New Directions Group HR Director and Group HR Assistant named among top HR professionals shortlisted for national awards

Sophie Cecil, Group HR Director and Melissa Hale, Group HR Assistant have both been announced as finalists in the first ever Wales HR Awards, which will recognise and celebrate the achievements of HR professionals in a black-tie ceremony taking place at The SSE SWALEC, Cardiff, on 23 March.

The Awards have been created by the Wales HR Network, a leading networking platform for HR professionals, partnered by Cardiff-based commercial law firm Darwin Gray, and Acorn Recruitment Services.

Sophie has been nominated in the HR Professional of the Year (Professional Services) category and additionally Melissa in the HR Apprentice / Administrator of the Year category.
The event, which will be hosted by BBC television presenter Sian Lloyd, is the first of its kind in Wales and has been welcomed by leading businesses throughout the country.
The Awards ceremony will include performances from Only Boys Aloud and Welsh National Opera as well as an address from guest speaker Lord Price, the Minister of State at the Department for International Trade and former Managing Director of Waitrose.
Fflur Jones, Head of Darwin Gray’s Employment Law and HR department, said: “Despite being at the core of every successful company, HR is very often an under-acknowledged profession. That’s why I think this event has generated such a positive response; it seems to have really struck a chord.”

Ruth Dalton, Group Head of Communications and Marketing for New Directions commented on the dual shortlisting “Our team here in Cardiff have been overwhelmed to receive the news that two of our applicants for these awards have been shortlisted. A focus on the support services delivery of an organisation is absolutely welcomed by our organisation. A big thank you to Acorn Recruitment, Darwin Gray and Calland Wright Consulting who I am sure will face a tough task in selecting winners.”
Each category will be judged independently by Acorn’s Head of HR, Genevieve Ryan, Darwin Gray’s HR Consultant, Fiona Sinclair and Director of Calland Wright Consulting, Alison Wright.

Winners will be announced at the black-tie award ceremony, held on 23 March at The SSE SWALEC, Cardiff.

Tickets cost £60 and are available to buy here