A winning night for York St John University at the inaugural Yorkshire Excellence in HR Awards 

York St John University’s Human Resources and Organisational Development team are celebrating after picking up a coveted award for excellence. They were named the winners in the Excellence in Organisational & People Development category in the first ever Yorkshire Excellence in HR Awards. 

New for 2024, the awards aim is to be more than a platform for recognition, shining a light on those who are committed to elevating the standards of people practices, shaping workplaces that foster growth, inclusivity, and unparalleled success. 

York St John’s submission highlighted a wide range of activities under the University’s People and Culture Strategy and Action Plan. These span from new leadership and management development programmes and innovative support for staff wellbeing to work to improve the student experience and supporting the rollout of a new timetable policy.  

Work on gender and race equality in line with the University’s inclusive ethos was also noted, with HR actions to support the Athena Swan and Race Equality Charters alongside race equality and trans awareness training for all staff.  
 
The Excellence in Organisational & People Development Award recognises “successful development programmes that have positively impacted on organisational or people performance, or culture.” Announcing the award, the judges said the York St John team were the clear winners: 

“Their commitment is not just theoretical; it has resulted in outstanding engagement and significant improvements in key performance indicators across the board. 
 
“Congratulations to the clear winners of this award recognising successful development programmes that have positively impacted on organisational or people performance, or culture.” 

Sally Marlow, Director of Human Resources said: 

“I feel so proud to be part of the HROD team at York St John – a group of dedicated, innovative and sparkly grafters who do their best in everything they touch whether it’s supporting organisational change, championing diversity or keeping the institution running, they genuinely shine.   

“Their work to ensure staff are engaged and empowered reflects a commitment to social impact that is at the heart of everything we do.” 

The 18 HR team members were even more surprised by their success as they were nominated in secret in the University’s Chief Operating Officer, Dr Rob Hickey.  

He said: “It’s really fantastic that our HROD team has been recognised through this award, and it is particularly pleasing to come out on top against a pool of nominees from a range of sectors across Yorkshire.  

“This win reflects the excellent work that our small but dedicated team are delivering and the University’s commitment to organisational development.” 

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