Frozen's Got Talent

FROZEN'S GOT TALENT

The BFFF People Awards are the perfect way to recognise and reward the dynamic, innovative, hardworking, passionate and creative personnel who make the frozen food industry tick. The Bulletin catches up with 2019’s stars of the show to find out what the experience meant to them and how taking part can benefit your business. BFFF’s People Awards are all about celebrating the unsung heroes of frozen, the brilliant and hard-working staff who make this essential part of the food industry the dynamic and innovative sector it is. The awards, now in their third year, receive high calibre entries from across the entire frozen food landscape. Winners are selected from 11 categories that reflect the diverse nature of our vibrant industry including Commercial Team of the Year, Product Developer of the Year and Unsung Hero. Organisers are expecting the 2020 awards to be as

competitive as ever, with a plethora of entries shining a spotlight on the talented staff making waves in their field of expertise. HR expert Cheryl Bennett, who specialises in staff engagement and people development, was one of the judges on the 2019 panel. She says she cannot stress enough how beneficial the awards can be to employees and businesses alike. “Satisfaction and productivity levels increase when people feel appreciated and know their hard work is valued, which in turn boosts motivation to go the extra mile and continue being a star performer,” she explains. “If a member of your team delivers consistently brilliant results, there’s no better way to show your appreciation than by putting them forward for a BFFF People Award. “It’s a fantastic and effective way to inspire loyalty within your teams and improve employee engagement, as well as gain some positive PR.”

“The BFFF People Awards are a fantastic way to show your appreciation and improve employee engagement, as well as gain some positive PR.” Cheryl Bennett, HR Expert and 2019 People Awards judge

They’re great for workplace culture The People Awards are a brilliant way to maximise staff engagement. By demonstrating you recognise and reward hard work you will attract and retain the best people and inspire loyalty and commitment from your staff. Nothing motivates people or strengthens teams quite like a trophy, so the BFFF People Awards really are a win-win. They‘re PR gold dust Having an award like this under your belt also comes with the potential for some great PR because it gives businesses the opportunity to raise

their profile in the trade press. It’s also a great tool to enhance internal communications by adding news of your win to newsletters and emails.

They make solid business sense You can use your award nomination or win to reach and impress a range of internal and external audiences through blog content and social media posts, which could even result in increased lead generation, a greater number of customer enquiries and ultimately an uplift in sales. Your bottom line will thank you for it!

I was elated, honoured and surprised to win as there was strong competition in this category. It was fantastic to see the months of hard work that went into my project recognised. It’s given me the inspiration to broaden my horizons and continue on a larger scale across other divisions at apetito. The People Awards are a rewarding experience for the individual, the team and the whole organisation. Winner: Zoe Beauvoisin, Development Champion

The other finalists in this category were from some huge businesses so I was happy just to make the shortlist, but to actually win was amazing. Winning has made me feel even more motivated to improve the way we work here at Caterforce and I am now working on the Caterforce CSR policy which is a huge step forward for the business. The award has helped catapult technical issues to the forefront of the business and I would urge others to go for it. Awards are rarely won by individuals; my win last year was a reflection of the whole team at Caterforce. Winner: Kelly Orme, Technical Champion

Nominator: Steve Challouma, Birds Eye Limited (Goodfella's) It’s great the BFFF is giving recognition to the talent in the industry, which is among the best in the food industry. To get the opportunity to recognise people’s achievements and celebrate their success is a wonderful thing. I put colleagues forward for Best Marketer, Business Transformation and Rising Star and was delighted to see Claire Hoyle pick up Marketer of the Year. The award allowed us to celebrate Claire’s success and give her the platform to continue the great work she is doing on the brand.

We were in shock to win such a competitive category. It was a landmark achievement for the team as we felt that all the hard work over the past few years was finally recognised and validated by a respected body such as the BFFF. It has given the whole team the confidence to be bold and daring with our decisions when it comes to innovation and our businesses pipeline. Since winning, we’ve launched our next innovation wave, Street Eats, which was an extremely successful campaign. It included a customer showcase with a record number of attendees across our customer base, from healthcare and education to business and industry. Following this success we are relaunching Vegan, supported by a refreshed version of our vegan cookbook as well as a more in-depth look at free-from foods, under our new header of ‘Allergens Made Simple’. This award has also given our sales team more confidence going out into the market knowing we’re at the sharp end of innovation and making this accessible for our customers. Please nominate your colleagues, it’s lovely to be recognised this way and can definitely increase confidence and boost motivation. Winner: Bidfood Innovation Team, Innovation Team of the Year

