Financial services company Cherry Godfrey is sponsoring the award for Leader of the Year at Thursday evening’s Isle of Man Newspapers’ Awards for Excellence.
John Hunter, managing director of Cherry Godfrey in the island, explained why the company is proud to be sponsoring the awards.
He said: ‘I have been to every one of the Awards for Excellence nights since they first started.
‘It’s a fabulous evening to celebrate everything that’s good about our island, be that private or public sector, and a way to recognise people who have contributed.
‘It’s a hugely successful event.’
The award for Leader of the Year is about recognising an exemplary individual who has successfully led a strategy for outstanding performance.
There are no published nominations as this category is a special one, nominated by the Awards for Excellence judging panel, and the winner is not revealed until the night the awards are presented.
The judges, who are all leaders in their own fields, be that public, private or third sector, will be looking for someone who has an awareness of global, societal and organisational issues, and who engages with them through their actions as a leader.
They should also show a willingness to deal with the challenges and opportunities of an increasingly globalised and digital economy, whilst also looking to support the local community.
Other key criteria for success in this category would be someone who has been an effective ambassador for the Isle of Man and helped to raise the island’s profile internationally; someone who has been able to identify key challenges in their own business or organisation and overcome them, and finally, someone who can deliver a human approach to leadership that is embodied throughout their business.
All of these qualities resonate within the Cherry Godfrey business which was founded in Guernsey in March 1993 by husband and wife team, David and Selena Cherry, née Godfrey.
They have since opened offices in Jersey in 2000, in the Isle of Man in 2016, and more recently in the Isle of Wight.
On the Isle of Man, Cherry Godfrey provides loans for both personal and business customers; a range of insurance cover including business insurance, and mortgages. Despite its successful expansion it remains very much a family business and one which is rooted in each of the local island communities it serves.
Mr Hunter says: ‘Cherry Godfrey was founded to provide financial services products to islanders by islanders and we have presence in each of those jurisdictions, looking after the local market.
‘That is important because our approach is a very personal one: we like to get to know our customers so that we can understand and fulfil their needs, be that for loans, insurance or mortgages.
‘We want to get to know our customers by name and our customers to know us by name.
‘We look after our customers – that’s the ethos of the business.’
When it comes to being an award sponsor at this year’s Awards for Excellence, Mr Hunter says: ‘Cherry Godfrey is delighted to sponsor the award for Leader of the Year.
‘As a company, we have always put our staff and customers first and demonstrated the need for clear, consistent and creative leadership – which has manifested itself in a sustainable and growing business.’
l For Awards for Excellence tickets call 695605 or email: [email protected]