The Scottish based events team at one of the UK’s largest services companies has proven their star quality after scooping several impressive accolades at a company wide awards ceremony.
Sodexo, an expert in quality of life services, hosted their annual ‘Star Awards’ at London’s Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel to honour the hard work and dedication of their 35,000 employees in the UK and Ireland.
And the team working in the Prestige Venues & Events division north of the border enjoyed a remarkable night grabbing an impressive four awards on the evening, demonstrating a hugely successful year for the team.
The event, hosted by sports presenter Clare Balding, gave 600 employees the chance to be on the other side of a glitzy event for a change, enjoying a drinks reception and three course meal before the prizes were awarded by Debbie White, Chief Executive of Sodexo for UK and Ireland.
Winning one of the most coveted awards of the evening was Stephanie Lee, who picked up the Support Employee of the Year title.
Stephanie, who is based in South Queensferry, was rewarded for her involvement in the development of the newly established enquiry hub, as well as for her personal commitment to her role, including visiting over 30 sites across the UK to gain a full understanding of their conference and events needs, capacities and strengths.
Lindsay McLaren, General Manager for Prestige Venues & Events in Scotland, was another employee to taste success on the night as she took home the ‘Star Business Manager’ award.
This award was given to Lindsay due to her positive financial performance throughout 2014 in increasing sales and profit by 10% within the three Edinburgh venues in which she represents – the Corn Exchange, National Museum and Assembly Rooms.
Furthermore, Lindsay received this award as a result of her excellent people management, which has allowed her to implement a strong team of managers, supervisors and staff who have delivered high quality service and hugely positive results on a consistent basis.
However, that wasn’t all for the Prestige Venues & Events team north of the border as those behind the success of the Commonwealth Games events at Hampden Stadium pulled in the hand-picked Chief Executive award and the Team Effort award for their astounding efforts throughout the momentous event in Glasgow.
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh also struck gold, taking home the award for the ‘Better Tomorrow Plan’ for their efforts in Sodexo’s UK wide sustainability project.
This plan looks to deliver sustainable practices and improvements, which help to reduce the overall environmental impact whilst enhancing the experiences of those who visit or work at the prestigious visitor attractions.
Austin Tilsley, Regional Director for Sports, Leisure and Events for Sodexo Prestige, said: “The Star Awards are a major event in the Sodexo calendar as they are all about recognising and thanking our employees for their excellent effort and hard work.
“The awards won by the team in Scotland are really fantastic and a testament to how hard everyone has worked to ensure that Prestige Venues & Events in Scotland continues to thrive and grow.
“I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to Stephanie and Lindsay for their fantastic achievements and to the team behind the Royal Botanic Garden and Hampden Park who have worked tirelessly all year to ensure their venues remain a leading visitor attraction.
“The evening was a tremendous success for so many individuals and various teams throughout the company and it was great to see over 600 of the company’s employees under one roof relaxing and enjoying themselves after a hugely successful year.”
