The annual Stonecrushers Ball in Belfast provided the perfect setting to celebrate the Northern Ireland winners of the IQ Excellence Awards. Hosted by the IQ Northern Ireland branch, the awards ceremony took place at the Europa Hotel, Belfast on Friday 25 October. Special guest Julian Smallshaw, Head of Education and Standards at the Institute of Quarrying (IQ), presented the awards alongside the branch chairman, Roy Wallace MIQ. The IQ Excellence Awards celebrate the success of exceptional individual
The annual Stonecrushers Ball in Belfast provided the perfect setting to celebrate the Northern Ireland winners of the IQ Excellence Awards.
Hosted by the IQ Northern Ireland branch, the awards ceremony took place at the Europa Hotel, Belfast on Friday 25 October. Special guest Julian Smallshaw, Head of Education and Standards at the Institute of Quarrying (IQ), presented the awards alongside the branch chairman, Roy Wallace MIQ.
The IQ Excellence Awards celebrate the success of exceptional individuals, teams and projects around the UK. Award categories are aligned to the quadrants of the IQ Skills Wheel and promotes the positive impact professionals make across the country.
Award categories included:
STANDARDS & PROFESSIONALISM
The Best Personal Development Project award recognises initiatives that are aimed at supporting the professional development of employees at company or site level.
Quinn Building Products won the award for its project ‘Quinn Safety Hub’. The judges were particularly impressed with this project as it involved a number of people to really build engagement across the business. It has also been commended by Health & Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI), describing the system as “a fantastic management tool”.
KNOWLEDGE & INNOVATION
The Most Effective Process Improvement award acknowledges a team, project or initiative of technical process improvement that has delivered improved operational performance.
CDE Global Ltd was crowned the winner for its SmartTech Pilot Study, with the judges applauding the collaboration amongst the different stakeholders. The results were impressive and included quantifying the impact of main plant feeder blockages, optimisation of labour, and increased accuracy and responsiveness versus paper-based reporting.
ENGAGEMENT, INFLUENCE & IMPACT
The Most Inspirational Leader award honours an individual who has made the strongest positive impact on the team they are part of.
Kieran Hegarty, president at Terex Materials Processing Division, was revealed as the winner. Under his leadership, the business has become an innovative global leader. He is passionate about continuing professional development and has built global teams through positive engagement.
PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS
The Most Promising Future Leader award recognises a talented individual for building their all-round knowledge and skills.
Ryan Reid, Graduate Mechanical Engineer at Roadstone Ltd, received the accolade. The judges commented on his great promise for a long and successful career in the industry, with university course leaders especially impressed with his organisational skills, exam performance and ability to communicate learned knowledge.
Julian Smallshaw says: “It was an honour to attend the Northern Ireland IQ Excellence Awards ceremony and personally congratulate the winners for their achievements. The Stonecrushers Ball is an industry highlight for many and was certainly the perfect setting to celebrate the successes and achievements of individuals, teams and businesses.”
With IQ Excellence Awards presentations taking place in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England, each regional award winner automatically goes forward to the National Excellence Awards to compete for the overall title in each category at Hillhead 2020.
Upcoming ceremonies:
– Wales Regional Ceremony: 30 November 2019
– Scotland Regional Ceremony: 30 November 2019.
