A Lampeter-based Human Resources professional has been given a special recognition at The CIPD Awards in Wales 2024 which honour HR and people development across Wales.

The CIPD Awards in Wales held its seventh annual award ceremony at Cardiff City Stadium and with more entries than ever before, this year’s awards celebrated over 80 finalists across nine categories.

Thousands of individuals across Wales are employed in the people profession, with HR and leadership development fields serving a variety of sectors and industries.

Julie Grabham, of Parc-y-rhos-based JG HR Solutions, was given a special award on the night for her JGHR pledge initiative which encourages businesses of any size in the UK to commit to offering paid time off for female employees for routine breast screenings. Julie created the pledge after being diagnosed herself with grade two breast cancer in November 2022. Since its launch, the initiative has seen more than 50 businesses sign up to show their commitment to offering this to female employees.

Speaking on receiving the award, Julie Grabham said: “I am thrilled that awareness is being raised for the JGHR pledge. This initiative ensures that women can prioritise their health with paid time off for routine breast screenings and receive better cancer support in their place of work.”

“I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for the JGHR pledge, and I encourage more organizations to adopt this initiative to advocate for better cancer support and encourage employers to value wellbeing.”

This year’s winners were selected by a judging panel of top HR and business professionals, including: Gayle Budden, head of HR for Castell Howell Foods; the chief HR officer for Siderise Group, Mark Hendy; Mark Stevenson, chief people officer for South Wales Police; Amanda Arrowsmith, people and transformation director at CIPD.

Lesley Richards, head of CIPD Wales, said: “The CIPD awards are an excellent chance to acknowledge and celebrate some of the exceptional, innovative, and occasionally career-changing work being done around the nation.”

“Julie has encouraged more businesses to put its employees’ health first, in turn making women in the workplace feel more supported and valued – something that in the long-run, benefits the whole organisation – well done Julie!”

The CIPD Awards in Wales 2024 were sponsored by: Welsh Government, Skylite, Monmouthshire Building, ALS Training, SSCL, Cardiff Business School, Hugh James, Moxie People, Human Resourcing, Paul Harris, and Hoop Human Resources.