BT named as NI Responsible Co of the Year

Hundreds of local business leaders from across Northern Ireland gathered for a glittering gala to celebrate business as a force for good on Thursday 4 June 2015

500 business people gathered in Belfast to see Northern Ireland’s leading responsible companies be recognised and rewarded for their actions.

Communications giant, BT, picked up the top award – NI Responsible Company of the Year at the event, which has become one of Northern Ireland’s one prestigious business awards events and is run by Business in the Community.

Allstate NI scooped a UK Award for its employee wellbeing initiative – Energy for Life. Two previous UK winners, Moy Park and Phoenix Natural Gas, were also reaccredited for a further year.

Sponsored by Electric Ireland and in association with Ulster Business Magazine, the annual awards highlight the best examples of the positive impact of businesses to address social and environmental issues and/or transform their communities. The regional winners were:

• NI Responsible Company of the Year, sponsored by Allstate NI - BT
• Resource Efficiency Champion, in partnership with WRAP – ReCon Waste Management
• Business & Biodiversity, sponsored by AES – Henry Brothers (Magherafelt) Ltd
• Employer of Choice, sponsored by Arthur Cox – South West College
• Employability Champion, in partnership with The Citywide Employers’ Forum – Loughs Agency
• Community Impact Champion, sponsored by firmus energy – Heron Brothers
• Education Partner, sponsored by Allen & Overy – George Best Belfast City Airport
• Marketplace Leadership, in partnership with Ulster Business – Fold Housing Association

Kieran Harding, Managing Director, Business in the Community NI said: “The Responsible Business Awards give much needed visibility to organisations who are putting responsible behaviour at the heart of how they do business. All of the finalists are playing their part to tackle societal issues and become more sustainable by bringing to life the practical role that businesses can take to address some of our most pressing issues. We congratulate all our winners and those who were shortlisted for being inspirational examples from whom others to learn.”

Environmentalist and writer, Jonathon Porritt addressed the audience with his take on how the actions we take now will impact the world that exists tomorrow. A new children’s creative writing project – Fighting Words Belfast – was also profiled at the event and the audience was inspired by the project’s patron in Northern Ireland – writer and author, Glenn Patterson.

Rob Hardeman, Seagate Technology (Ireland) Ltd was named as Northern Ireland’s 2015 Prince’s Ambassador for Corporate Responsibility.

To find out more about this year’s winners, please visit: www.bitcni.org.uk