In this category, we will be looking to recognise high-quality apprenticeship programmes that demonstrate clear alignment with the organisation’s business and people strategies.

As people professionals, we drive change for the good of the organisation and its people. This award recognises employers that have successfully delivered a major organisational change programme.

Corporate responsibility has been steadily climbing up the business agenda, driven by growing investor and regulatory interest in environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters, and an organisational focus on values and purpose. We are looking for entries which illustrate how the people profession played a central role in delivering or embedding corporately responsible, ethical and sustainable approaches to business.

Technology has become a huge driving force and enabler of successful HR and L&D practice. In this category, we’re looking for submissions from organisations that have understood their end users and their needs to build solutions that have delivered business benefits, met user needs and achieved strategic objectives through the innovative use of technology or digital solutions.

Employee experience is about creating a holistic approach around employee engagement and well-being that enables workers to have a voice and be their best. This category looks for entries where initiatives are having a clear and positive impact on employee experience and organisational performance.

Employers that are serious about equality, diversity and inclusion and ensure that all policies, practices and procedures are based on the principles of fairness and justice and are proactively regularly checked to identify and remove unfair bias. This award recognises employers who are genuinely dedicated to creating diverse workplaces and inclusive cultures.

This award recognises employers which place employee wellbeing centre stage within the organisation and have embedded a strong culture of workplace wellbeing. Investing in people’s health and wellbeing is good for business but it’s also the right thing to do.

This award recognises employers which place employee wellbeing centre stage within the organisation and have embedded a strong culture of workplace wellbeing. Investing in people’s health and wellbeing is good for business but it’s also the right thing to do.

This award recognises HR/L&D & OD teams that have demonstrated excellence across the organisation to achieve business success. Judges will be looking for a team which can demonstrate exceptional teamwork and innovative and unique approaches to addressing either one key business issue across the year or multiple projects as part of the people strategy.

This award recognises HR/L&D & OD teams that have demonstrated excellence across the organisation to achieve business success. Judges will be looking for a team which can demonstrate exceptional teamwork and innovative and unique approaches to addressing either one key business issue across the year or multiple projects as part of the people strategy.

In this category we’ll be looking for entries from an individual consultant/consultancy who has worked with a client on a specific people-related project to address a strategic issue. The entry will demonstrate how they’ve worked collaboratively with the HR/L&D or OD team, and that both consultants and employees of the organisation were involved and engaged.

Working effectively with suppliers can unlock great potential for people professionals. In this category we’ll be looking for entries from a supplier who has worked with a client on a specific people-related project to address a strategic issue. The entry will demonstrate how they’ve worked collaboratively with the HR/L&D / OD team and that both the supplier and employees of the organisation were involved and engaged.

Effective organisational learning can embrace a range of approaches such as face-to-face, online-digital, mobile, socially collaborative, in-the-flow of work, and through communities of practice and peer support. This award recognises how a creative and effective L&D initiative has contributed to the success of the organisation and its people.

Effective organisational learning can embrace a range of approaches such as face-to-face, online-digital, mobile, socially collaborative, in-the-flow of work, and through communities of practice and peer support. This award recognises how a creative and effective L&D initiative has contributed to the success of the organisation and its people.

Organisational development and organisational design allow for both a systems and behavioural science-based approach to improving an organisation’s performance. This award recognises employers that have successfully delivered major programmes of work to make a demonstrable contribution to an organisation’s performance and people whether that be through design or development.

Deriving insights from employee data has never been more important and the people profession has a huge role to play in shaping better working lives through analytics. We are looking for organisations that have raised their people analytics capability to support the needs of their organisation and in doing so have demonstrated exemplary good practice. This award recognises the use of employee data as part of an evidence-based approach to overcome an organisational challenge.

Having an effective recruitment strategy, that promotes a strong employer brand, a positive candidate experience and that reaches a wide pool of talent, is crucial. This award recognises employers who have designed and implemented a creative and effective external resourcing strategy to address the current and future needs of the organisation.

Reward and recognition strategies are central to good people management. They can act as a major lever in supporting business objectives, improving employee performance, attracting talent, supporting constructive employment relations, and being part of what it means to be a responsible business.

This award recognises public sector bodies, and small or medium-sized businesses (fewer than 250 employees) that have transformed the way they manage and develop their people in support of the workforce and wider business objectives.

In the current tight labour market, with increasing skills shortages, it is more important than ever that organisations have robust talent management strategies in place to attract and retain a diverse pool of employees. This award recognises employers who have designed and implemented a forward-thinking talent management/workforce planning strategy to address the current and future needs of the organisation.

Studying is not just about acquiring relevant knowledge: successful students apply what they have learned to bring about real benefits to the organisation and its people. We’re looking for an exceptional individual who is currently studying or has successfully completed a CIPD qualification since January 2024.

Work based learning is not just about acquiring relevant knowledge, skills and behaviours, successful apprentices apply what they have learned to bring about real benefits to the organisation and its people. We’re looking for an exceptional individual who is currently undertaking an apprenticeship or has successfully completed an apprenticeship, with CIPD as their End Point Assessment Organisation (since January 2024).