The CIPD Ireland HR Awards is pleased to announce this year’s finalists. With such strong competition, congratulations to everyone who has been shortlisted, and thanks to everyone who has entered the awards.
Diversity champion
This award celebrates an advocate who is championing action to improve the working experience, representation and engagement of underrepresented group/s, removing barriers in employment, all whilst serving as an inspiration to others.
Finalists:
- Sile Walsh – ELIS (Effective Leadership Inclusive Solutions)
- Maiysa Al-Matroushi – Sohar Operation Services
- Karla McMenamin – Uisce Éireann
Elevating the employee experience
This award recognises organisations that have focussed on improving the employee experience. These organisations have deliberately developed a culture of trust and empowerment that seeks to personalise the employee experience and builds engagement and commitment in working towards the success of the business. This category is kindly sponsored by Swag Hut.
Finalists:
- Bank of Ireland – Colleague Induction Experience
- BioMarin International Limited – Why we were voted LinkedIn’s best workplace to grow your career in 2024
- Boots Ireland Retail Limited – Persistence for Our People
- ContractingPLUS – Three Years On
- Department of Transport – Values in Action: the ‘give and take’ of being part of the Department of Transport
- Enterprise Ireland – Thriving Together
- FINEOS Corporation Ltd – FINEOS Spring! Onboarding
Embedding a culture of workplace wellbeing
This award recognises organisations that place employee wellbeing centre stage and have embedded a strong culture of sustainable workplace wellbeing. This category is kindly sponsored by Healthy Ireland.
Finalists:
- Bord na Móna – Prioritising workplace wellbeing to build a thriving workforce at a turning point in Bord na Móna’s Brown to Green Journey
- Enterprise Ireland – THRIVE Beyond Limits: Empowering Employee Wellbeing in Enterprise Ireland
- Longford County Council – Longford County Council – Embedding Health and Wellbeing: Transforming Our Organization for a Healthier
- PHX Ireland – Wellbeing at Work: A Culture of Care
- Tesco Ireland – Wellbeing first at Tesco
- The Donkey Sanctuary Ireland
- Uisce Éireann – Time to Talk
Equality, diversity and inclusion
This award recognises organisations that are moving the diversity and inclusion agenda forward, are breaking new ground and overcoming resistance, making change happen, and how this has benefited employees and the business. This category is kindly sponsored by DeCare.
Finalists:
- Bank of Ireland – Emerging Careers
- Boots Ireland – Belong at Boots
- DocuSign – Where every employee feels confident being their full selves at work
- Nicholas O’Dwyer Ltd – Be your authentic true self at Nicholas O’ Dwyer
- Tesco Ireland – Tesco Ireland’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Tusla, Child and Family Agency – National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy (NTRIS) – Pathways for education and employment.
- Uisce Éireann – Developing our D&I Approach in Uisce Éireann through our ibelong Programme
Excellence in HR consulting / strategic partnerships
This award recognises expertise and impact and celebrates HR consultancy projects that creatively address challenges with people-centric solutions. This category is kindly sponsored by Sanderson.
Finalists:
- Bank of Ireland and auticon – Bank of Ireland & auticon Strategic Neuroinclusion Partnership
- CRAOI and South Coast Logistics – Driving Sustainable Workplace Wellbeing with CRAOI: A Human-Centric, Data-Driven Approach to Employee Wellness at South Coast Logistics
- Irwin HR and Castle Park School – Embracing HR for Change: Designing and Implementing a New Business Model and Structure.
- Metamo and Heritage Credit Union – Transformative Organisational Review: Building a Future-Ready Business & People Strategy.
- Sprintmodo and Théa Pharma Ireland – Momentum Accelerator of Théa Pharma Ireland by Sprintmodo, to help them do their best teamwork.
HR success in SMEs (less than 150 employees)
This award recognises small and medium organisations (SMEs) with less than 150 employees that use the resources within their means to achieve the best for the people and the business. This category is kindly sponsored by Sanderson.
Finalists:
- Collins McNicholas – Bring Your Best Self To Work
- Darta Saving Life Assurance DAC – HR Success in SMEs
- DigitalWell – ‘Impact & Influence’
- Project Foundry – Small Business, Big Impact: The EXCITE Culture in Project Foundry
- Project Foundry – Beyond HR – A Digital Leader’s Vision
- Sohar Operation Services – Ms.Maiysa
Leading through learning and development – large org
This award seeks to recognise large organisations that demonstrate strong links between achieving business goals and executing learning and development strategies that boost employee and leadership skills and improve performance. This category is kindly sponsored by Employee Financial Wellness.
