Employers
from the public, private and higher education sectors were awarded for their
dedication to gender equality in the workplace at the Opportunity Now 2003
awards, held in central London on Thursday night (28th May).
Some
500 guests gathered to recognise organisations for their outstanding
initiatives in the women’s development at work. The award winners were:
Category:
Special award Female FTSE 100
Winner:
J Sainsbury for its significant improvement in the FTSE Female Index, moving up
from 27th to second place in one year. The company now boasts a 25 per cent
female board, one female executive director and two non-executive directors.
Category:
Private sector award
Winner:
Ford Motor Company for the development and delivery of a European Diversity
Strategy. The strategy aimed to recruit and retain women at all levels and
recognise the different needs of women in the workplace. The result has seen a
woman appointed to the board for the first time, an employee promoted to
director level on return from maternity leave and women working on the
shopfloor on a part-time basis.
Category:
City focus group award and new member award winner
Winner:
Credit Suisse First Boston for its Empowering Change for Women strategy. This
aimed to improve the career development, retention, promotion and success of
female staff.
Category:
National public sector award winner
Winner:
Lord Chancellor’s Department for its Finding a Balance initiative – a series of
family friendly policies.
Category:
Local public award
Winner:
South & East Belfast Health and Social Services Trust for its services to
help staff facing domestic abuse at home.
Category:
Education award
Winner:
Durham University for its Raising Aspirations initiative – a series of
developmental training programmes, particularly aimed at lower paid female
staff.
Category:
Framework for action award
Winner:
Bishop Auckland College for its outstanding commitment to gender equality and
sustained improvement in every area of the Opportunity Now diversity change
model.
Opportunity
Now is an employer organisation that is working towards gender equality in the
workplace. For more information, go to www.opportunitynow.org.uk
