Eye on Awards
Mark Regan of Kingsbridge Private Hospital, Anna Beggan of Tughans, Deirdre Heenan, of Ulster University, Irish News editor Noel Doran, Beverley Harrison of the Department of the Economy, Fergal Doyle of Delta Print & Packaging and Alastair Pollock of Phoenix Natural Gas at the WEA ceremony at Titanic Belfast, on June 16th.
Celebrating 10 Years It was the night of all nights in the plush surroundings of Titanic Belfast as companies representing sectors from energy to architecture, finance to pharma, and banks to beer, were lauded at the 10th anniversary Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards.
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record-breaking number of entries in this milestone year translated into a record turnout of nearly 600 guests on an evening of glitz and glamour as the awards night honoured a range of organisations from blue chip local companies through to several innovative and emerging, but lesser-known, businesses.
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A handful of past victors made it back on to the podium, picking up their distinctive award in a presentation ceremony overseen by BBC journalist Karen Patterson, assisted in a humorous and often irreverent way by top comedian Paddy Kielty, who’d flown in from recording commitments in London to co-host the night. Among the big-name victors was Newry-based First Derivatives, which provides trading and risk management software systems and consulting services for many of the world’s leading financial institutions. Currently employing 1,600 staff, it won both the Managing Talent and Best Place to Work categories for large firms, and received a rousing ovation
from the audience. There was another double winner from Newry when PKF-FPM topped the same two categories as FD, but for medium-sized organisations, which comes on the back of its recent success in both the UK and Irish Accountancy Awards, where it was named employer of the year. The night’s other multiple winner was CDE Global in Cookstown, which clinched both the Innovative Employer and new Entrepreneurial Spirit awards, and which was described by the judges as “embodying a hard-working attitude backed up by creativity, ambition and a pronounced entrepreneurial spirit”. Among the other householdname companies called
forward to the famous Titanic staircase for a Workplace & Employment Award were Allstate Northern Ireland (who’d actually be a winner on year one of the initiative back in 2007 when known as Northbrook Technology) and the Almac Group in Craigavon. But a clutch of first-time winners, who often don’t share in the media spotlight, included Maurice Flynn & Sons, Cavanagh Kelly and Ireland Craft Beers, a company with a staff of just five. Following a drinks reception courtesy of Diageo, the Titanic formalities commenced with a welcome from Irish News editor Noel Doran, who said: “It’s been another tremendous year not only for the numbers entering and attending the