Isle of Man Director of the Year Awards
Celebrating Isle of Man’s finest leadership talent
The IoD Director of the Year Awards celebrates the achievements of outstanding business leaders in our society. Hosted once a year, awards are given to those who excel in areas such as innovation, sustainability, equity, diversity and inclusion, and more.
Open to all – whether you’re an executive, non-executive, partner or even a chief constable – we want to hear about the work you’re doing as a senior decision-maker to help build a better world through business.
Nominations and applications
1 May – 31 July 2024
Select an option below to start your own application or to nominate someone else. The IoD will contact those nominated to inform them and guide them to make an application.
Judging
August 2024
Our external, dedicated panel of volunteer judges will scrupulously review each application multiple times to determine each category’s Director of the Year, along with any highly commended applicants.
Awards ceremony
18 October 2024, Comis Hotel and Golf Resort
This year the Isle of Man Director of the Year Awards will be reaching its grand finale at the Comis Hotel and Golf Resort, you’ll be able to book your tickets at the button below when sales go live, later this year.
Innovation
This award recognises leaders that have achieved success through bringing an innovative and disruptive approach to their marketplace. The judges are looking for evidence of creative thinking that has beaten the competition and has been developed and applied to improve commercial performance, operational effectiveness, or customer engagement Sponsorship available.
Non-Executive
NEDs can bring exceptional value to any organisation; their role is to provide a creative contribution to the board by providing independent oversight and constructive challenge to the executive directors on a broad range of subjects. The most important qualities are judgement, wisdom and the ability to gain respect and attention from their colleagues. Sponsorship available.
Sustainability
This award is aimed at leaders who can demonstrate how they integrate the success and smooth running of their business with a strong sense of social responsibility and corporate values and is designed to recognise the most ethical, socially responsible or green business leader in the UK. Sponsorship available.
Public and Third Sector
This award is open to directors of Third Sector organisations and leaders of public services, including public agencies, national bodies and governmental departments. The judges are looking for leaders that can demonstrate how to get the best out of others’ professional expertise. You will have a compelling vision and demonstrate a commitment to empowering others, inclusive decision-making, collaborative leadership, and innovative solutions to fulfil your organisational purpose and values. Sponsorship available.
Young & Start-Up
This award recognises upcoming leaders and entrepreneurs who have operated at director level or set up on their own in the last three years. You should already demonstrate excellent entrepreneurship, ability, ambition, and vision, as well as a recognition of the importance of good corporate governance, company culture, and whose innovation is already generating excitement in the marketplace. Sponsorship available.
SME (up to 50 employees)
This award is designed to celebrate those directors working in a business that employs up to 50 employees. This award will go to the leader that can show outstanding initiative, boldness and imagination in enterprise, sustainability, as well as sound management practice, good corporate governance and commercial success. Sponsorship available.
Large Business (50+ employees)
This award recognises exceptional talent among leaders of the region’s major organisations. It looks for directors displaying courage and vision in decision-making to keep their business ahead of the competition and whose leadership is based on knowledge, skills and a strong ethical mindset. Sponsorship available.
Sponsorship enquiries
For all IoD Director of the Year sponsorship opportunities, please contact our dedicated team.
FAQs
Here you’ll find many common questions about the Director of the Year Awards.
Do I have to be an IoD member to apply to the awards?
No, our awards are open to entry to both IoD members and non-members. The only exception is where a region awards a Chartered Director of the Year Award – only IoD members can be awarded this award.
I’m not a director, am I still able to apply?
Yes, so long as your role is one that makes decisions for a business at a senior level, then generally you can apply for our awards – please make sure to read the eligibility criteria for the category you’d like to apply for. Some categories are naturally aimed at non-directors i.e. Public and Third Sector, or Start-up & Young. Download eligibility criteria here.
Is there an entry fee?
No, our awards are completely free to enter, whether you apply to one category or to multiple categories.
Can I apply to multiple categories?
Yes you can, we encourage you to apply to all categories where you have exemplary achievements. However, you must only apply to one region i.e. if you work in both England and Wales, if you apply to IoD England then you are unable to apply to IoD Wales.
Can someone else fill in an application for me on my behalf?
Yes, it’s fine for someone else i.e. an assistant, to fill in an application on your behalf, but we would ask that they use first person to respond to questions and be clear who the nominee for the award is.
How are the awards judged?
Each region employs an impartial panel of judges – made up of previous awards winners, IoD Fellows and exceptional members of the business community – to judge all applications multiple times, once the application period has closed. Our judges follow a clear set of criteria to complete judging and finalists for each category are chosen based on the highest percentage of scorers.
Do I apply on behalf of my company?
Our Director of the Year Awards look to celebrate your personal achievements – while we recognise that many achievements are made through teamwork and the support of your colleagues and employees, we want to hear about your efforts in making it happen.
In your application you will be asked to list your company name and this information will be used in press releases; where you have ties to multiple companies, we recommend listing the name of the company which supports the evidence you give in your application best.
Why can't I apply for the 'Chair's Award for Excellence' category?
This award is the highest accolade in the Director of the Year Awards, recognising the personal imprint of the UK’s most high-profile leaders on the culture and success of their organisations through outstanding professionalism and the implementation of best practice in governance and leadership. Winners will be selected by our national or regional IoD Chair.
If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our team on [email protected].
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