When I found out I had been nominated I was thrilled and honoured. I am very passionate about what I do, but I wouldn’t have been able to achieve the results I have without the support of a great team of colleagues and the opportunity to be daring within our business. It is a fantastic feeling to be nominated and recognised by not only my business but also our industry. People underestimate how far a thank-you or a form of recognition goes. No one comes to work to do a bad job, but some people strive to do the best they can and they‘re the ones who keep business ticking and customers happy. Since winning the award, myself and the team have continued to drive our category’s growth, working with overseas suppliers to create buying efficiencies, tendering ranges to offer best quality product at great prices and working hard to ensure continued supply in turbulent markets. I am going on maternity leave shortly but look forward to re-joining the team on my return and continuing to learn and develop in the exciting and varied industry that is foodservice. Winner: Rachel Hartwell, Purchaser of the Year

I was very flattered when I found out I had been nominated and I was so happy to win. It was really lovely to have been recognised for the hard work I’d done on the brand and to know my manager was really supportive of my work. Since becoming part of Birds Eye UK through Nomad Food’s acquisition of the Goodfella's Pizza business it has been really apparent that the business is very proud of its hugely successful brands and employees, so it has been really motivating to receive this award and be recognised as part of a fantastic marketing team. It’s helped promote an ongoing sense of achievement within the Goodfella’s team. We’ve been on a really exciting journey over the last 12 months, relaunching the brand and kicking off a new advertising campaign which sees us going back to our original Italian American roots, putting a modern-day twist on the gangster genre with our character ‘The Godmother’. We’ve also updated our packaging, made product improvements and launched a second product in the Vegan range, increasing our reach to those looking for meat-free alternatives by offering a pizza with vegan cheese. Winner: Claire Hoyle, Marketer of the Year

Nominator: Claire Williams, Caterforce Group (Hunt's Foodservice)

Two of the six people I nominated went home with awards, which was amazing. There are many talented people working within our seven members – some of the best in the industry - and we really wanted them to be recognised for their hard work and dedication. Many of our employees are going above and beyond on a daily basis so we wanted to celebrate our people and shout about all the fantastic work we’re doing. The winners and the businesses are very proud of the wins: to even be nominated was a great achievement. The winners now feel even more valued in their roles, which in turn makes them more confident and enthused. Overall it has acted as a reminder we are working with great talent and should be celebrating this more regularly. We received positive internal and external PR but by far the best outcome was the deserving recognition the employees got because it has increased motivation while improving morale and loyalty. If you’re thinking of nominating someone, do it - not only will it make your colleague’s day, but the awards are a fantastic opportunity to showcase talented individuals and the great work carried out in the foodservice industry.

I chose two of my colleagues to nominate; one for the Rising Star and one for Technical Champion awards. Daniel Morris, who won the Rising Star award, has seen an increase in the level of confidence and a wider recognition of the work the marketing team plays in the achievement and success of the business. It has given him the opportunity to see the value in the work we do. The experience was a great boost for all teams, our wider industry and peers recognising the talents we have within our business. There was an enormous sense of pride that Daniel had won the award and it was a great opportunity to provide good news and updates to our customers and further enhance their confidence in our abilities as a supplier. Nominating team members is great as it shows your commitment to their efforts within your business, which is definitely something that should be celebrated. Nominator: Nicola Mills, Billington Foodservice (The Billington Group)

How to submit an application

The 2020 The deadline for submissions is 13th December 2019. Head to bfffpeopleawards.co.uk and download the appropriate entry form from the categories page. You’ll find instructions on how to complete and upload your submission, along with any supporting evidence such as presentations, videos or other creative content. All entries will be scrutinised by our panel of expert judges who assess answers to each question and consider any supporting evidence to determine a shortlist of finalists, then the winners for each award. Judges will be looking for evidence that an individual has gone above and beyond their role in order to achieve benefit for their organisation or the wider frozen food industry. On the website you’ll find an example of a winning entry from a previous year, which you may find helpful when writing your submission. AWARDS

The third annual awards ceremony will take place on Thursday 5th March 2020 at the Chesford Grange Hotel, Kenilworth, directly after the Business Conference and is expected to attract more than 300 guests from across the frozen food industry. Tickets will be available on a first come first served basis from the ticket website.

Award categories:

People Award business benefits:

Rising Star Supply Chain / Logistics Team of the Year Business Transformation of the Year Unsung Hero Product Developer of the Year Marketing Campaign of the Year Sustainability Champion Commercial Team of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award Technical Champion / Team Health & Safety Champion / Team

• Boosts staff engagement • Motivates and inspires your teams • Facilitates talent acquisition and retention • Raises your business profile • Contributes to lead generation • Generates newsletter content • Gets people talking on social media

2019 HIGHLIGHTS