Cranfield Aerospace Ltd (CAe) held its Annual Employee Meeting in September and used the meeting as a launch pad for the first of its Chairman’s Awards and Head of Group Award.

The Awards were introduced as an incentive to recognise distinguished achievements within the workplace.

The following individuals were nominated by work colleagues and were presented with a certificate and ‘Red Letter Day’ vouchers of their own choice.

Best Colleague – Debbie Feeley

Debbie’s work colleagues had no doubt as to who should be receiving this award. They thought she had extended her role and had become not only a work colleague but a coach and buddy :-

‘Debbie is always willing to take on additional tasking that is beyond her job remit without complaint. She is proactive in assisting staff with their operational needs. She has excellent organisational skills which means she can be relied upon and has become a focal point within Airborne Systems Group. She deals with customers, suppliers and salesmen very competently, directing queries out to the right people and often protecting the staff from “nuisance calls” which distract from their duties.

Customer Excellence – Dan Jackson

Work colleagues thought Dan:-

‘consistently delivers customer excellence in his area of expertise, in particular, responding rapidly to customer queries and getting involved in all aspects of business including the customer facing elements such as integration and customer support. He reacts quickly to problems and queries raised by customers, all with the aim of ensuring customer satisfaction. He also takes on new roles and tasks within the company with ease and cooperation and seems to know how to interface with a wide diversity of different customers from major primes to private motorsport racers’.

This is why they nominated him for the Customer Excellence Award.

Change Champion – Alison Eve

Alison was voted Change Champion. According to her work colleagues she:-

‘demonstrated her adaptability to accommodate changing tasking requirements. When it was necessary for Alison to transfer her skill set to a different discipline to meet business needs, she embraced this change and become fully immersed into her new role whilst maintaining the capability within Cranfield Aerospace Ltd of her previous role. Her willingness and capability to change roles rapidly, has enabled her to achieve a much higher level of productivity. She is always willing to take on new tasks and prioritise her workload accordingly’.

Innovation – Andy Pitcher

There was no hesitation when work colleagues nominated Andy as their champion of innovation. They thought Andy:-

‘has been instrumental in the creation and development of the Motorsport Simulation arm of the business as well as to streamline the procurement and manufacturing process of g-seat components by identifying and promoting the use of outsourcing to specialist “low cost” suppliers. He is always looking for ways to improve our manufacturing and procurement processes.’

Ryan Marshall – Head of Group Award

What makes this Award exceptional is the individual has been personally nominated by Head of Group. Ryan was nominated for his dedication and commitment to his personal development and commitment to his new role.

Since joining CAe in February 2014 Ryan has successfully completed several training modules for his Part 66 B1 licence. Ryan achieved high pass marks in all his modules putting him firmly on his way to becoming a licensed engineer.