Recognising those in sectors vital to economy and society

The winners at last year's awards ceremony Pictures: Paul Wright Photographer

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The IoD Jersey Director of the Year Awards, sponsored by Appleby Jersey, are open for nominations to celebrate the Island’s most inspiring and successful leaders. In the fourth of a series of articles looking at the categories, Natasha Egré, chair of IoD Jersey, looks at why it is important to recognise the leaders in our community and, in particular, those in our public and third sectors

The winners at last year’s awards ceremony Pictures: Paul Wright Photographer

NOMINATING someone for an IoD Jersey award might seem a little like a vanity exercise, an opportunity to have a nice dinner, be applauded and receive a shiny trophy. If you think that, then you couldn’t be further from the truth and the whole ethos of the awards.

The awards recognise excellence in our leaders, which not only encourages and inspires them, but also others within their organisations and future leaders. It reinforces the high standards that the IoD strives for in its corporate governance training, by promoting the best practices of the winners.

For the individuals themselves, it gives them a powerful message that they are recognised, appreciated and are making a difference. There are no more important sectors in which that is needed than the public sector and our third sector, which are critical not just to the economy, but our society as a whole.

Amy Taylor won the Public Sector Director of the Year Award last year

Public sector

Leadership is critical to good public governance, including good planning, efficiency, transparency and accountability. This award is open to leaders of public services, including public agencies, national bodies and governmental departments.

The judges are looking for leaders who can demonstrate how to get the best out of others’ professional expertise and their contribution to civic society.

Wider considerations include how leaders have explained their societal contribution and impact to their stakeholders in the context of the environment in which they operate, their viability and good corporate governance.

The judges will also consider how the director has supported and motivated employees and established a positive working atmosphere that inspired people to deliver good public services.

The 2022 winner was Amy Taylor, chief operations officer at Digital Jersey.

Third sector

This award is open to directors whose organisations are charities, community organisations or social enterprises which do not generate profit for individuals.

The judges are looking for leaders who can demonstrate how to get the best out of others for the benefit of their organisation and the people/communities it serves. You will have a compelling vision and demonstrate a commitment to empowering others, inclusive decision-making, collaborative leadership and innovative solutions to fulfil your organisational purpose and values.

The judges will also consider how you demonstrate impact in the context of your operating environment, financial sustainability and good governance.

Last year, this award was won by Donna Abel, the chief executive of Jersey Cheshire Home.

How to nominate and win

Nominating someone takes less than five minutes. Once an individual has been contacted by the IoD to say that they have been nominated, they will need to fill in the application form to showcase what they have achieved in their organisation. One of the judges this year is Paul Murphy, chief executive of Jersey Business and a former winner of the Large Business category with Onogo.

Paul had this advice for nominees: ‘Don’t be tempted to not act. Do act, do promote the fact and do take the time to construct the entry and also don’t be daunted by the questions and the fact that each business has a style, sector and a culture that is different and so sometimes the structure or question may feel awkward, or you may feel it is less relevant. Judges are looking at the whole picture, so don’t let this stop your progress to application and onwards.

‘We don’t have many chances to genuinely signpost great leadership and great results. The time invested enables others to see, learn and support you and the business and while it can feel uncomfortable to promote sometimes, I feel that the application process represents the team, the business, your culture and your abilities all round. Do apply and you will be surprised how good it can be to articulate the story and the results.’

Nominations close on Friday 30 June. It only takes two minutes to nominate someone online and nominations can remain anonymous if you choose. To nominate someone for an award visit bit.ly/41IGjzI or iod.je/dotya.

Natasha Egré

The portal for nominees to submit their completed applications is also open at https://directoroftheyear.awardsplatform.com.

The ten award categories are:

  • Director of the Year – Large Business (over £10 million turnover).

  • Director of the Year – SME Business (under £10 million turnover).

  • Family Business Director of the Year.

  • Start-up Director of the Year.

  • Third Sector Director of the Year.

  • Public Sector Director of the Year.

  • Young Director of the Year.

  • Director of the Year – Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

  • Director of the Year – Sustainability.

  • Non-Executive Director of the Year.

The gala awards dinner will take place on Thursday 19 October at the Royal Jersey Showground. You can get your tickets now by visiting eventbrite.co.uk/e/director-of-the-year-awards-2023-tickets-559402878067.

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