The much anticipated 2022 HR Excellence Awards took place last night (6 December) gathering the top people leaders from across the sector to celebrate the very finest achievements of the year.
Suited and booted guests gathered at The Brewery in London for the ceremony, hosted by comedian Suzi Ruffell, which followed a formal dinner reception.
This year’s esteemed judging panel deliberated over 19 categories in total, graded in secret and assessed by an aggregate score. The winners came from a diverse and talented group of nominees spread across the public and private sectors.
A selection of entries were also celebrated as highly commended to acknowledge the incredible effort of their people and organisations as well as the high-calibre of entries.
HR Most Influential practitioner Sally Austin, chief people officer at Wincanton which won HR Team of the Year, told HR magazine: “It feels incredible to win. We feel so fortunate. The team have put in so much work over the last 12 months. To be recognised for everything we’ve done, I’m so proud of the team and delighted we can share everything with them tonight. It’s the best feeling in the world!”
Ben Wrigley also at Wincanton, took home the trophy for Future HR Leader of the Year. He praised the work of his team which helped him win the award.
He told HR magazine: “I’m happy that the work that Wincanton have done has been recognised. Had Wincanton not supported me in the way that they had, I wouldn’t have been able to win that award.”
The HR magazine team would like to thank this year’s judges; HR Excellence Awards sponsors Investors in People, Morson Group and Health and Wellbeing at Work, and all those who attended the event for making it another celebration to remember.
Here are the winners in full:
Best Recruitment and Workforce Planning Strategy
BT
Best Reward and Recognition strategy
Howdens Joinery
Best Talent Management Strategy
PPD, part of Thermo Fisher Scientific
Best Transformation Strategy
Vodafone M-Pesa Africa
Best Crisis Management Strategy
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
Best CSR Strategy
Howdens Joinery
Best Diversity and Inclusion strategy
Police Now
Highly commended – Immediate Media
Best Early Careers Strategy
Landor & Fitch
Highly commended – Office of the Future Generations Commission
Best Employee Engagement Strategy
Suez Recycling and Recovery UK
Highly commended – Alzheimer’s Society
Best Flexible Working Strategy
British Heart Foundation
Best Health and Wellbeing Strategy
NHS Midlands and Lancashire CSU
Highly commended – SoftServe
Best HR Strategy from Overseas
Abu Dhabi Police
Best HR Technology Strategy
Smith + Nephew
Best Internal Communications Strategy
Reward Gateway
Best Learning and Development Strategy
Webhelp
Highly commended – University of Huddersfield
HR Team of the Year
Wincanton
Highly commended – Saga Group
HR Future Leader of the Year
Ben Wrigley, Wincanton
Best People-focused CEO of the Year
Tracy Garrad, AXA Health
HR Director of the Year
Carol-Ann White, Landor & Fitch
Highly commended – Teresa Exelby, Community Integrated Care
