Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

PoliceLatest NewsEquality, diversity and inclusion

Opportunity Now award goes to MoD police agency chief Wendy Benson

by Greg Pitcher 1 May 2008
by Greg Pitcher 1 May 2008

Police and Guarding Agency chief superintendent Wendy Benson scooped the Champion Award at the Opportunity Now Awards in London last night.

Employers who demonstrated the most commitment and innovation in creating workplaces where women can succeed were honoured at a glitzy awards ceremony in London, attended by more than 500 business and public sector leaders.

Benson played an instrumental leadership role in promoting gender equality and diversity within her organisation, according to the judges.

She championed women’s issues, acted as a mentor and role model, and ensured practical considerations such as women’s patrol boots and smaller motorcycles were introduced.

The other award winners were:



  • Female FTSE 100 Award: Sainsbury’s


This was given to the FTSE 100 organisation with the most women on its board. While the average proportion of women on the board at FTSE 100 companies is just 11%, at Sainsbury’s 30% of board are female.



  • FTSE Executive Women Award: Lloyds TSB


This was given to the FTSE 100 organisation with the most women on its executive committee. While women make up only 3.6% of executive appointments in the FTSE 100, bank Lloyds TSB has an executive committee with 44% women.



  • Abbey Award: Inspiring the Workforce of the Future: British Gas


This award was given to British Gas for its work in developing a more diverse engineering workforce. The energy firm has committed to increasing ethnic minority and women engineers to 10% of its overall engineering workforce by 2010. Part of this drive has involved promoting engineering to young people in innovative ways, such as boosting the profile of engineering through titles such as teen magazines Sugar and Bliss.



  • Advancing Women in Business Award: Addleshaw Goddard


This award was given to law firm Addleshaw Goddard for the work it has done to embed a culture supporting flexibility. It identified that losing staff who wished for more flexibility could cost it up to £200,000 per person, and invested significantly in technology and in promoting the business benefits of making flexibility a reality.



  • Advancing Women in Public Service Award: Omagh District Council


The local authority secured this award for its ‘WRAPS’ programme (Women Redress Advancement in the Public Sector), a two-year project that focused on the personal, professional and business and development of women across three public sector organisations in Omagh.



  • Diverse Women Award: West Midlands Police


This award was given to West Midlands Police for the work it has done to recruit diverse police officers to its specialist teams, such as dog handlers, air operations and fire arm officers. Its work in this area has involved surveying all women in the organisation, an external audit of team dynamics, open days, buddy schemes and promotion of flexible working.


In her keynote speech, Val Gooding, chief executive of private healthcare provider Bupa, said: “When I started my career there were no women managers, let alone senior managers. I’m pleased to see more and more women coming through businesses and achieving and thriving in top jobs, but we are still nowhere near a critical mass.

“Organisations that create workplaces where women can succeed and thrive are fundamentally better places for all,” Gooding said.

The panel of independent judges included Personnel Today editor Dawn Spalding.

Avatar
Greg Pitcher

previous post
IT companies look to fill vacancies with recruits from diverse backgrounds
next post
October bank holiday back on agenda as TUC repeats call for extra break

You may also like

Employees going into office just 1.5 days a...

15 Aug 2022

PwC drops 2:1 degree class requirement

15 Aug 2022

Graduate and apprentice salaries shoot up in war...

15 Aug 2022

Personnel Today Awards 2022 shortlist: Excellence in Public...

15 Aug 2022

Hiring boom set to slow as employers come...

15 Aug 2022

Are you a ‘quiet quitter’?

12 Aug 2022

July saw highest number of job adverts for...

12 Aug 2022

Transport sector recruitment ‘should be overhauled to improve...

12 Aug 2022

Liz Truss comments on Civil Service dismissed as...

12 Aug 2022

Hot summers, hot desks – employment law advice...

12 Aug 2022
  • 6 reasons why work-based learning is better than traditional training PROMOTED | A recent Fortune/Deloitte survey found that 71% of CEOs are anticipating that this year’s biggest business disrupter...Read more
  • Strengthening Scotland’s public services through virtual recruiting PROMOTED | This website is Scotland's go-to place for job seekers looking to apply for roles in public services...Read more
  • What’s next for L&D? Enter Alchemist… PROMOTED | It’s time to turn off the tedious and get ready for interactive and immersive learning experiences...Read more
  • Simple mistakes are blighting the onboarding experience PROMOTED | The onboarding of new hires is a company’s best chance...Read more
  • Preventing Burnout: How can HR help key workers get the right help? PROMOTED | Workplace wellbeing may seem a distant memory...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+