others, and make a lasting contribution to the Highland economy through their passion and commitment.
On receiving the award, Malcolm said: “This award is as much about the people around me as it is about me. I’ve been fortunate to work alongside dedicated teams, at GMG Energy, Melvich Bay Caravan Park, and the other ventures with which I am involved. They share the same drive to build sustainable businesses that create real value for our communities and our environment.”
Under Malcolm’s leadership, GMG Energy has become a flagship business in Halladale, Sutherland, known for its zero-waste timber operations, strong environmental ethos, and innovative adoption of technologies including biomass systems and AI-powered site monitoring.
His work in other areas, from sustainable tourism at Melvich Bay Caravan Park, to advising agricultural and food enterprises, reflects a consistent commitment to responsible, community-first enterprise.
Malcolm continued: “The Highland Business Awards highlight what makes this region so special: its resilience, creativity, and the strength of its business community. It is inspiring to see so many companies not just succeeding but doing so in ways that benefit the Highlands as a whole. Long may that continue.”
Practest Wins “Most Promising New Business” at Highland Business Awards
The Most Promising New Business Award was presented to Sacha Wright, co-founder of Practest – a health technology startup based in the Orkney Islands.
This award category recognises newly established companies that demonstrate exceptional potential for long-term impact and growth. Practest is on a mission to transform how healthcare practices operate in the digital age, providing smarter, more effective tools that streamline processes for both patients and healthcare professionals.
Practest work with primary healthcare services such as GP’s as well as supporting private healthcare practices. The primary care web platform has been launched in Heilendi GP Practice in the Orkney Islands looking to streamline high touch patient processes. Practest also support private healthcare companies both in the UK as well as in the US and looking to move into Australia later this year.
“Receiving this award is a tremendous honour and validation of our vision,” said Sacha Wright, Co-Founder, Practest “We believe that healthcare should run with the same ease as consumer services, and this recognition from the Highland business community gives us even more drive to deliver on that.”
Reflecting on the Awards North Highland Chamber CEO, Trudy Morris Commented: “The Highland Business Awards are a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the very best of Highland businesses, to showcase the diversity and ingenuity of our regional economy, and to reflect on the incredible people and enterprises that make the Highlands such a special place to live, work, study, and invest.
We are incredibly proud to have Malcolm and Sacha as part of our Chamber membership. Both of these business leaders are pushing boundaries, working with passion and integrity to create a better world, and leading by example in their pursuit of excellence.
Our motto at the Chamber is ‘Stronger Together’, and this spirit was certainly on display at this year’s Highland Business Awards.”
