Two Northern Ireland business leaders were among the winners at the Institute of Directors (IoD) Director of the Year Awards.
Janet McCollum, Chief Executive of Moy Park was named Large Company Director of the Year while Gareth Loye, Director of M&M Contractors and Mascott Construction won the Family Business Director of the Year category.
Janet was also highly commended in the overall Director of the Year category in the prestigious UK-awards held in London.
Other directors from Northern Ireland to be highly commended at the event included Belfast City Council CEO, Suzanne Wylie in the Public and Third Sector category and Norah Anne Baron of Pi Communications who had been nominated as best SME director.
Owen Judge from Queen’s University Belfast was highly commended in the Student of the Year category.
IoD NI National Director Kirsty McManus said:
“Local business leaders have enjoyed tremendous success at the national IoD Director of the Year Awards over recent years and this year has been no different.
“Special congratulations go to Janet McCollum and Gareth Loye whose category wins ensure that the success stories of Northern Ireland’s leading companies continue to be heard on a wider stage.
“As an organisation, we work to improve management standards across the economy and these accolades, alongside those who were highly commended, are a demonstration of the successful outcomes of those efforts.”
Finalists at the event, which recognises excellence across all sectors in the economy, are drawn from the best winners of regional IoD awards, including the IoD NI First Trust Bank Director of the Year Awards.
Janet McCollum has been with Moy Park for more than 20 years and has held the Chief Executive position since 2014.
She said:
“The IoD is committed to helping businesses harness and develop leadership talent and I am honoured to be recognised with this prestigious award. A key driver of Moy Park’s success is the continued dedication, support and hard work of our people and it is a privilege to lead such a talented team and innovative business.
“It’s great to see so many directors from Northern Ireland shortlisted for and winning national leadership awards and I am delighted to be among them.”
Gareth Loye took over as Chief Executive of the family firm M&M Contractors in 2011 and has lead it through a period of growth which included the acquisition of Mascott Construction last year.
He commented:
“To lead any firm is a tremendous privilege, and even more so when it is the family company.
“The challenges in the construction industry over recent years have been well documented so it is with some pride to have won this accolade which is a recognition of our continued growth in a tremendously difficult marketplace.
“The win is a testament to that success, only made possible by hard work of our employees and support of our clients”.
For more information about IoD NI, visit www.iod.com/ni.