Who Won? Public Sector Makes a Mark at SSON's Awards in Europe

From the surprised reactions of our Awards Winners to a double-win by Siemens, last week's Annual Shared Services & Outsourcing Excellence Awards Ceremony was full of excitement and well-earned Awards. The judges for the 2014 European Shared Services & Excellence Awards announced the names of the companies they felt most deserved to be honored for their efforts and achievements in Shared Services at SSON's European flagship event in Dublin. The 2014 Judging Panel, who spent a lot of personal time reviewing applications last month, chose the Winners and Runners Up in each category based on written applications: Value Creation, Culture Creation, Customer Service, and Improvement & Innovation. Our 2014 Judges are: JUDGE George Connell VP Strategy, Finance Operations Royal Dutch Shell JUDGE Lynda Atherton-Miles Head of Shared Services Development Alliance Boots JUDGE Fraser Kirk Group VP, HR Shared Services Brambles JUDGE Chris Gunning VP, Finance Unisys JUDGE Adrian Mailer Managing Director Shared Services Hanson UK JUDGE Bobby Abraham Global Head of Finance Shared Service Centres & Senior Vice President Vodafone PRESENTER Ed Hansen Partner McCarter & English LLP PRESENTER Niall O'Sullivan Group Finance Operations Director Vodafone MC Rochelle Hood Global Head of Communities & Process SSON JUDGE Lisa Hooley SPX Rochelle Hood, SSON’s Global Head of Community, introduced the judges who stepped forward to award one of the categories during a sometimes raucous champagne reception in the exhibitor’s hall. As a few of the judges had schedule conflicts on the day, Lynda and George were joined by speaker Niall O'Sullivan, Group Finance Operations Director, Vodafone, and North American Judge Ed Hansen, Partner, McCarter & English LLP, to present the categories, sharing some insight into each company's success before proceeding to announce the winners. More details will be shared on each category in the following weeks. CUSTOMER SERVICE Presented by Edward Hansen Winner: Surrey County Council As seen excitedly sharing their Award with the team via Skype... Runner Up: Siemens CULTURE CREATION Presented by George Connell Winner: Siemens Big Smiles from Lucy Grainger, Siemens, as she accepts the Award on behalf of her team. Runner Up: Tie! Coca Cola Hellenic Simona Simion-Popescu and her team at Coca Cola Hellenic proudly showcasing their Award. Bank of Ireland Smiles from the Bank of Ireland team as they stand with their hard-earned Award. IMPROVEMENT & INNOVATION Presented by Lynda Atherton-Miles Winner: London Borough of Hounslow Their enthusiasm was infectious and it reminded all of us at SSON and the Judging Faculty how much hard work goes into winning... Runner Up: Deutsche Post DHL Deutsche Post representatives weren't there to collect, but their Award was sent to them post-show. VALUE CREATION Presented by Niall O'Sullivan Winner: Kimberly-Clark APEX Analytix was onsite to collect the award on behalf of Kimberly-Clark (on left: Helen Tueffel). [Read the winning application online, and find out how data analytics is driving "value" in the interview with the leadership team] Runner Up: Tyco A global winner (Tyco won the North American Award for Value Creation), Tyco collects their Award onstage. 2014 Personal Contribution Award Presented by Rochelle Hood David Heneghan Glasgow City Council This year, for the first time, SSON asked delegates to vote live on site for the person they believed best deserved to be recognized for the "Personal Contribution to Industry" Award. A short-list of practitioners we thought deserved to be recognized were shared with delegates, who voted during Wednesday afternoon’s session. The 2014 Personal Contribution Awards went to David Heneghan, Glasgow City Council, in recognition of his successful 20-year career, and of the enormous impact he and his team have had on Glasgow City Council’s operations in the face of strong pressure on public sector budgets. All winners were invited onto a "Winners’ Circle" on Thursday, to share some insights on what they were doing. Barbara Hodge, SSON editor, moderated the Q&A before a packed hall. Technology as an enabler The Awards highlighted how important technology and social media have become, especially in the public sector, where both Surrey and Hounslow have taken innovative approaches to customer communication and feedback (social media was also effectively used to immediately share the etched trophy with the team back home, via Skype, in one case). In fact, 2014 has turned out to be The Year of the Public Sector, as well as The Year of the Customer: the Awards were notable for government sector successes, perhaps not surprising considering the enormous pressure placed on these institutions in the face of steep budget cuts, and the increased scrutiny of each Euro or Pound Sterling spent in the name of "service." All three institutions recognized here in Dublin were able to demonstrate increased customer satisfaction despite budget cuts, in some cases by as much as 50%. Coca Cola Hellenic, Runner Up in the "Culture" Award, attributed part of their success to the modern office and facilities (including a pool) that house their Sofia-based centre in Bulgaria. "We are often called the ‘Google offices’ of Sofia," explained Simona Simion-Popescu, BSO Shared Services Director. Congratulations to each of our winners and a thank you to our Awards Drinks Reception sponsor, Scottish Development, and our 5 amazing judges. Further details on each winner to come on www.ssonetwork.com. About SSON Awards SSON's annual Shared Services Excellence Awards represents achievement on the highest level for shared services operations around the globe. The Excellence Awards are presented at our flagship regional events across the world and cover operations right around the globe. But no matter where they are held, SSON's Awards honor, recognize and promote shared services (captive and outsourced) that demonstrate leading practices. These Awards form the industry's benchmark in terms of best practice and process excellence and provide an opportunity for shared services and outsourcing professionals to gain recognition for their achievements and their initiative. Winning an Award is an honor that past recipients have been proud to broadcast to their clients, as well as their organization-at-large. Apply for a 2015 Award today by emailing awards@ssonetwork.com. SSON’s Shared Services and Outsourcing Excellence Awards, a flagship for quality and excellence in the international Shared Services community, are open to any company running Shared Services and honor the highest levels of achievement in SS&O practice around the world. The Awards run in North America, Europe, Latin America, Australia, and Asia, as well as Germany. Over 550 professionals from the European Shared Services and Outsourcing industry attended the Awards ceremony on Wednesday night, 14 May, at the Convention Centre in Dublin, as part of the 4-day Shared Services and Outsourcing Week Europe. Katie Biltoo, conference producer, commented: "These Awards highlight and validate best practices within services delivery in we have chosen because we believe that they touch on the most important levers for results. The winners of this year’s Awards represent Shared Services organisations that have all, without fail, made ‘customer service’ a priority." [eventpdf]

Who Won? Public Sector Makes a Mark at SSON's Awards in Europe

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