23 Aug Launching the Irish Early Career Awards 2016
Richard Bruton, Paul Flynn along with an expert judging panel today launched the Irish Early Career Awards at the Department of Education and are urging employers and young professionals to leap into action this August and to nominate an Irish Early Career Achiever for the 2016 Award. The national Award, sponsored by Lincoln Recruitment Specialists and Bank of Ireland, is open to young professionals working in organisations across Ireland.
The winners of the Irish Early Career Awards will be announced on Wednesday 9th November 2016 at gala event taking place at the National Gallery in Dublin. Nominations are now open across ten categories including: HR Professional of the Year, Accountant of the Year, Banking Professional of the Year, Financial Services Professional of the Year, Information Technology Professional of the Year, Lawyer of the Year, PR & Marketing Professional of the Year, Consulting & Advisory Professional of the Year, Best in Learning & Development and the Overall Early Career Professional of the Year.
Launch of the Irish Early Career Awards with sponsors Lincoln Recruitment & Bank of Ireland
L-R: Shay Dalton Lincoln, Minister Richard Bruton TD, Brian Corish Bank of Ireland & Paul Flynn Lincoln
Speaking at the launch event, Richard Bruton, Minister for Education and Skills said, “I’m a great enthusiast for promoting excellence in innovation right across the Irish business sector. We recently had the Young Entrepreneurs Competition, which was very successful. Now I think there’s a logical connection to see young people who are advancing within companies, and to award and recognise their excellence and achievement, and that’s what this award is about.”
Minister Bruton also added that the Awards event primary aim is to recognise not only the individual but also the company involved stating “I think they mark out, give recognition, not only to the individual but also to the company because a lot of it’s about companies creating an environment where young people can succeed and make their mark. So I think this is a great statement of the company policy as well as the success of the individual who wins the award.
Minister Bruton added that the key message of the Irish Early Career Awards is,
“To recognise talent and innovation coming from young people, as that is the driving force behind a lot of innovation, it comes from people in their early and creative years, and I think companies should create an environment where such people can shape the future of their organisation and be recognised for it. And that’s what we hope will be the hallmark of this event.
Paul Flynn, Commercial Director Lincoln Recruitment and Dublin GAA football player, and ambassador for the awards has said, “As an employee of Lincoln Recruitment, one of the co-sponsors of the event alongside Bank of Ireland, it was a no-brainer to come on board. That alongside the fact that I’m very passionate about performance, whether it be in sport or business. When it’s in sport, there’s always award ceremonies like the All Star awards for people who excel in their discipline. And with regards to business, we spend most of our life working, so it’s a no-brainer to have events that award people who excel in their own profession.”
Brian Corish, Chief Customer Officer at Bank of Ireland sponsor and member of the judging panel, has said “We are proud to be associated with young professionals who are ambitious, courageous, innovative and who are often the people providing the energy and thought leadership that helps business transform, grow and develop. It is with this in mind that we are participating in the Irish Early Career Awards to recognise motivated and innovative young talent from across the economy. In this time of great change, it is important to promote the positive leadership being shown across all career stage professionals. Supporting the Irish Early Career Awards allows us to make an investment in leadership for the future.”
Shay Dalton, Managing Director of Lincoln Recruitment, sponsor and Judge of the Irish Early Career Awards, has said that “These awards are unique as they shine a light on the achievements and efforts of young professionals in the early stages of their careers, and also the efforts organisations put into these young professionals through learning and development. They aim to recognise their accomplishments and it gives organisations an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of the young professionals, and also celebrate the learning and development that these companies put into these professionals. I think that, in time, it’s going to become the benchmark for acknowledging young professional accomplishments in Ireland.
Richard Bruton with the Judges of the Irish Early Career Awards 2016
L-R: Shay Dalton Lincoln, Orla Coughlan eir, Brian Corish Bank of Ireland, Minister Richard Bruton TD & Nikki Lannen Warducks
Orla Coughlan, Chief Human Resources Officer at eir and Judge of the Awards, added that the Awards are “A way to encourage our young people who are early stage business careers, to actually recognise themselves their value on the global stage. I think a lot of young Irish people don’t have that confidence and self-esteem that’s needed to drive their careers forward, and so what we’re looking for is people to tell the best versions of themselves. People from a range of industries and professions, men and women, are to come forward and tell us their story of their career so far.”
Nikki Lannen, CEO Warducks and Judge of the Irish Early Career Awards, described what she will be looking for in a winning entry “I’ll be looking for someone who’s performed exceptionally in what they’re doing, whether that’s in their own organisation, a large organisation or whether in a business that they’ve set up themselves. Someone that’s extremely driven and motivated, and someone that just overall has achieved quite a lot in what they’ve done.”
Nominations
To make a nomination for the Irish Early Career Awards visit: http://www.earlycareerawards.ie. Nominations close on Friday, 30th September, and full rules and guidelines can be downloaded from the website.
To be eligible for the Award nominees must meet the basic award criteria, namely;
- Must be 35 or under as at 31st December 2015
- Show exceptional professional achievements and contribution in their functional, technical or specialist area
- Show commitment to personal and professional development
Judges
The awards are judged by a panel of experts representing top global and Irish companies and leading organisations across Ireland. These include:
- Lawrence Hickey, Chief Financial Officer, Digicel Group Limited
- Orla Coughlan, Chief Human Resources Officer, eir
- Brian Corish, Chief Customer Officer, Bank of Ireland
- Shay Dalton, Managing Director, Lincoln Recruitment Specialists
- Nikki Lannen, CEO, Warducks
- Myles Lynch, Vice President, Executive Partner and Part Time Associate with Gartner
Ambassador
- Paul Flynn, Dublin GAA & Commercial Director Lincoln Recruitment
Nominating is easy and can be completed online at www.earlycareerawrards.ie. A shortlist will be announced in the week commencing 24th October 2016. The judging process then begins with the final winners announced at the Awards ceremony in the National Gallery on the 9th of November 2016.
Nominate now