Barclays, DS Smith and Rio Tinto are among the organisations that were recognised for their employee share plans at the 2016 Annual Proshare Awards.
The awards are designed to recognise and celebrate the best organisations and individuals who implement and work in employee share plans.
Indivior won the best new share plan award for its UK sharesave scheme and US employee stock purchase plan, while Premier Foods, Diageo and Barclays received accolades for their communication strategies.
Henderson Global Investors was recognised for its approach to financial education, and DS Smith and Rio Tinto were both named winners in the most effective use of technology category.
The full list of winners is:
- Best new share plan: Indivior.
- Best international share plan: GAM. Highly commended: DS Smith.
- Most effective communication of an employee share plan, up to 5,000 employees: Premier Foods.
- Most effective communication of an employee share plan, 5,001 to 50,000 employees: Diageo. Highly commended: Informa.
- Most effective communication of an employee share plan, more than 50,000 employees: Barclays.
- Best overall performance in fostering employee share ownership, up to 5,000 employees: Skyscanner.
- Best overall performance in fostering employee share ownership, more than 5,000 employees: Diageo.
- Best commitment to employee share ownership in a smaller organisation listed and unlisted: River and Mercantile Group.
- Best employee share plan outcome following a major corporate change: CYBG, and Aldermore Group.
- Most effective use of technology; DS Smith, and Rio Tinto.
- Best financial education initiative for employees: Henderson Global Investors.
- Employee share plans champion of the year: Francis O’Mahony, head of employee share plans and share registration at BT.
- Award for Services to employee share ownership: Graeme Nuttal OBE, partner at Fieldfisher.
Gabbi Stopp, head of employee share ownership at Proshare, said: “In a challenging and turbulent year for British businesses, we are delighted at the commitment of [organisations], both domestic and globally focused, to fostering employee share ownership among the workforce.
“Employee share ownership helps unite entire workforces in a common purpose, making a greater contribution to the [organisations] and communities that they work and live in and improving the financial wellbeing of employees and their families.”