The first virtual cHeRries Awards will lie in the experienced hosting hands of television and radio presenter Fred MacAulay when they take place next week.
The human resources industry awards, celebrating the best teams, firms and individuals in the business, will take place online on Thursday, March 4.
The awards, now in its 13th year, are being celebrated online for the first time due to the pandemic.
Finalists were announced earlier this month at the first virtual cHeRries conference which offered up advice on recovering, reflecting and resetting in the wake of the pandemic.
Kriss Akabusi was keynote speaker at the free virtual networking and exhibition event specially arranged for those working in human resource, training and recruitment.
Now, though, the focus changes to the annual awards, and the crowning of those finalists nominated for eight different accolades including the Rising Star Award, the Fantastic HR Advisor accolade, the Terrific Team of the Year award and the Exemplary Employer of Choice prize.
A spokeswoman from awards organiser DCT Events said: “Fred has hosted the cHeRries previously and is well-loved by the audience.
“Having presented the very funny and eventful MacAulay and Co. on BBC Radio Scotland for almost 18 years and with a string of TV appearances, Fred’s on-air witticisms and on-screen reputation are the product of years of experience on the live circuit, including a stint as the first ever-Scottish compere at the Comedy Store in London.”
Mr MacAulay made a name for himself in the stand-up comedy scene in the 1990s, appearing annually at the Edinburgh Fringe as well as festivals worldwide.
His experiences on Radio 4 panel shows including Just A Minute, The Unbelievable Truth and The News Quiz, guarantee an audience for his live stand-up tours.
Meanwhile appearances on television show McCoist and MacAulay, Life According to Fred, and Hoots, underpin his hosting credentials.
Before his comedy career took off, he graduated with an MA in Accountancy and Jurisprudence from Dundee. The star received an honorary doctorate from the same university in 2006 in appreciation of his time there as rector.
Among the awards Mr MacAulary will announce on the evening is the most prestigious among them.
The Top cHeRry Award, sponsored by Mattioli Woods, will also be presented to an individual who has been nominated by peers within the industry.
It may recognise an HR professional reaching the end of their career who has made an impact beyond the organisations in which they were employed, but it may also be someone who is at the pinnacle of their career making an impact on the future of human resources, education, development of the future workforce or influencing policies and practices beyond their organisation.
A specially selected panel judges this category together with testimonials and other business ranking information.
The awards are being supported by Aberdeen-based wealth management and employee benefit services provider Mattioli Woods and takes place virtually on Thursday, March 4 at 6pm.
To register for the event, visit cherriesconference.co.uk
The finalists
April Lindie, Oceaneering International Services Ltd
April joined Oceaneering International Services Limited in 2018. At present, April oversees the Employee Solutions Centre team and supports the HR function to embed new processes on a regional level. April has taken on more of an international role by collaborating with HR colleagues across Europe, Middle East and Africa as well as Oceaneering’s mobile workforce (OMW).
Joann Almeida, Dundee University Students’ Association (DUSA)
Joann Almeida is assistant HR advisor at Dundee University Students’ Association (DUSA), a registered charity. Within her role, Joann covers all aspects of the HR function from recruitment to leavers. Joann enjoys providing HR advice and support to facilitate DUSA’s organisational needs.
Jordan Noble, Joseph Robertson (Aberdeen) Limited
Starting her career in HR in August 2018, Jordan was the sole HR professional for upwards of 250 employees. She quickly progressed into the role of HR advisor and was promoted again in July 2019 to HR manager. During this time Jordan studied a full-time distance learning course to achieve her Masters in HR management which she completed in September 2019.
Julie Edmonstone, CNOOC International
Julie Edmonstone is the HR analyst for CNOOC International, a global energy company and subsidiary of CNOOC Limited with a vision of delivering safe, sustainable energy for all. Julie’s role is to provide HR analyst support to the HRBP group, with a focus on production operations.
