CEO of the year Strategic HR
of the year – 2019 shortlist
FFyona Dawber,
CEO, Synergy
Vision
Synergy Vision and its
people truly are a passion
project for Dawber.
Despite a promising career
in the pharmaceutical sector, she decided to
launch medical communications agency
Synergy Vision in 2007. Right from the start
the business was people-centred, with flexible
working from the off. Last year Dawber took it
further and introduced a four-day working
week without reduced pay. Staff happiness
ratings have gone up by 50% since this was
implemented, with no corresponding dip
in productivity. Turnover, net profit and
employee numbers have also gone up
year-on-year, despite some restructuring
that initially lost clients. On the annual
staff survey the degree to which people
agreed with ‘my colleagues at Synergy
Vision are committed to doing quality
work’ was 4.65 out of 5.2. The business
also recently ranked second in 2019’s Great
Place to Work’s UK’s Best Workplaces
small category.
Helen McHale,
CEO, Stockport
Homes Group
As CEO at Stockport
Homes Group (SHG) for
14 years, McHale has seen
the organisation through
some challenges. When many housing
associations responded to hefty government
cuts with redundancies, she took it as an
opportunity “to all work together as one team
to transform lives”. McHale regards people as
SHG’s biggest asset. She makes sure she is
visible and approachable, works to provide a
flexible culture and working practices, and
champions engagement initiatives. Her efforts
have been recognised by the group ranking
third in the 2019 Sunday Times 100 Best Notfor
Profit Organisations to Work For list and
McHale was also named in the Most
Influential People in Housing in 2018 list. Staff
quoted in the Best Companies survey said she
is: “An inspirational CEO who is not afraid to
take risks and continues to lead the
organisation in an inspiring way”.
Richard Flint,
executive
chairman, Sky
Betting & Gaming
Under Flint’s leadership
Sky Betting and Gaming
has generated record
revenues, become an independent business,
made its first step towards international
expansion and adapted to a changing
regulatory environment. At the heart of the
firm’s success is the environment that Flint’s
cultivated since becoming CEO in 2006. This
has resulted in the company featuring in The
Sunday Times’ 100 Best Companies to Work
For list for a third year in a row, and Flint
being crowned Glassdoor’s 2018 highest-rated
chief executive in the UK with a 99% approval
rating. Flint regularly takes people from all
levels for coffee to hear about their work. He’s
involved in mentoring and believes in
fostering openness at a senior level to create a
culture where people can try new things
without fear of failure. He is the key driver
behind health and wellbeing initiatives and
spearheads Sky Betting and Gaming’s annual
50-mile charity bike ride.
Tim Morfin, CEO,
Transforming Lives
for Good
For many years Morfin has
put his vision of the
organisation at the centre
of everything he does. The
result is a team full of purpose that is
absolutely focused on making a difference to
the lives of children who are struggling.
Morfin is an executive committed to staff
development – when the organisation had just
20 staff in 2007 he personally led the
‘Leadership Track’ that anyone at any level
could join to gain a year of development with
input from senior leaders. Staff wellbeing is
also paramount for Morfin. Recognising the
challenging environment the organisation’s
employees often work in, he offers a package of
support for all staff as well as retreat days, team
away days, and free counselling. Welcoming
staff with a meal at his house during
induction, and visiting education centres and
reflecting on challenges, Morfin is a CEO who
truly understands the value of his people.
Scot Gardner,
chief executive
UK and
Ireland, Cisco
In post since 2016, but part
of Cisco for 20 years,
Gardner is a core part of
the organisation. Under his leadership
there has been a stronger strategic focus on
programmes aligned to diversity, wellbeing,
community and family. Company successes
include narrowing gender pay gaps in all
areas; extending private healthcare to cover
mental illness; introducing ‘emergency time
off ’; partnering with the Trussell Trust and
Crisis to combat poverty, hunger and
homelessness; grandparental leave; and
an office redesign. Gardner films a weekly
video for all employees to highlight
business issues and individuals’
achievements. His efforts have been
reflected in the organisation recently
ranking second in 2019’s Great Place to Work’s
UK’s Best Workplaces super large
category. It has also been recognised by
Great Place to Work for Excellence
in Wellbeing.
David Stevens,
CEO, Admiral
Group
Since his appointment in
2006, Stevens has been
named Best Leader at the
Sunday Times Best
Companies To Work For awards three times in
a row, the company was named the Best Big
Company to Work For in the UK in 2019, and
ranked 7th Best Large Workplace in the UK,
10th Best Multinational Workplace in Europe
and 20th Best Workplace in the World in the
2018 Great Place to Work Best Workplaces.
According to one employee: “The company
director is like no other across the UK. He is
unique. Amazing man!” Stevens meets every
new starter, hosts Friendly Forums (informal
meetings with staff from around the business),
and runs the ‘Ask David’ intranet tool where
employees can ask him anything and he will
personally respond. Additionally Stevens takes
live customer calls to stay aware of the
challenges faced by frontline staff in Admiral’s
call centres. HR
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