Novus Blog
Meet the winners of the Novus Awards
Our achievements over the past ten years owe much to the support of our colleagues, supply chain partners, and the communities we operate in. In celebration of our decade-long journey, we organised a series of events throughout 2023 to express gratitude for the integral roles played by these stakeholders.
The commemorative year featured a range of activities, from team-building events and friendly competitions among our offices and regions to successful fundraising efforts totalling an impressive £101,680. The funds raised went towards various projects and charities, such as Shelter and the Lighthouse Club, which hold significance for our colleagues.
In addition to collective celebrations and rewards for the entire team, we sought to acknowledge individuals who exemplify our company values. This recognition took the form of our ‘Shining Stars’ employee of the month program held throughout 2023, culminating in the prestigious Employee of the Year award presented at the Novus Awards.
A gathering of colleagues from across the organisation took place at The Lowry Hotel in Manchester earlier this month for the Novus Awards. The event aimed to highlight the exceptional qualities that define Novus: our people. Continue reading to discover more about the outstanding winners!
Health and Safety Champion – Aaron Raynor
Site Manager Aaron Raynor is an active member of his SHE committee, and takes every opportunity to learn and influence positive change. Always demonstrating a professional and passionate attitude towards health and safety, Aaron epitomises our commitment to ensuring safety is paramount at all of our sites by fostering a culture of safety and working towards continuous improvement.
Customer Service Champion – Terrie Brett
Designed to recognise members of our team who support customers, drive satisfaction and help maintain Novus’ reputation, this category saw an overwhelming number of entries. Winner Terrie Brett was described by those who nominated her as the backbone of our customer service team, making her truly deserving of this award. Never afraid to get stuck in, Terrie is always on hand to assist her team and our customers, ensuring our values are always delivered.
Social Value Impact – North Manchester General Hospital, Wellbeing Gardens
This award was for a team or contract that demonstrated a clear understanding of social value, and that implemented an initiative with meaningful impact. The winner was the wellbeing gardens at North Manchester General Hospital, which saw our team invest over £30,000 to transform a communal space at the hospital for hundreds, or even thousands, of patients and staff to enjoy and to improve their wellbeing.
Contract of the Year – Whitbread
Recognising great relationships with the client and supply chain, our Whitbread delivery team were awarded Contract of the Year. Throughout 2023, the team refurbished 18 full hotels comprising approximately 2,300 bedrooms and 360 operatives with 710 miles between the northernmost and southernmost projects. This contract also notably includes Whitbread’s largest hotel, Gatwick North Terminal, containing 700 rooms and a total floor area exceeding 50,000 square metres. All work was delivered to an exceptional standard, with an NPS score of 10/10 from the client.
Apprentice of the Year – Rebekah Cliff
Our apprentices are a huge part of what makes Novus great, and we see them as the next generation of leaders for our business. Rebekah Cliff was named Apprentice of the Year in celebration of her fantastic achievements and contributions to her team, who describe her as hardworking and proactive in asking questions. She played a key role in a new system rollout, and has become the main champion for any related queries.
Leader of the Year – Darren Bowkett
Darren Bowkett was awarded Leader of the Year, recognising his position as a brilliant role model to his team, who all enjoy working under his leadership. He is known for supporting everyone on his team both professionally and personally, always encouraging them to develop their own careers through sharing his knowledge and skills while creating a respectful and collaborative working environment.
10 Year Challenge Team of the Year – Five Towns House/Interiors Team
We launched a number of initiatives in 2023 as part of our anniversary celebrations, including a series of challenges for six teams from across the business to compete in. From a quiz and bake off to physical challenges including a 5K Tough Mudder event, the challenges were not only fun, but also helped to bond teams and increase communication and collaboration. The Five Towns House/Interiors Team, captained by Lee Spencer, came out on top.
Employee of the Year – Mark Emery
Every winner of our ‘Shining Stars’ employee of the month scheme was automatically entered into this category – the most prestigious of the evening – which highlights exceptional performance and the embodiment of our core values. Contracts Manager Mark Emery took home the award in recognition of supporting a member of his team for a sustained period of time during a family crisis. During this time, Mark allowed flexibility of working hours and often covered his colleague’s responsibilities himself.
Congratulations to all of our winners, especially Mark and all of our other Employee of the Year nominees: Sean Twigg, Paul Fox, Kira Reeder, Brian Tonge, Martyn Everett, Jordan Harrison, Jay Evans, Lee Simpson, Garry Johnson, Lucy Makepeace, Wayne Appleby, and Samantha Burgon.
While 2023 was a fantastic year for reflecting on our success over the past decade, we’re looking ahead to the future and we’re excited for 2024. It’s set to be a great year under the leadership of our new CEO Lee Hartley, with a series of contracts for both new and longstanding clients already underway. Don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn and X for all the latest updates.
How Novus can help you secure SHDF Wave 3 funding
We launched Sustain in 2021, which offers an end-to-end, fully PAS 2035 compliant whole-house retrofit service from our dedicated team of experts. The service is designed to enable social housing landlords to meet the Government’s target for all social housing to achieve an EPC rating of C and above by 2030.