DRAPERSTOWN construction firm Heron Bros was crowned Responsible Company of the Year at the Responsible Business Awards at the Belfast Waterfront in front of close to 500 business people.
The Business in the Community initiative, now in its 13th year, recognises companies' outstanding contributions to their people, the planet and the places where they operate.
Supported by JP Corry and in association with Ulster Business Magazine, the awards celebrate firms that are making a difference by taking practical action to address pressing social and environmental issues – transforming communities and changing lives.
Moya Johnston MBE, chair, Business in the Community NI and vice president at Survitec Group, said: “Northern Ireland is home to some of the most innovative and responsible businesses in the UK, and the Responsible Business Awards are a fantastic platform to showcase what they are doing.
“These winners and short-listed companies are leading the way in responsible business practice. The standard for entries was exceptional. We are proud to champion responsible business through our awards, and I hope the achievements of the winning companies will inspire others to go above and beyond for their people, the planet, and the places in which they operate.”
This year, the theme of the evening was diversity and inclusion. Keynote speaker Baroness Floella Benjamin challenged the audience to think about diversity.
Best known for her role in Playschool, Floella was born in Trinidad and came to England when she was 10 years old. Now a member of the House of Lords, Baroness Benjamin campaigns for children’s rights and runs a number of programmes to encourage diversity and inclusion.
The 2018 winners (more details at www.bitcni.org.uk) were:
• NI Responsible Company of the Year (sponsored by George Best Belfast City Airport) – Heron Bros
• Building Stronger Communities (sponsored by Department for Communities) – Homecare Independent Living
• Digital Champion Award )sponsored by Fujitsu) – Lidl Northern Ireland
• Diversity and Inclusion Award (sponsored by Barclays) – Pinsent Masons
• Education Award (sponsored by Allen & Overy) – Westrock-MPS
• Employability Champion (sponsored by Belfast Harbour) – BT
• Environmental Leadership (sponsored by Arthur Cox) – Farrans Construction
• Marketplace Leadership – Devenish Nutrition
• One-to-Watch (sponsored by Survitec Group) – Devenish Nutrition
• Wellbeing at Work (sponsored by Larne Port) – Baker McKenzie
