London, 17 November 2021 – Lauren MacIntyre, Director of Corporate Affairs and Company Secretary of North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) has been named ‘Company Secretary of the Year’ at The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland’s 2021 Awards, which took place at the London Park Lane Hilton Hotel last night. The Awards, which were hosted by BBC Breakfast presenter and Strictly Come Dancing contestant Dan Walker, recognise those individuals and teams who have excelled in good governance, helping their organisations to better serve their stakeholders and local communities in the process.
Sara Drake, chief executive of the Institute says:
“Company secretaries make a significant contribution to organisational performance, and most especially to the effective working of the board. Still, the discreet nature of the role means that sometimes they can be an undervalued and underused resource. This is clearly not the case with Lauren, who played a major role in ensuring that the NHS Nightingale Hospital London based at the ExCel Centre was able to open for patients at the height of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. She was nominated for the award for standing out ‘as a compassionate and seasoned leader whose sound judgement and outstanding knowledge base has meant that the Board has been able to tackle the pandemic with confidence and continue to act in the best interests of the populations we serve.’ Lauren was also praised for undertaking an extensive review of the governance and internal meeting structure at NELFT to better align these with the key domains of the Care Quality Commission and for being instrumental in ensuring that the Trust has kept pace with the Department of Health and Social Care’s drive towards collaborative working and place-based care.
“Lauren faced stiff competition from three other company secretaries who were shortlisted for the award: Valerie Lynch, Company Secretary at Silva Homes; Lauren Osman, Group Company Secretary at Avenues Group; and Glen Palethorpe, Company Secretary at University Hospital Sussex NHS Foundation Trust. All should be extremely proud of the fact that their hard work, skills and knowledge have been recognised in this way. It is a clear sign that their boards and peers value their governance expertise and contribution to organisational success.
“Our judges felt that there was one clear winner in this category this year, however. Someone who, against the backdrop of the pandemic, had delivered everything they were looking for. Particularly impressive was the tireless support Lauren had offered at such a difficult time. That included being agile in supporting the Trust board in the face of hybrid working, but also most especially her work with the leadership and operational teams in setting up services at the NHS Nightingale Hospital at London ExCel. She was, in the words of the judges, the glue that held everything together.”
The full list of 2021 Awards winners can be found at www.cgi.org.uk/awards
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Notes to Editors:
- The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland is the professional body for governance and the qualifying and membership body for governance professionals across all sectors. Its purpose under Royal Charter is to lead ‘effective governance and efficient administration of commerce, industry and public affairs’ working with regulators and policy makers to champion high standards of governance and providing qualifications, training and guidance. As a lifelong learning partner, the Institute helps governance professionals to achieve their professional goals, providing recognition, community and the voice of its membership.
One of nine divisions of the global Chartered Governance Institute, which was established 130 years ago, The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland represents members working and studying in the UK and Ireland and in many other countries and regions including the Caribbean, parts of Africa and the Middle East.
Website: www.cgi.org.uk - About the Awards: Each year, the Awards bring together the crème de la crème of the governance profession to celebrate excellence in the delivery, oversight and reporting of governance. There are nine Nominated Awards categories which reflect the very best achievements from across the governance community: Governance Champion of the Year, Governance Professional of the Year, Company Secretary of the Year, The One to Watch, Team of the Year, Service Provider of the Year, Governance Project of the Year, Diversity & Inclusion Initiative of the Year and ESG Initiative of the Year (new for 2021). There are also Reporting Awards, which recognise those companies that are best in class in terms of corporate reporting.
Awards winners for all categories can be found at www.cgi.org.uk/awards