Archant honours outstanding staff at annual awards lunch

Archant has honoured scores of staff from across the company at its annual Archant Awards lunch at the Landmark Hotel in London.

Over 200 members of staff heard chief executive Adrian Jeakings open the award lunch with an upbeat message.

He said: “Colleagues from all over the company are telling me how they are winning business and inspiring communities by putting our customers first…

“But we need to continue developing new and innovative products and services to meet the needs of our audience and clients.”

Turning to the main purpose of the event, Adrian said: “This is one of my favourite days of the year.

“t’s always a great pleasure to stand up here in such splendid surroundings and recognize the people that have done outstanding things over the past year. Today is all about celebrating the outstanding achievements of our colleagues. Listen, learn, applaud and, above all, enjoy.”

Double delight for Mustard TV

Double Archant Awards winner was the Mustard TV team from Archant East which scooped the Team of the Year category while its MD, Fiona Ryder, won chief executive Adrian Jeakings’ Special Award. Both were rewarded for a successful launch of the new local TV station for greater Norwich and “achievements notable on a national scale” for what is “arguably the best local TV station in England.”

Archant Herts & Cambs were other big winners with The Hunts Post taking the prestigious Archant Inspiring Communities Award for its “truly inspiring brand and never-ending series of campaigns”, and the Welwyn & Hatfield Times – Pure Property winning the Innovation of the Year – Product or Service category for producing “one of the best-looking supplements in the industry”.

In addition senior sales executive Rebecca Guest, was given the Contribution to Client Success Award.

Rebecca “understood her client’s needs and prepared a responsive brief, with the result that the client needed to increase staffing to deal with the new business generated.”

Archant London & Kent scored a double success with sales manager Elaine Allen named Coach of the Year for “making good salespeople better, helping them hit targets, improving their confidence and providing guidance where it is needed.”

Senior newspaper sales executive Gill Broad took the Unsung Hero of the Year title after an online vote by Archant staff.

Her nomination said: “Gill has a fantastic rapport with everybody from the flagship supermarket store manager to the local newsagent. She always goes above and beyond what is required to get the newspapers in the best position possible to maximise the sales. A real star but an unsung one.”