Category Description
This award is open to anyone in the financial services sector wishing to enter a specific individual or team that has shown outstanding leadership in promoting sustainable finance – or sustainability more broadly – within their organisation and its business activities.
(If there are outstanding candidates, judges may consider making two awards – one for an individual, one for a team.)
For individuals, the nominee can hold any position in the organisation, from CEO to administrative assistant. Similarly, for teams, it can include any type, including research, investment, engagement, client relations and back office support. But in both cases, they do need to be able to demonstrate that they’ve achieved really significant, game-changing impact.
Judges do not expect perfection in all aspects of the individual or team: they know that embedding sustainable finance across all activities is a challenging process!
Key achievements will include one or more major initiatives in purpose-driven sustainable finance, in which the individual leader or team has played a central role. The judges will assess the extent and range of achievements; the degree of creativity and innovation that has been shown in taking forward the initiative(s); the extent to which the entrant has shown leadership within their sector and has influenced colleagues and others; and (in the case of an individual in particular), the personal commitment demonstrated by the entrant to be a voice for sustainable finance.
Time Frame: Entries should focus primarily on activity from the past four years. Historical context and earlier work may be included where relevant to demonstrate baselines, legacy impact, or progression.
We request a total word count of 1500 words +/-10% (excl. supporting docs). Any confidential data will be treated as such and only shared with the judging panel.
Criteria
Judges will be looking for evidence of the following points (weighting percentages in brackets):
Success of specific initiatives (45%)
How successful has the initiative(s) led by the individual / team been in achieving real positive change, with verifiable data to support the reach and impact
Influence and inspiration (25%)
The extent to which they are having a positive impact on others within their own organisation and outside it, whether among suppliers, customers, stakeholders generally or the wider society.
Innovation and creativity (20%)
The extent to which they have demonstrated real innovation, creativity and imagination, bringing new perspectives to the sustainability challenge.
Long-term commitment (10%)
The extent to which the individual or team is clearly committed to driving change going forward, as opposed to a single, time-limited activity.
PLEASE NOTE: The criteria listed above are used by judges to evaluate entries. However, you will complete a separate application form with specific questions.
When writing your entry, follow the application form questions while ensuring you address all the criteria listed above. This allows judges to assess all entries consistently.
Accessing the questions: Register or log in to AwardStage (opens 2 February), select your category, and download the PDF of questions. Application questions vary by category and will be available four weeks before entries open. To receive them in advance, please email us.
Are we eligible to enter?
Our awards programme is open to all organisations of any kind… companies large and small, charities, not-for-profits, social enterprises, NGOs, membership and accreditation organisations and government departments including local and county councils. We are all about rewarding sustainability practice – in all its forms. So if your organisation is making a difference, directly or indirectly to people and planet, you’re eligible.
We don’t just recognise businesses that are operating responsibly, or supporting / partnering with worthwhile causes. We also actively encourage entries from organisations that have been specifically set up or adapted to offer a product or service that tackles a social or environmental problem.
Our category descriptions and criteria have been written to guide entrants on what content should be detailed in their entries. However, we do not expect square pegs to fit in round holes… Some of your business activities or dedicated programmes might not fit entirely with any one specific category. In these cases, the descriptions and criteria are open to an element of interpretation and rest assured that our judges will still take into account entries that are strongly aligned with the overall context of the category.
If you have any concerns about the suitability of your entry, or would like to discuss your activities in more detail, we are here to help. Give Karen a call on 07813 718541 or email us.