Today sees the launch of the inaugural Wales HR Awards to celebrate the achievements of the many HR professionals up and down the country.

Through the auspices of the Wales HR Network, the network for HR professionals across Wales developed and run by Darwin Gray, leading commercial law firm, and Acorn, Wales’ leading specialist recruitment and training agency, outstanding HR professionals and their teams are invited to nominate themselves or a colleague for the awards. 

The proceedings will culminate in a black tie ceremony and dinner, hosted by the BBC’s Sian Lloyd at the SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff on Thursday, 23rd March 2017.

There will be eleven categories and an overall winner announced on the night, and sponsorship opportunities of these high profile awards are available for organisations that believe in the importance of excellence in HR.

Some of category sponsorships have already been secured from the various opportunities available that include:

• Independent HR Consultant of the Year
• HR Assistant/ Apprentice/ Trainee of the Year
• HR Team of the Year
• Best Use of the Welsh Language in HR
• Best HR Professional in the Education Sector
• Best HR Professional in the Manufacturing/ Science (including Life Sciences/ Biotec) Sector
• Housing Association HR Professional of the Year
• Best HR Professional in the Public Sector
• Best HR Professional in the Charity and Voluntary Organisations Sectors
• Best HR Professional in the Arts
• Best HR Professional in the Financial/ Professional Services Sector

These awards are being delivered in addition to a number of other professional HR events and seminars hosted by the Wales HR Network, and partnered with Acorn and Darwin Gray.

Acorn’s Head of Marketing, Sarah Jones said: “Through the HR Network, we have been delivering successful seminars and workshops to HR professionals across South Wales for about ten years, and we’re now hugely delighted to be partnering with leading law firm Darwin Gray to enable us to develop the network into a pan-Wales programme of professional seminar presentations, breakfast updates and workshops.

"The Wales HR Awards themselves will be the flagship event of the Wales HR Network each year and for those throughout Wales who are charged with delivering the HR functions for their organisations."

“We have spoken with many HR professionals, who welcome both the awards for Wales, for the first time, as well as the overall development of the Wales HR Network. These are significant developments and as a leading HR services brand here in Wales, Acorn is delighted to be involved."

Darwin Gray’s Fflur Jones Head of Darwin Gray’s Employment Law and HR department, said: “A lot of the work we do brings us into close contact with people in HR. It’s often an under-acknowledged profession, so it’s a great idea to have a dedicated awards programme to highlight and celebrate achievements in this arena across the whole of Wales.

“We felt it was a great fit with our employment law and HR consultancy work, and so we are delighted to partner with Acorn to offer such great events through the Wales HR Network, and of course the final piece of recognition in the Wales HR Awards. We look forward to watching it grow from strength to strength every year.”