Business leaders to be honoured at European Diversity Awards

Top c-suite executives competing for prizes along with businesses with the most diversity-focused policies and networks.

Some of the UK’s top business leaders are up for awards in this year’s European Diversity Awards.

The event, to be held at the Natural History Museum on the evening of 30 September, celebrates individuals and organisations who support diversity in all walks of life.

There are awards for the overall company of the year, most inclusive employer and employee network of the year.

Previous European Diversity Awards winners include Barclays, IBM, and Nestle, who were all recognised for their commitment to diversity in 2014.

Top individuals from the business community will also vie for the title of Diversity Champion of the Year. Fiona Cannon MBE from Lloyds Banking Group and Sheila Flavell from FDM Group are among this year’s nominees.

Away from business there are categories celebrating the best community project of the past 12 months, the journalist of the year and hero of the year. 

The event is now in its fifth year and continues to go from strength to strength. Founder Linda Riley, a tireless campaigner on diversity issues, said: “The number of businesses and business leaders on the shortlist shows that diversity in the workplace is moving up the agenda and is of strategic importance to companies across the UK.”

“The awards are about recognising and shining a light on those who truly stand out. The 2015 European Diversity Awards is set to be the biggest and best yet,” she added.

Full shortlist:

CAMPAIGNER OF THE YEAR

Jack Monroe – Poverty

Juno Roche – Trans Rights

Karen Ingala Smith – Domestic & Sexual Violence

Liam Hackett – Ditch The Label

Louisa Symington-Mills – CityMother & CityFathers

Mohammed Zafran – Youth Sport

Prem Goyal OBE JP – Leadership Opportunities

Dr Yvonne Thompson CBE – Women

SOCIETE GENERALE – CHARITY OF THE YEAR

African & Caribbean Diversity

Age UK

Allsorts Youth Project

L’Autre Cercle

La Strada International

Volunteering Matters

Shabang!

Young Dyslexics

HEATHROW – COMMUNITY PROJECT OF THE YEAR

BiPhoria

Diverse Futures

Give ‘Em Hope Campaign

Positive 21

Race Equality Foundation

Sustainable Food In Urban Communities

Trans Men Support & Advice UK

Women Against Violence Europe (WAVE)

ROYAL AIR FORCE – COMPANY OF THE YEAR

Coca-Cola Enterprises

Maersk

Marriott

Pfizer

Standard Life

Swiss RE

Talengo

Vodafone Group Plc

DIVERSITY CHAMPION OF THE YEAR

Alison Berryman – Barclaycard

Claudia Parzani – Linklaters

Colin Campbell-Austin – The Telegraph Group

Debra Searle – MIX Diversity Developers

Fiona Cannon OBE – Lloyds Banking Group

Kim Sawyer, US Embassy – Portugal

Richard Chapman-Harris – Mott MacDonald

Sheila Flavell – FDM Group

UNITED HEALTH GROUP – DIVERSITY TEAM OF THE YEAR

BBC Academy – Expert Voices Team

HOLA Network – American Express

HSBC Diversity Team

Royal Air Force

Scandic Hotels

The Memorable Event – The Novartis Flashmob Core Team

UBS Campus Recruitment Team

Women For Sustainable Growth

UNILEVER – HERO OF THE YEAR

Ajaratu Bangura – Muslim Woman Food Bank

Andrea Palmer – BP Plc

Antoine Aoun – French Paraplegic Motivator

Dilys Price OBE – Disability

Hannah Winterbourne – British Army

John Campbell – Autism / Mental Health

Katherine Grantham – HSBC Balance Network

Rioch Edwards-Brown – So You Wanna Be In TV?

INSPIRATIONAL ROLE MODEL OF THE YEAR

Alison Unsted – Hogan Lovell

Anita Krohn Traaseth – Innovation Norway

Azita Shariati – Sodexo

Charlene Brown – BNY Mellon

Emma Cusdin – Thomson Reuters

James Broderick – UBS

Julie Baker – RBS

Tracey Ford – JAGs Foundation

HERBERT SMITH FREEHILLS – JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

Alanna Jane Higginson – Gaia

Aleem Maqbool – BBC News

Assed Baig – Channel Four News

Emma Barnett – The Telegraph

Melaine Reid – The Times

Nikki Fox – BBC, Disability News Correspondent

Owen Jones – The Guardian

Tulip Mazumdar – BBC News

MOST INCLUSIVE EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR

Arlanda Express

AT&T

BBC Local Apprenticeship Scheme

Marriott

MasterCard

PwC, Agnes Hussherr

Taxi020

UBS Junior Resource Development Council

OUTSTANDING EMPLOYEE NETWORK OF THE YEAR

African Caribbean Network – Accenture

Womens Network – BNY Mellon

GLAM – Mckinsey & Company

GLEE@PwC

FLAGG – UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office

HSBC Pride Network

Unity LGBT Network – EY

Young Persons Development Network – Standard Life

SUPPLIER DIVERSITY & INCLUSION PROGRAMME OF THE YEAR

Barclays PLC

IBM Switzerland

Connect to Success, US Embassy Lisbon, Portugal

Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Praseeda Nair

Praseeda Nair

Praseeda was Editor for GrowthBusiness.co.uk from 2016 to 2018.

Related Topics

Diversity