The best in the field of HR came together to celebrate the prestigious cHeRries Awards 2022.
The worthy winners were crowned at a glittering ceremony held at P&J Live hosted by Judith Ralston and Bruce Devlin.
The night got underway with a speech from Press & Journal editor-in-chief Frank O’Donnell before the prizegiving.
Rising Star award
The evening kicked off with the Rising Star Award – for individuals who have demonstrated their commitment to developing a career within HR management.
The judges said the winner had all of those attributes, using their own creativity, skills and initiative to develop and deliver employee development solutions to support the achievement of their company’s aims.
They were extremely impressed with the individual’s energy and enthusiasm for their work and their confident approach to take on additional responsibility and face new challenges.
The winner was Julie Strong from Stork, while Keri Campbell from Worley was highly commended.
Bilfinger UK HR director Alison Porter said: “It was fantastic to finally be able to get together to celebrate the rising stars of the HR industry.
“They’ve been faced with two years of supporting their organisations’ people during unprecedented circumstances, so all of the finalists should be very proud to have been recognised at this prestigious event.”
Fantastic HR Advisor
This was another category where the judges felt the standard was really high and wanted to award another commendation.
Gail Buchan from Worley took home the Fantastic HR Advisor title.
The judges commented that amongst a number of very impressive submissions, Ms Buchan’s achievements in delivering an excellent standard of HR service and solutions stood out.
She excellently managed a highly complex and ground breaking diversity and inclusion matter and effectively supported all parties involved to achieve a positive outcome that many others in the profession could learn from.
An experienced and highly respected HR professional who is very deserving of the award.
Highly commended was Alex Fairlie from Carnoustie Golf Links.
Excellent HR Manager
The Excellent HR Manager prize, sponsored by activpayroll, was awarded to Sarah McCarvel from Lifescan Scotland Ltd.
Judges said Ms McCarvel was able to articulate and evidence their contribution and measurable impact to their organisation in the past 12 months.
Her passion and enthusiasm to drive change and transform the perception of HR from a functional team to having key influence and being integral to the achievement of the organisational objectives was clearly demonstrated, receiving global recognition for local initiatives and taking a lead role in shaping the organisations culture following a period of significant change.
David Deacon, chief people officer of activpayroll said: “Congratulations to all of this year’s winners and nominees on their well-deserved recognition.
“It has been fantastic to get together to celebrate their achievements, and we are proud to have played a part in helping showcase how much brilliant talent there is in the HR community.”
Local Hero Award
A new category for this year’s awards going to one HR professional who went the extra mile to help people in their community whether through volunteering, fundraising or otherwise supporting good causes.
Sponsored by Worley the award went to Carol Munro from CNOOC. Ms Munro is chairwoman of the board of trustees at the Archie Foundation.
Worley vice president energy Aberdeen Daniel Mcateer said: “Worley is delighted to have sponsored this year’s cHeRries ‘Hero’ Award.
“Congratulations to Carol Munro from CNOOC for winning this award, which recognises HR professionals who go above and beyond their current role to make a difference.
“HR plays a key role in recruiting, training and retaining the people who are the backbone of our businesses and our industries.”
Exceptional Wellbeing in the Workplace
The University of Aberdeen won the cHeRry for Exceptional Wellbeing in the Workplace, sponsored by Lindsay & Lang.
Judges commented the winner demonstrated a truly holistic approach to wellbeing applied to, and practised by, a diverse community and were able to evidence impact on the organisation.
They understood the many dimensions of wellbeing and incorporated these across the organisation.
Lindsay & Lang co-founder and director Louise Lang said: “The cHeRries Awards is such a special evening of recognition for our industry, and this year’s event did not disappoint.
“Congratulations to the University of Aberdeen for winning Exceptional Wellbeing in the Workplace, to everybody who was shortlisted, and to all the other category winners.”
Tremendous Learning and Development
VSA took home the Tremendous Learning and Development award sponsored by RelyOn Nutec.
The judges commented that while the pandemic created challenges for every organisation, this team had the additional demands of ensuring the safety of not only their staff but of a high risk client base.
