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Awards 2008 Introduction
Cherie Booth QC Patron of the Opportunity Now Awards :
I am delighted again to support the Opportunity Now Awards which help mark the achievements of organisations that have put gender issues at the heart of what they do.
This is not just good for employees- ensuring that both women and men can reach their full potential. It is good for the businesses and organisations themselves. For the most prized resource is now human capital: the knowledge, expertise and experience of the people who work for you.
Firms who fail to make the most of this put themselves at a competitive disadvantage. Businesses which fail to reflect the make-up of their market form the boardroom downwards don't do as well as those which do.
The benefits of getting this balance right are also vital for our country. It has been estimated that properly harnessing the talents of women could benefit the UK economy by £23 billion or the equivalent of an extra 2% on our GDP.
Nathan Bostock Executive Director HR & Finance, AbbeyIt makes business sense to provide an environment that is supportive of a diverse workforce, one where all employees are encouraged and able to strike a healthy work- life balance.
The Opportunity Now Awards recognise excellent practice within organisations that are working to create equal, diverse and inclusive workplaces, with a particular focus on gender.
Featured within this section are the category winners:
Opportunity Now sends warmest congratulations to all of them.
Advancing Women In Business - Addleshaw Goddard
The Abbey Award for Inspiring the Workforce - British Gas
Advancing Women In Public Service - Omagh District Council
FTSE Executive Women Award - Lloyds TSB
Female FTSE 100 Award - Sainsbury's
Champion Award - Wendy Benson, MOD Police & Guarding Agency
Diverse Women Award - West Midlands Police
Also to be congratulated for their attention to gender diversity in the workplace are the following organisations who are finalists in their categories.
ABB: Growing tomorrow's engineers.
B&Q: Flexible working programme.
BAE Systems Submarine Solutions: Solutions Women's Network.
PricewaterhouseCoopers: Circulated flow rates of female promotions.
West Midlands Police: West Midlands Association for Women in Policing.
Andy Beale: Guardian News and Media.
Learning and Skills Council: London Women's Initiative- Train to Gain.
Sarah Williams- Gardener, Director of Opportunity Now
'This is a time to recognise, celebrate and commemorate employers who have made exceptional progress towards equality, diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace. A time to acknowledge those organisations who have clearly and successfully put gender on their business agendas and have reaped the benefits.The competition was particularly fierce in this the 13th year of the awards. There were a number of truly exceptional entries. The judging process was tough, thorough and impartial. The criteria for success covered many areas including; a clearly defined business case, senior management commitment, innovation, and how the work or programme was integrated into the organisation as a whole.
The judges were particularly interested in the impact of the work. They were not just looking for what was being done, but how it was making organisations and workplaces more successful.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the judges on behalf of Opportunity Now. 19 independent experts gave up their time to take part in the process, ensuring it was rigorous, challenging and fair. I would particularly like to thank Baroness Cathy Ashton Leader of the House of Lords who chaired the shortlisting panel and Fiona Triller who acted as adjudicator across all the panels.
Every organisation that has been shortlisted deserves to be congratulated for the work they are doing. These organisations should feel particularly proud to have been so successful, particularly in light of the intense competition and high standard of entries. In many ways all shortlisted entrants should be considered to already be winners –as they are already reaping the enormous benefits of making equality and diversity a reality. For this they truly deserve praise'.
Abbey, generous supporters of the Opportunity Now Awards 2008
Cherie Booth QC
Nathan Bostock
Executive HR Director
Abbey
