Vertas celebrates company stars at second annual awards ceremony

160 guests gathered for an evening of celebration and entertainment at the second annual Vertas Making the Difference Staff Awards.

The black tie event, which took place in the Sir Bobby Robson Suite at Ipswich Town Football Club, was born out of the aim to truly recognise Vertas employees who demonstrate their unrivalled levels of commitment, innovation and service excellence whilst carrying out their role within the company.

The awards which were fully-funded by Vertas’ supply partners; McCain Foods being the headline sponsor, sets out to recognise the commitment of star employees within the 2,500 strong workforce; based across Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex.

After receiving over 180 nominations and following careful deliberation, Vertas’ CEO and the Board of Directors shortlisted the nominations to arrive at three outstanding finalists, including a winner in each of the ten categories. All finalists along with their nominator were invited to the ceremony and enjoyed a 3-course meal, disco and photo booth.

Ian Surtees, Vertas Group Limited’s Chief Executive Officer, said:

“I’m delighted that our second Making the Difference Staff Awards ceremony was a huge success. My congratulations go to the winners and finalists of 2017.

“This event provided the opportunity for us to recognise and celebrate our colleagues who consistently demonstrate excellent business practices and provide quality customer service within their role. These individuals strive to go above and beyond to ensure that their clients and customers have truly positive experiences with us.

“Whether our winners work in a busy school kitchen, keep client buildings safe and in top shape, or uphold the cleanliness of the most prestigious offices; this night provided an opportunity for these hard-working teams and individuals to receive the recognition they deserve.”

The winners for the 2017 awards ceremony are:

• Employee of the Year – Clare Powell

Sponsored by McCain Foods

• Team of the Year – Verse Facilities Management

Sponsored by Bidvest Foodservice

• Colleagues Champion – Sharon Payne

Sponsored by Birketts

• Lifetime Achievement – Bob Delf

Sponsored by DCS

• Innovation – Jon Lakin

Sponsored by Zenith Hygiene

• Inspiring Leaders – Julie-Ann Murray

Sponsored by Imtech Inviron

• Going the Extra Mile – Vaida Narutaviciute

Sponsored by Expense Reduction Analysts

• Specialist of the Year – Shaun Swan

Sponsored by Marybelle

• Sustainability – Heidi Raven

Sponsored by MMB Environmental

• Customer 1^st – Jenny Love

Sponsored by BAS Energy

The awards also marked the changeover in Vertas’ charity of the year. Ian Surtees, Group CEO presented a cheque of £4,002.12 to East Anglian Air Ambulance, the sponsored charity for 2016/17 and announced Vertas’ support for Cancer Research UK in 2017/18. Over £2,000 was raised on the night alone for Cancer Research UK, this was achieved through a raffle and auction sponsored by Zenith Hygiene.

For more information about the awards and photos of the winners, visit www.vertas.co.uk/awards, or browse and download the photos from Vertas’ Flickr page at https://flic.kr/s/aHskSMq37H.

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