By Julie Kortens, Chair of Judges, IWFM Impact Awards
There is no doubt that Coronavirus has had a huge impact on our lives, personal and professional, yet, once again, I am immensely proud to see people working in the FM and Workplace arenas who are going above and beyond, often in very difficult and challenging circumstances. Not for the first time, we are seeing that the role of people working in the workplace and facilities management industry never stops.
As Chair of the Judges, I am really pleased to see that entries and nominations are being submitted for the 2020 IWFM Impact Awards. We all know that facilities and workplace professionals are doing their job without any plaudits, so being part of a process that recognises their achievements really can make a difference.
Our awards have always been robust and the difficulties we currently face will not change that tradition. We have a level of governance, transparency and integrity behind them which I believe is second to none. The only change this year is that we have had to start considering virtual presentations for our various categories.
The actual judging of our entries is completely separate from the IWFM head office and I am delighted that everyone in our industry, and everyone who enters our awards is judged by their peers. All of our judges are chosen with great care to ensure that they have the knowledge and experience relevant to their specific category. They are also steered through the process by an experienced Lead Judge who works with me to ensure that every possible conflict of interest is identified and eliminated before judging commences.
Everyone who enters our Impact Awards is asked to follow a standard format in terms of the size of their entry and each of the categories has specific questions for entrants. However, the supporting data, evidence provided, and the accompanying images and videos really do bring the entries to life. So much so, that judges are often blown away by the content and narrative they see.
I have been involved with the Awards for many years, as a guest, as an entrant and as a previous Chairman of the IWFM, enjoying myself immensely every step of the way. The unquestionable highlight, not just of my time with the Awards, but perhaps of my entire career, was back in 2010 when I won FM of the Year and it proved to me just how important our Impact Awards can be. I still remember the moment when Myleene Klass opened the golden envelope and announced that I was the winner… indeed I still have that envelope!
If you are considering entering this year, I want to highlight that we have taken current circumstances into account and we have extended the deadline to ensure everyone gets a chance to enter. The IWFM Impact Awards are a massive event in the FM calendar and we want to ensure that this doesn’t change in 2020. We have an amazing industry and it is essential that our friends and colleagues are recognised for all that they do.
Write a comment: