Friday 13th July 2018 saw a sparkling celebration of the past year’s achievements in HAS, and the individuals and teams who really make a difference.
The Great Hall travelled in time and space to 1950s Las Vegas, complete with casino tables and croupiers. Guests enjoyed an American-themed dinner provided by Mehir’s, and a dramatic stunt show with mobsters facing off against corrupt cops. Compering for the evening were West Midlands radio stars Alison Hammond and Daz Hale, who provided quick-witted fun and entertainment throughout.
The raffle’s grand prizes included an extra day’s annual leave and free parking for a year, making tickets very popular! In total, £887.60 was raised for Transplant Research, a charity dedicated to sharing the University’s considerable expertise in the field of organ transplantation with other local stakeholders. Birmingham performs more transplants than any other city in Europe, and the University’s research is at the leading edge. This August, the University is hosting the Westfield Health British Transplant Games, bringing teams of transplant recipients and their families together in a celebration of sport to raise awareness of organ donation.
The OSCARS ceremony finished with dancing late into the night. It was a fitting way to celebrate all the successes of the year, and to acknowledge the special teams and individuals who always go the extra mile to deliver great results.
Thank you to the OSCARS 2018 Committee for all their hard work, and congratulations to all the deserving winners.
You can find photographs of the event here and for those of you interested the quiz and answers are also available.
Most Inspirational Leader
Liam Grogan
Over the past year, Liam has shown what it takes to lead and inspire new staff teams to success. As the Bournbrook pavilion project got delayed, he demonstrated his strong leadership by engaging and keeping his staff informed on progress. When the project was finally completed it was all hands on deck. Liam has a genuine interest in every team member and continues to train them in all areas of the pavilion.
Newcomer of the Year
Rebecca Jones
Rebecca has been at the nursery for less than a year and has become a proactive, motivated and reliable member of the Butterfly team. She ensures that the children’s care and needs are met to a high standard. In the absence of colleagues, she will always make sure all work is completed. She has developed an excellent rapport with the children and parents. She is adored and respected by all.
Unsung Hero
Daniela Di Vito
Daniela is always hard working, creating quality cakes and baked products available through all the coffee shops across campus. She develops new ideas such as gluten free and vegan ranges. She is always happy to make extra products at short notice. She is passionate and dedicated to giving the highest standard of service to the university.
Customer Excellence
Sarah Shaw
Sarah has exceptional customer service skills, which have been noticed by colleagues via compliments and email messages. She is always helpful to staff and visitors and will go out of her way to find them a space, or to swipe their card if it is raining. She has a great knowledge of parking regulations which she applies in a robust but fair way.
Continued Excellence
Noreen Hynes (collected by Michael Lennon)
Noreen has worked at UBSport for the past 14 years and has built a wealth of knowledge which she is always keen to share. She displays a positive ‘can do’ attitude and strives to improve standards. Although her workload has increased recently, her standards have never dropped. She commands the respect of everyone she works with and is truly inspirational.
Outstanding Achievement (individual)
Emma Bickerton
With her perfect combination of management experience, customer service and relentless dedication to the seven day week service, Emma has revolutionised not only the Swim Programme's organisation, administration and communication with customers but recruited top class swim teachers and created a mentoring and training programme in conjunction with the Head Swim coach to ensure high quality teaching by all instructors.
Outstanding Achievement (team)
Bournbrook Pavilion Team
The Bournbrook Pavilion team have had a long journey to get the project off the ground. They have worked hard to achieve high standards due to the professional and focused nature of the management team. They provide a great atmosphere and service to both colleagues and customers.
Outstanding Achievement (team)
Chamberlain Cleaning Team
On two consecutive days in March, members of Cleaning Services were called to assist with a flood at Chamberlain. Staff were organised and got the equipment up and running and everyone worked together from the 14th floor down to clear up the mess. All staff stayed until the job was finished.
Excellent Student Service
Raymond Priestley Centre Team
Teaching is imaginative and differentiated to ensure learning is bespoke for individual students. ‘The attention to detail exhibited by all the Raymond Priestley Centre staff creates an optimal learning environment. It’s impressive to observe the methods used to generate learning, particularly when activity staff place students in scenario-based situations to test decision making. The amenable nature of everyone, the excellent service and quality of food make for an incredible experience.
HAS Supporter of the Year
IT Systems EPOS Team
The IT Systems EPOS team provide unrivalled support day in, day out. The service and support they provide is second to none. Mandeep and Bal always go above and beyond with every query or issue thrown at them. They are always at the end of the phone, solving issues and problems in a timely and efficient manner.
HAS Professional of the Year
Kirsty Wade
Kirsty always goes above and beyond in order to achieve exceptional results within her team, and for the business as a whole. She is passionate about the student experience, and has a plethora of gifts which come together to create excellent leadership, dynamism and production of results. Kirsty epitomises the kind of professional leadership which makes HAS flourish.
Red Carpet Star of the Year (individual)
Paul Nicholls (collected by Tim Owen)
Paul shows excellent customer service and quickly responds to students, who always comment on his help and support. Recently he supported a student and prevented them from self-harm by keeping them calm and recommending the correct services which could help them through this. He supported them with excellent care and attention and the student is now living and enjoying their time at university.
Red Carpet Star of the Year (team)
Security Team
Security team manager and officers responded to a request for assistance regarding a student in distress. They quickly took command and control of the student. While waiting for the Police to arrive the Security team continually attempted to calm the student, and reassure and support members of the community who were in attendance. After handing over the student, the team turned their attention to the gathering University community members, checking on their welfare and offering advice and information on the availability of professional services on campus to support those who had witnessed this very stressful incident. The Security team did an exceptional job, they were exemplary in their leadership and remained calm and compassionate throughout.
Director’s Award
Rory Shannon
From Stuart Richards, Director of HAS: “To single one person out for the Director’s Award is very difficult. So many of you do such a great job day in day out and so many of you are true stars. Thank you to each and every one of you.
“But there is only one Director’s Award, and it goes to an individual who has been with us for several years. Originally joining as a support staff member, Rory Shannon has worked his way up the management ladder and I believe he will progress even further in the coming years. He is diligent, reliable, liked and admired by his team and colleagues both as a person and as a manager. His positivity and approach make him a true HAS rising star, and very worthy of this award.”