One of the island’s biggest employers, and a previous winner of the Awards for Excellence, is making a return this year as a sponsor.

Barclays Bank has been in the island for more than 100 years, boasts almost 400 members of staff, and supports a diverse range of clients, from fiduciaries to local business and personal banking clients. Barclays won the Employer of the Year category back in 2023 and has since sponsored the Awards for Excellence.

‘We were delighted to win!’ Graeme Sullivan, country manager for Barclays in the Isle of Man, tells me enthusiastically.

‘We like to make sure our colleagues have a brilliant place to work. We do a lot of work across our people charter, which ensures we focus on things such as ESG and the local environment. We also focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, colleague wellbeing, charity, sports and social, making Barclays a great place to work.’

Barclays went onto sponsor the Employer of the Year award in 2024 and this year is sponsoring the Community Initiative of the Year, something the company is incredibly passionate about.

‘We do a lot of community work, and want to recognise others who are doing the same to support the prosperity of our island.’

Graeme believes Barclays has a responsibility, as one of the largest employers in the island, to ensure the company is playing its part in setting the standards when it comes to supporting the local community. He says they need to ‘walk-the-walk’ as well as ‘talking-the-talk’ especially if they’re sponsoring the Community Initiative category.

An example of this is Barclays ‘Charity of the Month’ initiative, in which, employees nominate a charity, and the one chosen gets a financial donation, the opportunity to go into the office to promote their work and set up a pop-up stall to interact with the public.

Barclays also regularly participates in ‘Make a Difference Days’ where employees spend time out in the community supporting charities in person.

As a participant in this year’s awards, Barclays is entered in the Exceptional Customer Service category for their advancements in customer accessibility.

‘We now have named points of contact in our call centres. So, when clients contact us, they've got dedicated direct telephone numbers and emails, so they’ve got the consistency of speaking to the same people.

‘We've also reduced wait times. So, we're really trying to improve our customer service, because our clients are so important to us, and exceptional client service is the foundation of everything we do. I’m also excited to say Barclay’s is launching a new service; a Private Bank proposition in the Crown Dependencies for high-net-worth individuals.’

Having relocated to the island three years ago, Graeme says he’s seen first-hand the way the Awards for Excellence promotes the very best of the island.

‘I've been fortunate to have worked in many jurisdictions over my career, and the talent and capabilities of the Isle of Man go toe-to-toe with anywhere, it's very special. I think the Awards for Excellence really helps showcase that amazing talent in various forms. It makes me very proud as an Isle of Man resident.’

- The Awards for Excellence take place on Thursday, November 20. Please email [email protected] for ceremony tickets and further info.