The Press and Journal is delighted to announced that entries for the 10th annual cHeRries Awards are now open.
Established to celebrate the successes and examples of excellence in the fields of human resources, recruitment and training in the north east of Scotland, the cHeRries Awards 2017 is a fantastic night out as well.
Individuals and companies have been urged to come forward to put forward their cases to win in eight possible award categories and have until 6 February to apply.
The awards will culminate in a sensation night at the cHeRries Awards ceremony at the Aberdeen Exhibition & Conference Centre on June 1. Prior to this, finalists will celebrate their nominations at a special cocktail party on 17 May.
The categories are:
Excellent HR Manager, sponsored by Activ Payroll
Judges will be looking for evidence of a HR manager who, in the past 12 months, has made a clear and measurable impact on the organisation. This may have been through their effective leadership and development of a professional HR team or by being the sole HR professional in the organisation.
This is likely to have been achieved through a programme of development, implementation and integration of policies and practices which clearly support organisational objectives and which have made a significant impact on sustaining a positive culture. Judges will look for evidence of the individual’s contribution to the leadership & development of the HR team, impact on organisational objectives and organisational culture and their commercial awareness.
Exemplary Employer of Choice, sponsored by CMS Cameron Mckenna
This award will be presented to an organisation which clearly demonstrates that people are genuinely an essential part of their business strategy.
Nominees should be able to demonstrate how a strong employee focussed culture within the organisation has helped employees feel valued.
Judges will look for evidence of excellent staff communication and engagement practices and of the personal and professional development opportunities that staffs are offered to further their growth within the organisation. We are especially interested in creative initiatives which have proven to enhance employee engagement, retention and staff recognition.
Extraordinary HR Initiative, sponsored by Nexen Petroleum UK
This will be an individual or team who can show evidence of a creative and innovative approach to HR. Their nomination will offer examples of any new initiatives they have designed and successfully delivered in the last 12 months, through to implementation and beyond, and which set them apart from the crowd.
The nominees must be able to provide evidence of how their initiative delivered a measured effect on the business and its people, and how their input and impact has contributed to the organisation’s competitive position as an employer.
Fantastic HR Advisor
In this category, judges will be looking for evidence of an HR advisor who, in the past 12 months has gained respect from their client base by ensuring high visibility and face to face contact while proactively delivering a high standard of HR service and solutions.
They will be able to demonstrate their continuing professional development and provide evidence of how this supports their ability to understand their business and apply and adapt best practice to suit the needs of their clients.
Nominations will also be judged on evidence of their impact, provision of their individual HR service and solutions and evidence of learning from CPD activities undertaken in the preceding year.
Finders Keepers Recruitment
In this category we will be looking for evidence of innovation and bottom line impact through the development of proactive and innovative recruitment strategies.
Entries should set out a clearly defined set of aims and objectives, and set out their link to the overall business strategy. The successful entry will be able to clearly demonstrate how their approach has differentiated them in a highly competitive skills market, and will provide evidence of senior level commitment and involvement in selecting talent for their business.
Tangible evidence of the impact on business success will serve to further strengthen the nomination in this category.
Outstanding HR Director, sponsored by Amec Foster Wheeler
Nominees will be the most senior HR professional within the organisation, operating at or near to board level.
This category will recognise the HR director who has consistently made an outstanding contribution to business strategy in the last 12 months.
Nominees will be able to demonstrate meeting business objectives and therefore adding quantifiable value to the business and the value that their function has made on the organisation’s performance.
The Blossoming Award, sponsored by Robert Gordon University Aberdeen Business School
This award is for an up-and-coming talent in the field of HR who has yet to study for their professional CIPD HR qualification. This will be an individual who can clearly demonstrate a genuine commitment to developing a career within human resource management, and who understands the contribution that HR professionals bring to an organisation.
The winner of this award will receive the coveted prize of full funding from Aberdeen Business School at the Robert Gordon University to study for their human resource management MSC.
The Top Cherry for Outstanding Contribution
The Top Cherry is the most prestigious Cherry award to be won. The award is presented to an individual who has been nominated by peers within the industry and selected by our panel of judges after much deliberation.
Tremendous Training & Development, sponsored by Petrofac
Nominees in this category (whether a team or individual), in the last 12 months, will have demonstrated a strong commitment to designing and delivering cohesive and innovative training and development programmes and initiatives for their organisations.
Entries should clearly demonstrate a strong relationship between the outcomes of such programmes and the organisation’s strategic aims and objectives. A direct link to and from Performance Management processes would further benefit the nomination.
The nomination should prove conclusively that there is visible and measureable relationship between the business’ training and development, and the performance of organisation, teams and individuals.
To enter the cHeRies Awards 2017 visit: www.cherriesawards.com
The cHeRies Awards 2017 are delighted to have the support of industry to ensure that excellence in the human resources, recruitment and training fields in the north east of Scotland are recognised.
The event’s title sponsor is Robert Gordon University’s Aberdeen Business School, which for over 50 years has built up an outstanding reputation for producing commercially and professionally relevant graduates.
Professor Elizabeth Gammie, head of Aberdeen Business School, said: “Aberdeen Business School is delighted to sponsor The cHeRries Awards in 2017.
“We firmly believe that excellence in HR is crucial in the achievement of organisational strategic priorities, hence our continuing sponsorship of the Blossoming Award.
“This will be our 10th Blossoming Cherry Award and is an ongoing sign of our commitment to young professionals in business and management.”
Supporting sponsor Mattioli Woods is a leading provider of employee benefits and wealth management services.
The Mattioli Woods employee benefits team deliver benefit solutions to help its clients maximise employee engagement, thereby increasing productivity and profitability and leading to improved employee attraction, retention and motivation.
A spokesman for Mattioli Woods said: “Our continued support of Cherries confirms our commitment to this impressive concept. Supporting the ambitions, creativity and success of a wide range of businesses across the north-east is something to be celebrated”.
The coveted cocktail party and the awards event after party is this year sponsored by PBDevco, the owner of Soul on Union Street.
Paul Clarkson, operations director of the firm said: “PBDevco are delighted to get involved with the 2017 cHeRies awards by hosting the Finalist’s cocktail party in Soul and sponsorship of the awards after party event at Soul Casino.
“PBDevco in 2016 celebrated 30 years business Aberdeen and look forward to helping an event that has recognised all the tremendous HR professionals in the north-east of Scotland for the last 10 years.
“Congratulations to all nominated and we look forward to seeing the finalists in Soul for the finalist’s cocktail party!”
The sponsor of the award night’s entertainment is Orion Group.
Regional director Steven Greig, said: “The cHeRries are an essential event to attend for anyone working in the human resource sector in the north-east.”
Oil and gas giant Taqa will be keeping the event attendees sweet as the night’s chocolate sponsor.
Taqa HR director Helen Stuart said: “Year after year some of the greatest achievements in the fields of human resources, recruitment and training in the north east are heard at the cHeRries.”
“During a challenging time in our sector and the region as a whole, it is even more important that we continue to recognise and celebrate the successes of the individuals and teams that are achieving great things, finding innovative solutions and often doing more with less.