2025 Winners

Please see below the winners and finalists from the 2025 HR Leadership & Management Awards.

The winners were announced on Thursday, October 16th, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry.

Overall Excellence in HR

WINNER:

BaxterStorey Ireland

Sponsored by:

HR Leader 2025

RECIPIENT:

Alastair McMenamin, Leadership Advisory Services, Spencer Stuart

Sponsored by:

HR Team of the Year - Large

WINNER:

Applegreen - ROI HR Team

FINALISTS:

  • Applegreen - ROI HR Team
  • BaxterStorey Ireland - People Team
  • BWG Foods - Hire 2 Retire
  • Flogas Ireland
  • PHX Ireland
  • RCSI

Sponsored by:

HR Team of the Year

WINNER:

spunout

FINALISTS:

  • Dublin Zoo
  • spunout

HR Manager of the Year

WINNER:

BaxterStorey Ireland - Louise O' Riordan

FINALISTS:

  • BaxterStorey Ireland - Louise O' Riordan
  • Cully - Susan Ryan
  • Exergyn - Pamela Kavanagh
  • SD Worx Ireland - Amanda Sadlier

HR Rising Star of the Year

WINNER:

PHX Ireland - Liz Mahon

FINALISTS:

  • Dublin Zoo - Michele Orr
  • PHX Ireland - Liz Mahon
  • SOS Group - Priya Ghosh
  • Tusla Child and Family Agency - Katie Power

Sponsored by:

Best Public Sector HR Initiative

WINNER:

Tusla, Child and Family Agency - Transition Year & Post Primary Programme

FINALISTS:

  • Department of Health Culture Project – From Principals to Practice
  • Tusla, Child and Family Agency - Transition Year & Post Primary Programme

Best Learning & Development Strategy

WINNER:

Citco - The Citco Way of Learning

FINALISTS:

  • Apleona Ireland - Realise your potential with the Academy for Growth
  • Applegreen - Future You Strategy
  • Aura Holohan Group
  • Brown Thomas Arnotts - The Key to Your Career at Brown Thomas Arnotts
  • Citco - The Citco Way of Learning

Best Leadership Development

WINNER:

BaxterStorey Ireland - The Management Development Programme

FINALISTS:

  • BaxterStorey Ireland - The Management Development Programme
  • FLOGAS - THE BUILD PROGRAMME
  • ODEON Cinema Ireland's Incredible Leadership Journey
  • SD Worx Ireland - SPARK JOYners Programme
  • SRI Executive - Leadership Development

Best Change Management Programme

WINNER:

Department of Health Culture Project – From Principals to Practice

FINALISTS:

  • Argon & Co., Ireland - Putting people first in an ERP enabled transformation
  • BWG Foods - Hire 2 Retire
  • Department of Health Culture Project – From Principals to Practice
  • PHX Ireland - One Brand, One Vision – The McCabes Pharmacy Integration Journey

Best Health & Wellbeing Strategy

WINNER:

Iarnrod Eireann Irish Rail - Embedding a culture of Health & Wellbeing

FINALISTS:

  • BaxterStorey Ireland - Ways of Wellbeing
  • Boston Scientific Clonmel – Living Well Together
  • Core Optimisation - VibeTribe!
  • FLOGAS- BRINGING MEANING TO YOUR HEALTH SCREENING
  • Iarnrod Eireann Irish Rail - Embedding a culture of Health & Wellbeing
  • Matheson - Enhancing Employee Health and Wellbeing at Matheson LLP
  • MiFinity - Holistic Approach to Wellbeing
  • The KORE Group's Wellness Week 2025

Sponsored by:

Best Use of CSR in HR

WINNER:

WeCan - A CluneTech Initiative

FINALISTS:

  • Arlo Technologies International
  • STS Group-Excellence in CSR in the Workplace
  • WeCan - A CluneTech Initiative

Best Workplace Diversity Strategy

WINNER:

DPD Ireland - Belonging at DPD: Inclusion in Action

FINALISTS:

  • Cully
  • DPD Ireland - Belonging at DPD: Inclusion in Action
  • Intersport Elverys – Inclusion in Action
  • PTC Therapeutics - The Power of CommUNITY!
  • STS Group -Excellence in Diversity & Equity in the Workplace

Most Effective Use of Internal Communications

WINNER:

Uisce Éireann - Zone: Innovating Communication to Empower Uisce Éireann's Workforce

FINALISTS:

  • Castle Leslie Estate - HR Communications Strategy
  • FLOGAS - GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT TO ALL IRELAND
  • Uisce Éireann - Zone: Innovating Communication to Empower Uisce Éireann's Workforce

Most Effective Employee Engagement Strategy

WINNER:

Bus Éireann- Going the Extra Mile: Strategic Approach to Employee Engagement

FINALISTS:

  • ALONE - Employee Engagement Launch
  • Bus Éireann- Going the Extra Mile: Strategic Approach to Employee Engagement
  • Flipdish - Employee Engagement Offsite

Most Effective Rewards & Recognition Strategy

WINNER:

SD Worx Ireland - Rewards and Recognition

FINALISTS:

  • DeCare
  • PHX Ireland - Recognition Awards
  • SD Worx Ireland - Rewards and Recognition

Most Effective Recruitment & Retention Strategy

WINNER:

Mater Misericordiae University Hospital - Staffing the New Rock Wing

FINALISTS:

  • Mater Misericordiae University Hospital - Staffing the New Rock Wing
  • Trigon Hotels - Crafting Careers, Creating Culture: Trigon’s Talent Vision
  • Tusla Child and Family Agency - Swifthire Initiative

Graduate Training Programme of the Year

WINNER:

Viatris Little Island - Graduate Rotation Programme

FINALISTS:

  • Aptiv - Global Leadership Development Program
  • Depaul - Graduate Programme
  • The Medicine Accelerator- Accelerators of the Future
  • Viatris Little Island - Graduate Rotation Programme
  • William Fry Legal Traineeship

Best Workplace Award

WINNER:

SD Worx Ireland

FINALISTS:

  • DeCare
  • Deciphex
  • SD Worx Ireland
  • spunout
  • Wachsman

Best Workplace Award -Large

WINNER:

CluneTech

FINALISTS:

  • Brown Thomas Arnotts
  • CluneTech
  • Primeline Group

Best use of Digital Transformation and AI

WINNER:

CPM Ireland - Digital & AI Transformation

FINALISTS:

  • CPM Ireland - Digital & AI Transformation
  • Hostelworld Group - Using AI to improve Feedback and Development Planning

Sponsored by:

Best Specialist Team

WINNER:

Citco – HR Portfolio Management Team

FINALISTS:

  • Albatel
  • Beacon Locum - Payroll Team
  • Citco - Reward Team
  • Citco – HR Portfolio Management Team

HR Business Growth Strategy

WINNER:

BWG Foods - Hire 2 Retire

FINALISTS:

  • Arlo Technologies - Transforming the Business Through Strategic Development
  • Bus Éireann - Driving Sustainable Growth Through People and Culture
  • BWG Foods - Hire 2 Retire
  • MiFinity

Sponsored by: