Welsh Contact Centre Awards – winners announced

Stars from one of Wales’ most successful industries were honoured at a special awards ceremony at Cardiff City Stadium hosted by ‘Chatty Man’ television star Alan Carr.

The Welsh Contact Centre Awards, which have been running for 16 years, celebrate the excellence of an industry that employs 30,000 people and contributes around £600m a year into the Welsh economy.

600 guests attended the event, organised by the Welsh Contact Centre Forum, to see staff from call centres across the country awarded for their outstanding contribution in 16 categories.

Winners List

Sales Agent of the Year

Winner: Julie Whitcombe – Media Wales
Highly Commended: Musroor Rafiq – Firstsource Solutions

Support Person of the Year

Joint Winners:

Molly Firth – Serco
Christopher Powell – Legal & General Investments

Best Customer Service Representative

Winner: Gemma Jones – Wales & West Utilities

Trainer of the Year

Winner: Jordan Lee – Admiral Group PLC

Team Leader of the Year

Winner: Nik Shanahan – British Gas
Highly Commended: Richard Bowen – New Law

Manager of the Year with Under 100 Staff

Winner: Sally Gronow – Dwr Cymru Welsh Water
Highly Commended: Gary Thomas – Tesco

Manager of the Year with Over 100 Staff

Joint winners:

Ben Winchester – Save Britain Money
Michelle Beech – Virgin Media

Best Outsourced Contact Centre

Winner: CGI

Best Shared Service Initiative

Winner: Ministry of Justice – Shared Services

Support Team of the Year

Winner: British Gas

People Development

Winner: Admiral Group PLC

Best Application of Technology

Winner: Serco

Best People Engagement

Winner: HSBC
Highly Commended: Blackhorse Finance

Best Community Initiative

Winner: Barclays Welsh Language Centre

Best Integrated Customer Service

Winner: Tesco

Contact Centre of the Year – Small

Winner: Deloitte

Contact Centre of the Year – Medium

Winner: Barclays Home Solutions Direct

Contact Centre of the Year – Large

Winner: Virgin Media
Highly Commended: Lloyds Banking Group

Sandra Busby, managing director of the Welsh Contact Centre Forum, said: “The contact centre industry contributes a huge amount to Wales’ economy, and it is really important that its excellent work continues to be recognised.”

“Everyone who received an award should be very proud of themselves, as they have been selected as the top of their field in an industry brought alive by more than 30,000 people.”