Lauren Wade, Worley
Lauren Wade is People HUB team lead at Worley and has been with the company since November 2017. Lauren joined the company at a transitional time. WorleyParsons had just purchased part of the Amec Foster Wheeler business and her role initially was to form and integrate a brand new HR administration team to the Aberdeen business. Since successfully completing this, Lauren’s role has developed, allowing her to challenge herself by leading on a number of other value-adding activities for the business.
The Sponsors
Carol Munro, general manager – human resources, CNOOC International
“We are delighted to sponsor the Fantastic HR Advisor Award this year. This award is a perfect opportunity to celebrate those who have a strong, proactive HR impact within their organisation. Congratulations to those shortlisted in this category and good luck for the finals!”
Catriona Milne, Wood
Catriona Milne is HR advisor at Wood and has worked there for almost eight years. Catriona has a strong passion for engaging and delivering in conjunction with the workforce and enjoys developing her HR knowledge further via case law updates and learning from new experiences that arise daily. Catriona is a keen problem solver, always looking for solutions that benefit both the business and client.
Fiona MacDonald, Worley
Fiona MacDonald started with Worley thee years ago as HR coordinator before moving on to a people advisor position within the HR operations team. Prior to this Fiona worked at a small oil and gas consultancy firm before making the move to Prosafe Offshore where she was able to gain more hands-on HR experience. Fiona received her degree in Business Economics from Glasgow University then moved to Aberdeen to do her Masters in human resource management at Robert Gordon University. Fiona is currently on maternity leave following the birth of her daughter Erin in June 2020.
Nicola Tocher, First Tech Group
Nicola Tocher is group HR manager for First Tech Group. The group consists of five companies totalling around 150 employees in locations including Aberdeen, Dundee, Lancaster and Trinidad. Nicola is solely responsible for providing a comprehensive HR service across the group.
Alison Sellar, CEO of activpayroll
“A massive congratulations to Jordan, Kola and Tracey for making the Excellent HR Manager shortlist, an amazing achievement in itself! Good luck to all the finalists on the night!”
Jordan Noble, Joseph Robertson (Aberdeen) Limited
Starting her career in HR in August 2018, Jordan was the sole HR professional for upwards of 250 employees. She quickly progressed into the role of HR advisor and was promoted again in July 2019 to HR manager. During this time Jordan studied a full-time distance learning course to achieve her Masters in HR management which she completed in September 2019.
Kola Akintayo, Oceaneering International Services Ltd
Kola is human resources leader, EMEA at Oceaneering, a provider of engineered services/products, primarily to the offshore oil & gas industry. At Oceaneering, Kola has held several positions including a previous role as global talent acquisition leader; where she had the privilege of driving the company’s talent attraction/retention strategy; latterly transitioning into the generalist arena where she partners with senior executives in shaping, optimising and realising their people strategies.
Tracey Riley, Carnoustie Golf Links
Tracey Riley is an HR professional with 25 years of experience both internationally and UK based. Tracey has worked within the Aberdeen oil and gas industry and spent time helping companies with redundancy, harmonisation and right sizing projects. Tracey joined Carnoustie Golf Links as HR manager two years ago to establish an HR department and embed a culture commensurate of a world leading organisation that invests heavily in the development of
its staff.
Steve Greig, director for Orion Group.
“Orion Group would like to extend our congratulations to all the finalists of the Tremendous Learning and Development award. It’s an honour to sponsor this very competitive category.”
CNOOC International
The CNOOC team is responsible for learning and development including mandatory technical training and OPITO-approved competence delivery for 900 on and offshore employees and contractors. The team is headed up by Andy Shepperson and supported by Mark Lamont, training analyst, and Sarah McKinnon, Sharon Galashan and Rachel Harrold who are training coordinators. The delivery of our Supervisory Skills Program is supported by Susanna Lund, HR manager, and Matt Kneale, HRBP operations.