Finalists:
- An Post – Building strong leaders with the An Post Institute
- Circet Ireland & UK – Circet Mentoring Programme
- Electricity Supply Board (ESB) – Evolving our Coaching Culture@ESB
- Johnson & Johnson Supply Chain – STAR Leadership Development Program – Shaping Talent, Accelerating Results
- KPMG – Learn for a Lifetime
- Office of the Revenue Commissioners – Office of the Revenue Commissioners , Customs and Excise (C&E) Training
- Tusla Ireland Child and Family Agency – Apprenticeship in Social Work
Leading through learning and development – medium/small org
This award seeks to recognise medium/small organisations that demonstrate strong links between achieving business goals and executing learning and development strategies that boost employee and leadership skills and improve performance. This category is kindly sponsored by National College of Ireland.
Finalists:
- Allianz Ireland – Allianz MAPS
- Enterprise Ireland – Client-centric learning design in practice – a case
- Morgan McKinley – Developing our People & Driving business growth through our Recruitment excellence programme.
- Tayto Snacks – iGrow @ Tayto Snacks – Leadership & Management Development
- The Office of The Director of Public Prosecutions – Internal Development and Careers Fair 2023-2024
- Vision Ireland – THRIVE – Strategic Development Course
People team of the year
This award will recognise HR / L&D teams that have worked together to demonstrate excellence in HR leadership, partnering across the organisation to deliver value through people interventions that sustain and achieve business success. This category is kindly sponsored by McCann Fitzgerald.
Finalists:
- Applegreen – Driving the People journey at Applegreen!
- BioMarin International Limited – People Team of the Year – Valuing our employees to bring value to our patients.
- Boots Retail Ireland Limited – Transforming Business through People: The Boots Ireland Human Resources Team’s Journey in FY24.
- Iarnród Éireann – Iarnród Éireann’s HR Organisational Development Team for the Implementation of the Oracle Cloud HCM Solution.
- PTSB – PTSB People Team of the Year
- South Coast Logistics Limited – People Team of the Year
- Uisce Éireann- Delivering national change through local HR engagement
Rising star of the people profession
This award recognises early career individuals who have set themselves apart in their HR journey by having a meaningful impact in their workplace. This category is kindly sponsored by Employment and Recruitment Federation.
Finalists:
- Cathy Kirwan – Cpl
- Raquel FitzGerald – Frisco Ireland Ltd
- Aoife Hennessy – Grant Thornton
- Hayley McGuinness – Tayto Snacks
- Johnathan McGrath – Tusla
- Amy McGivern – Tusla, The Child and Family Agency
- Rachel Sheehy – Vision Ireland
Strategic transformation and change
This award recognises the delivery of improved business performance a by implementing a programme of change, digital transformation or organisational development that also embeds a people-centric culture of high performance. This category is kindly sponsored by Adare HRM.
Finalists:
- ABP Ireland & Poland – Early Careers Graduate Programme
- An Post – An Post HR Transformation
- Bank of Ireland – Thrive
- PTSB – One PTSB – Strategic Workforce Planning
- PepsiCo – PepsiCo Change Management Certification
Sustainable people practices
This award recognises organisations that are pivoting to sustainable people practices as part of the broader ESG (environmental, social, and governance) agenda. This category is kindly sponsored by SD Worx Ireland.
Finalists:
- Cpl – Sustainable People Practices at Cpl
- Boots – Sustainable People Practices at Boots Ireland
- Grant Thornton – Grant Thornton’s integrated approach to Sustainability: embracing sustainable people practices
Talent management
This award recognises effective people-centred talent management across the employee lifecycle. This category is kindly sponsored by Skillnet Ireland.
Finalists:
- Bon Secours Health System – Bon Secours Health System Exceptional People delivering Exceptional Care
- Glenveagh – G.R.I.T. in Performance Development
- Grant Thornton Ireland – Real Opportunities to Graduate Recruitment
- Mater Private Network – Transition year programme – Elevate
- Nicholas O’Dwyer Ltd. (part of RSK Group) – Fostering Growth, enhancing Lives
All finalists will receive individual confirmation of the outcome of the shortlisting process.
The second-round judging days will be online on 21 and 22 January 2025.
Winners will be announced at our Awards Ceremony on 28 February 2025 in the Round Room at The Mansion House.
Thank you to our main sponsor Sanderson and all our 2025 category sponsors: Adare Trusted People Partners, DeCare, Employee Financial Wellness, Employment & Recruitment Federation, Healthy Ireland, McCann Fitzgerald LLP, National College of Ireland, SD Worx Ireland, Skillnet Ireland and Swag Hut
