Wales Director of the Year Awards
Celebrating the highest achieving business leaders in Wales
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
24 November 2023 – 23 February 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
4 – 15 March 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
17 May 2024, ICC Wales
Finalists will be announced in April, and the awards ceremony will be held on Friday 17 May at the ICC Wales.
Young
This award recognises upcoming leaders who have demonstrated excellent entrepreneurial potential, ability, ambition, creativity and vision in new or established businesses who have operated at director level for less than three years. Sponsored by Sony Technology Centre.
Non-Executive
This award recognises individuals that have made a significant contribution to the organisation’s strategy, impacted on the financial success of the company, demonstrated high ethical standards and promoted the practice of good corporate governance. Sponsorship available.
International
We are looking for an international business leader with evidence of credible growth and development plans in place to build further on their company success globally. The leader will operate across borders and could be in any industry sector but is likely to be gaining market share due to strong international growth from a great product or service. Sponsored by Halo Financial.
Skills Development
Nurturing talent is an essential part of any successful business. From offering apprenticeships through to the development of future leaders, we’re looking for Directors that are helping their people to develop their skills, achieve valuable qualifications and access future opportunities. Sponsored by Portal Training.
Start-up Business
This award celebrates founders/co-founders of start-ups. It looks at the market opportunity identified by entrepreneurs, the model to capitalise on it and how it has been executed within the first three years of trading. Sponsorship available.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Diversity and inclusion within any business are key factors in determining organisational success. Over the years many organisations have worked hard to embrace diversity within their workplaces and create an environment where everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race or cultural background or disability, can flourish and succeed. Sponsorship available.
Public and Third Sector
Leadership is critical to good public governance, including good planning, efficiency, transparency and accountability. This award is open to directors of Third Sector organisations and leaders of public services, including public agencies, national bodies and governmental departments. Sponsored by Buffoon Media.
Sustainability
This award is aimed at leaders who can demonstrate how they integrate the success and smooth running of their business with a commitment to innovative initiatives & investments in green decarbonising and is designed to recognise the most ethical, socially responsible green business leader in Wales. Sponsored by Welsh Government.
Innovation
This award recognises leaders that have achieved success through bringing an innovative and disruptive approach to their marketplace; a leader that has developed an innovative and transformational idea that displays creative thinking, has beaten the competition and has been developed and applied to improve commercial performance, operational effectiveness or customer engagement. Sponsored by COPA-DATA.
SME (up to £15m)
This award will go to the business that can show outstanding initiative, boldness and imagination in enterprise, sustainability, as well as sound management practice, good corporate governance and commercial success. Sponsored by Development Bank for Wales.
Chair's Award for Excellence
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. Sponsored by IoD Wales.
2024 Judging Panel
Our judging panel brings together a wealth of business knowledge, with individuals boasting extensive experience in areas like innovation, sustainability, and corporate governance.
Steve Dalton, OBE, CDir, FIoD (Dip) CCMI
Head judge and Founding Partner at Sunrise Leaders LLP
Kalina Konova
Marketing and Communications Manager at Sony Technologies UK
Tony Worsley
Commercial Director at Pixafusion
Ffrancon Williams
Chief Executive at Cartrefi Cymunedol Gwynedd Cyf
Colin Sykes
Chief Executive at TG Partners
Geoff Hancock
Managing Director at Dragon Executive Management
John Williams
Senior Partner at S'investec
Sarah Hurlow
Director of Executive Education and Professor in Leadership at Cardiff University
Marianne Pettifor
Managing Director at Frogmore Consulting
Alys Smith
Director of HR Operations at Health HR UK Limited
Adam Amor
Director at Buffoon Media
Kate Carr
Director at Arc Cymru
Martyn Williams
Managing Director at COPA-DATA
Tim Edwards
Research Professor and Pro-Dean Research, Impact and Innovation at Cardiff Business School
David Roberts
Director at the Alternative Board
Jane Lynch
Academic Professor of Procurement at Cardiff Business School
Andy Medler
Head of Corporate Partnerships at Halo Financial
Gareth Jarman
Founder of Gentium International
Headline sponsor
We’re an AACSB International and AMBA-accredited business school with a clear public value purpose: to make a positive impact in the communities of Wales and the world.
Category sponsors
Sony UK Technology Centre
A manufacturing centre of excellence, a trusted service and repair centre, and the home of a business hub of like-minded small and medium size businesses – our portfolio is diverse and ever-evolving to provide expert, turnkey solutions to our global customers.
Halo Financial
At Halo Financial, we do things differently. We regard currency exchange as the commodity, not you. Since 2005, our currency specialists have been devising bespoke foreign exchange solutions to mitigate exchange rate risk for our business and personal clients.
Welsh Government
Business Wales helps new entrepreneurs, existing micro-businesses and SMEs to build more resilient businesses and develop their business practices. The service aims to improve productivity and stimulate business growth in an inclusive and sustainable way, supporting access to investment, export, and the creation of good quality employment.
Development Bank of Wales
We fund businesses that we think will benefit Wales and its people. The ones that will create ripples of growth. The ones that are more than a good business model or a great idea. We finance responsible businesses – those with a strong social, ethical and environmental standards, as well as real commercial promise.
Portal Training
Founded in 2010, Portal is a dynamic bilingual training provider experienced in supporting organisations across Wales in developing leadership, management, coaching and mentoring capabilities within their workforce.
COPA-DATA
COPA-DATA is an independent software manufacturer that specialises in digitalisation for the manufacturing industry and energy sector. Its zenon® software platform enables users worldwide to automate, manage, monitor, integrate and optimise machines, equipment, buildings and power grids. COPA-DATA combines decades of experience in automation with the potential of digital transformation.
Buffoon Media
Since 2011, we’ve been creating and streaming content for clients across the UK. We have worked with some of the UK’s biggest names including Unilever, Tata Steel, Nectar Card, UK Government and the NHS. Being a proud video production company based in Wales, we are experienced in producing Welsh language content for the public and private sectors and have bilingual staff who can take you through the whole process in whichever language you prefer.
Sponsorship enquiries
For all Director of the Year sponsorship opportunities, please contact Rebecca Davies or Joanna Price.
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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