Dundee City Council
Our digital strategy is embedding a digital culture within our workforce to deliver efficient, customer-focused services. To achieve this, employees must be comfortable with technology and have the appropriate skills. Our team supports the delivery of this vision with a network of 100 digital champions across the workforce, and a range of programmes and resources.
Peterson
Peterson is a world-leading energy logistics and supply chain solutions company, driven by a passion to transform how industry plans, manages and executes the movement of critical resources globally. The learning and development team are led by Steven Burns (group head of HR) and Neil McKinnon (training, competence and development lead) and supported by the HR team.
Louise Jenkins-Lang, director, Lindsay & Lang
“Congratulations to all the finalists of the Exceptional Wellbeing in the Workplace category. We wish you all the best of luck.”
Absoft Ltd
Headquartered in Aberdeen, Absoft is a leading SAP® specialist with project delivery and implementations in over 40 countries worldwide. Absoft senior management place staff wellbeing at the top of the agenda, recognising that a happy, healthy workforce has the ability to help create a market-leading service.
Bilfinger Salamis UK
Bilfinger Salamis UK have extensive experience in the energy sector, and their services cover all lifecycle phases from planning and design through to development and construction as well as commissioning, maintenance, modification and decommissioning.
Sodexo
Sodexo have been delivering catering and hotel services to oil and gas clients in the North Sea for more than 50 years. They are committed to creating an environment where each of their 1,120 employees are able to fulfil their potential and maximise their contribution.
TAQA
TAQA is an international energy
and water company operating in 11 countries across four continents.
TAQA recognises the value of exceptional health and wellbeing in the workplace. We are proud to not only raise awareness of mental health, but also to invest in tangible measures so that support is immediately available to anyone who needs it.
Lee Ann Panglea, head of CIPD
“HR teams have had to work harder than ever during the pandemic, which makes the Terrific Team of the Year category even more special. Many congratulations on being shortlisted for this award.”
Caledonia Housing Association
Caledonia Housing Association is a social housing provider committed to providing “homes and services that make life better”. The role of the people team is to align the development of our people, organisation and culture to the achievement of this purpose, so we continue to help and support the customers that depend on us.
Global Energy Group
Global Energy Group are an all-round energy construction and services company headquartered in Inverness. As an award-winning service group, our proposition is to deliver enhanced value, reduce risks and provide innovative solutions to the evolving energy markets. Our portfolio of business units benefit from dynamic, entrepreneurial leadership underpinned by our values and desire to be at forefront of creating a sustainable future for Scotland.
MHA Henderson Loggie
The HR and marketing teams at MHA Henderson pulled together as a team, with all their energy, ideas and determination over the last year to create fantastic internal and external campaigns. These had a direct positive impact on employee wellbeing and engagement, client retention and their employer brand. In addition, before the impact of Covid-19 hit they had created an innovative and transparent AGM which resulted in significant benefits and policy changes for the firm.
Professor Martin Meyer, head of Aberdeen University business school
“Huge congratulations to the finalists of Exemplary Employer of Choice 2019. It’s so encouraging to hear people are at the heart of these organisations.”
Dundee and Angus College
D&A College supports the Dundee and Angus region to upskill, reskill, train and learn. Our staff help our students change their lives for the better. Building a values-based culture that drives all we do has meant our staff are resilient and flexible.
Entier Ltd
Entier is Scotland’s largest independent company providing global catering, hospitality, and facilities management services throughout Scotland. We have the highest employee retention figures in our sector anywhere in the world with a track record of people development second to none.
MHA Henderson Loggie
As chartered accountants our key focus is to help our teams achieve their potential. They do this by creating a healthy, enjoyable and fun place to work. We also help clients achieve their potential and by doing so, create wealth for the local economy and leave a legacy for the future.
Xodus
As a leading global energy consultancy, Xodus helps clients add value to opportunities and maximise returns on investments, responsibly. By combining technology with our knowledge, we create better business outcomes whether it is advisory, project development or in operational support.