The fact that they were able to do this so effectively while working both virtually and physically on a variety of sites is testimony to both the commitment and hard work of the VSA team.
Not only did they do this seamlessly but they also were able to recruit a large number of new personnel and embed them safely in their new roles to meet the demands of the service.
RelyOn Nutec training management services manager Gemma Ferguson said: “RelyOn Nutec would like to wish VSA congratulations on their success in the Tremendous Learning and Development category.
“As a safety training company, we are passionate about L&D and are delighted to support an initiative that awards innovation in this sector.”
Terrific Team of the Year
The Terrific Team of the Year accolade, sponsored by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), went to Peterson – HR and Core29 Business Intelligence Team.
Judges felt the team clearly demonstrated genuine collaboration across the business to identify and capture real time data through the development of transformational digital tools, an area that many businesses still find incredibly challenging.
This has not only highlighted the value HR brings to the wider organisation but has set strong foundations to develop this expertise and impact further.
Highly commended was the University of Aberdeen HR team.
CIPD head in Scotland and Northern Ireland Lee Ann Panglea said: “People teams have been working harder than ever over the course of the pandemic.
“Congratulations to Peterson’s HR and Core29 Business Intelligence Team on winning the highly-coveted Terrific Team of the Year award in recognition of all you have achieved together, and on how your work has had such a positive impact on the whole organisation.”
Exemplary Employer of Choice
Stork was presented with the Exemplary Employer of Choice award.
It was sponsored by University of Aberdeen Business School.
Judges believed Stork presented clear evidences of transformational working practices, leadership and commitment in an employment environment which made them a sustainable employer of choice.
They were agile in challenging times and demonstrated that they are committed to continuous improvement.
Professor Norman Hutchison University of Aberdeen Business School director of external engagement said: “To be an Exemplary Employer is a great accolade and Stork should be very proud of their achievement.
“Managing people is not easy and requires time, resource and commitment.
“When done well, it can transform an organisations performance.”
Outstanding HR Director
This cHeRries award for Outstanding HR Director, sponsored by Wood, was to highlight an individual operating at executive level who has demonstrated outstanding performance, leadership and innovation in the last twelve months.
It was presented to Elaine Ramage from Entier.
Judges chose Ms Ramage for her work successfully leading the business and her department through significant resourcing activity, completed via TUPE transfer and an aggressive recruitment campaign in what proved to be exceptional circumstances as a result of the pandemic.
Their forward planning resulted in the organisation experiencing minimal impact in particular areas of the business when the pandemic arose and developed, when others were perhaps working reactively.
Judges commented Ms Ramage’s professional and committed approach to human resources management set her apart.
Wood president of people and organisation Catherine Liebnitz said: “It was a pleasure to be able to get together in person to recognise the outstanding HR talent in our region.
“Wood was delighted to support the cHeRries and the Outstanding HR Director category which acknowledges the brilliant and innovative HR leadership who are shaping the future of HR in our industry.
“Congratulations to Elaine Ramage from Entier on winning this award.”
The Top cHeRy Award
William MacColl, business adviser and specialist for new and developing companies across the public, private and third sectors, won the Top cHeRry Award, sponsored by Mattioli Woods.
Mr MacColl, who has extensive experience in HR, has held many high-profile roles including national coordinator for law enforcement with lead role in the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency for Interventions (Serious & Organised Crime), Drugs and Harm Reduction.
Currently he acts as an advisor and consultant across a wide range of services and industries ranging from as little as two people to 18,000 people and works with start-ups and companies operating and growing to £100-£200 million.
Mattioli Woods benefits team director Sean Westwood said: “It was brilliant to see so many people together again.
The inaugural live event during the day sparked great conversation and networking while the awards dinner is always a fantastic night.
“Experiencing that in the new P&J live venue was special. Congratulations again to all the winners and the finalists too.
“Looking forward to next year already!”
The charity collection, for VSA, received an amazing £4,354 on the night which is expected to rise to £5,330 subject to all gift aid being approved.
