The cream of recruiters, resourcing practitioners and business partners to the UK food and drinks industry were recognised on 7 November in the inaugural YourFoodJob.com People Awards, run in association with Recruiter.

Presented at Manchester’s Lowry Hotel, the awards celebrated the £70bn UK food and drinks industry’s achievements and successes in building and developing its 400,000 workforce.

Tony Allen, general manager YourFoodJob.com, told Recruiter: “This is the only food and drinks industry award that celebrates people, and it is people that make the industry.”  

Employer-to-employee communications firm Feather Brooksbank picked up the ultimate grand prix prize for its work on Morrison’s employer brand.

Anna Fleetwood, the firm’s head of recruitment communications, told Recruiter the award recognised its work to help Morrison’s create a more cohesive employer brand. “What we did was based on employees’ behaviours and values,” she said. 

Mark Rice, co-founder of winning recruitment communications solutions firm andsome (see full list below) said: “The world has changed in the last two or three years and we have reflected that in our work for recruiters.” 

“We believe that if you put content into the social media space, and get candidates and your own people talking about you, you are not telling people what you are, but you are almost letting people tell you what you are,” he said.

Gareth Evans, talent acquisition manager, Allied Bakeries, winner of the most desirable employer – as voted for by candidates - told Recruiter the award was an endorsement of the company’s approach to candidates. “We try to deliver a great candidate experience whether the candidate is taken on or not,” he said.

Award sponsors were Blackbridge, The Brewery, Focus Management Consultants, just-food, Market Intelligence, and Telegraph Media Group. 

The winners were:

• Best employer brand development: andsome – EAT

• Most innovative recruitment initiative: Pink Squid – YO!

• Most effective equality and inclusiveness programme: Guy’s and St Thomas’ 

Foundation Trust

• Excellence in learning and development: People 1st

• Outstanding employee engagement strategy: Zest Recruitment Solutions

• Excellence through technology: andsome for EAT & Raymond Blanc Cookery School

• Best graduate recruitment campaign: Pink Squid – Kraft Foods

• Team of the year: Fresca Group (Mack Multiples)

• Best careers website: ThirtyThree – Heinz

• Most desirable employer (voted for by candidates): Allied Bakeries

• Grand Prix: Feather Brooksbank – Morrisons