A West Midlands Police chief superintendent took the Champion Award at the Opportunity Now Awards in London last night.
Phil Kay was credited for his work in eradicating a monoculture within his department at a glitzy London ceremony, which honours firms that demonstrate commitment and innovation in creating workplaces where women can succeed.
Judges said Kay ensured that diversity was celebrated and valued, adding that women now held 33% of senior management positions within his team.
Cilla Snowball CBE, keynote speaker for the evening and chairman and chief executive of the Abbott Mead Vickers Group said:”The Opportunity Now Awards provide powerful evidence of the business case for diversity.The awards highlight the achievements of those who have made a real difference within their organisations, providing inspirational case studies and role models.”
More than 500 business and public sector leaders attended the event.
The other award winners were:
Female FTSE 100 Award: Alliance Trust
This award was given to the FTSE100 organisation with the most women overall on its board. The Alliance Trust has a board that is 43% female.
FTSE Executive Women Award: Pearson
This award was given to the FTSE100 organisation with the most women on its executive committee. Women make up 23% of the Pearson board and it is the only FTSE100 company to have two women executive directors. (Women currently hold only 4.8% of executive directorships in the FTSE.)
Advancing Women in Business Award: Pricewaterhouse Coopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers earned this award for its diversity strategy and work on increasing the number of women partners. The firm now has more than 100 women partners.
Advancing Women in Public Service Award: London Fire Brigade
The London Fire Brigade was recognised for its graduate entry scheme. The scheme is the first of its kind in the fire service and works to increase the number of talented women in leadership positions. 42% of its graduate entrants are women.
Directing Diverse Talent Award in association with CIPD: Margaret Gildea
This award was given to Margaret Gildea OBE for her commitment to inclusive talent management.
Global Award: PricewaterhouseCoopers
This award was given to PricewaterhouseCoopers for its global gender diversity council. This is a group of 14 senior male and female leaders who work to actively improve the representation of women within the firm. It is led by the global CEO. In 2008 29% of the firm’s new partners were women.
Innovation Award: Citi
Citi scooped this award for its maternity transitions programme which provides support and guidance to individual women and line managers. The company also runs workshops for expectant dads. Citi now has a maternity return rate of 97%.
Premier Employer Award: BT
This award was given to BT for its exceptional commitment to diversity which was evident in its commitment, business processes and impact.
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Santander Award: Equality of Opportunity through Education and Learning
Goldman Sachs was awarded for its programme which will provide 10,000 women globally, predominantly in developing and emerging markets, with a business and management education.
