AI and Sustainability at the forefront as winners celebrate at the Cnect Wales Awards 2024
The champions of Wales’ contact centres have been celebrated at this year’s 26th annual awards ceremony hosted by Comedian Tom Allen.
Individuals and leading Welsh businesses were recognised for this past year’s successes, with award winners including Best Client Partnership (Target Group & DVLA), Customer Success (Capital on Tap) and Best Environment & Sustainability Initiative (Legal & General).
The sell-out event, supported by headline sponsor Jomo People, who specialise in recruiting within the sector, was once again held at Cardiff City Stadium.
Sarah Hopkins, Co-Founder and Talent Partner at headline sponsors Jomo People, said:
“We’re incredibly proud to support these awards, which showcase the dedication, hard work, and innovation that make the contact centre industry so vital to the economy and community.
Contact centres are at the heart of customer service, and their relentless pursuit of excellence mirrors our own commitment to finding the best talent and helping organisations thrive. Being part of this event allows us to recognise those who go above and beyond to deliver exceptional customer experiences, and it’s a privilege to be part of their journey.
Jomo People are delighted to celebrate the individuals and teams driving the industry forward. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees for their exceptional achievements.”
The awards are a celebration of a crucial sector which contributes £650m annually to the Welsh economy and employs 32,000 people from 350 businesses across the country.
Friday’s celebrations [September 27] featured ten new categories, which saw gold awards presented in 21 major categories and Silver also recognised in many of these.
Sandra Busby, Managing Director of Cnect Wales, said: Congratulations to all the finalists. They are the reason our industry in Wales is the envy of many regions across the globe and they continue to inspire us.
The past year has seen significant shifts within our industry, driven by rapid technological advancements and evolving business needs. The realignment of our products and services reflects our commitment to embracing these changes.
We wish everyone who has contributed to this year’s awards, the very best for the next upcoming year and look forward to welcoming them back to celebrate next year’s awards.”
This year, a new Business of the Year award replaced the Contact Centre of the Year category reflecting the industry’s diversification and Cnect Wales’ continued evolution, having celebrated 20 years in business earlier this year. Capital on Tap were awarded SME Business of the Year while CGI picked up Large Business of the Year
Mike Hill from Sky Cardiff was named Senior Leader of the Year, with Capital on Tap’s Jon Bartlett and Jo Foxall from Transport for Wales being awarded joint Silver winners.
Other winners of the night included:
(Individual categories)
Apprentice of the Year
Joely Meara Wilson – Aldermore Bank – Gold
Daisy Wootton – Deloitte – Silver
Newcomer of the Year
Niall Harrington – Virgin Atlantic -Gold
Alan Alder – Amber – Silver
Emerging Superstar
Samantha Thomas – DVLA – Gold
Aimee Sullivan – Starling Bank – Silver
Support Person of the Year
Lee Blakeman – Acquis Insurance Management – Joint Gold
David Hebson – Lenvi – Joint Gold
James Tompkins – Lloyds Banking Group – Silver
Advisor of the Year
Hannah Walsh – Citizens Advice Caerphilly Blaenau Gwent – Gold
Rhian Fish – Veezu – Silver
Team Leader of the Year (Inhouse)
Darren Brown – Legal & General New Business Customer Service – Gold
Sunita Singh – Sky Cardiff – Silver
Team Leader of the Year – Outsourced
Zowie May – Target Group – Gold
Victoria Charles-Clarke – Firstsource Solutions – Silver
Trainer of the Year
Neil Evans – Admiral Group – Joint Gold
Hannah Davies – The Consumer Helpline – Joint Gold
Support Manager of the Year
Jawad Kiani – Lenvi – Gold
Debra Shaw – Deloitte – Silver
Customer Contact Leader of the Year
Tracey Hutchison – Legal & General Direct Sales – Inhouse – Gold
Chris Francis – SSCL – Outsource – Gold
(Company categories)
Best Technology / Digital Initiative
Starling Bank – Gold
Target Group – Mortgage Hub – Silver
Specialist Team of the Year 1 – Customer
Black Horse Finance – Bereavement Team – Gold
Citizens Advice Caerphilly Blaenau Gwent – National Debt Advice Project – Silver
Specialist Team of the Year 2 – Colleague & Centre
Deloitte – QRS Services – Gold
Customer Team of the Year
Virgin Atlantic – Gold
Legal & General Direct Sales – Partnerships Team – Silver
People & Culture Award
SSCL – Outsource – Gold
Deloitte HR Services – Inhouse – Gold
NFU Mutual Direct Cardiff – Silver
Best Talent Programme
TUI – Gold
Alcumus – Silver
Best Advice Line / Helpline
SSCL – Gold
Citizens Advice Caerphilly Blaenau Gwent – National Debt Advice Project – Silver
Diversity, Equality & Inclusion
EE – Gold
Business of the Year
Capital on Tap – SME – Gold
CGI Service Desk – Large – Gold
Alongside headline sponsors Jomo People; Recolution Group, Elephants Don’t Forget, SSCL, Deloitte, Capital on Tap, SLD Wealth, Ribbon of Life and Gower College were category sponsors.