Lynne Berry OBE will be the keynote speaker at Workingmums.co.uk’s third annual Top Employer Awards 2012 in November.
The Awards, which are free to enter, celebrate employers who are developing innovative ways of working suited to 21st century demands and this year include two new categories, including a Best for Dads Award in recognition of the importance of moves which support shared parenting.
Berry, a former chief executive of the Equal Opportunities Commission, Director of Public Benefit and Vice Chair of the new Waterways Charity, has been taking part in Cass Business School's seminar series for outstanding female chief executives interested in serving on private sector boards.
She will talk about female career progression and what can be done to improve female representation on the boards of Britain’s top companies.
The event includes a networking session and a panel discussion, led by last year's Overall Top Employer winner John Lewis Partnership.
There are eight categories open to employers, one of which – Working Mums Champion - is also open to employees. Two of the categories, Family Support and Best for Dads, have been revised this year to reflect changing social trends and Government policy initiatives such as elder care support and shared parenting.
The full line-up of Award categories is:
- Innovation in Flexible Working Award
- Employee Engagement Award
- Top Employer Award (overall)
- SME Award [split into sections for companies with under 25 and under 250 employees]
- Best for Dads Award
- Talent Attraction Award
- Family Support Award
- Working Mums Champion Award
Gillian Nissim, Founder of Workingmums.co.uk, says: “We are delighted to have a keynote speaker of the calibre and vast experience of Lynne Berry and someone who is so deeply involved in the push to get greater female representation on the boards of the UK’s top companies. It is also fitting that this announcement about our Awards comes ahead of Father’s Day. This year's categories include a new Best for Dads Award which recognises the need to include dads more in parenting and work issues for the mutual benefit of dads who want to be more involved in family life and of mums, an increasing number of whom are the main breadwinners in their families.”
The Awards will be judged by an expert panel made up of Gillian Nissim, founder of Workingmums.co.uk, Andy Lake, editor of Flexibility.co.uk, Jennifer Liston-Smith, head of coaching development at My Family Care, and Dave Dunbar, head of BT Flexible Working Services.
