Club staff’s commitment to diversity recognised
- HR Manager Zoe Shackleton wins two FREDIE Awards
- Awards ceremony created by the National Centre for Diversity
- Club staff nominated for 10 awards on the evening
Huddersfield Town’s continued commitment to diversity was recognised late last week at the National Centre for Diversity’s 2021 FREDIE Awards.
Our HR Manager, Zoe Shackleton, was the big winner on the evening, being recognised with two award wins at the online event; the FREDIE Lead of the Year and HR Director/Manager of the Year!
The awards, created by the National Centre for Diversity, look to celebrate the achievements of organisations and individuals who promote and adhere to the FREDIE principles; Fairness, Respect, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement.
Zoe has been integral to the Club’s journey through the Premier League’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Standard, leading the Equality Working Group since December 2019 and successfully steering us through the Intermediate Level that was achieved last November.
Within that process, Zoe successfully set up the Club’s External EDI Advisory Group, alongside a robust staff training programme under the ‘Terriers Together’ banner.
She also led on formulating the Club’s Equality Action Plan, which aims to address the areas of under-representation across our many stakeholder groups.
Zoe has also overhauled the recruitment and selection processes of the Club, leading to our status as a Mindful Employer and a Disability Confident Leader.
Alongside Zoe, the Club and a myriad of staff were nominated for a further eight awards on the night!
Huddersfield Town’s Chief Executive Mark Devlin commented:
“The FREDIE principles are inextricably linked with the role of a HR Manager, but Zoe goes above and beyond what is expected and fully deserves this recognition. In a relatively short period of time, she has led cultural change within the Club.
“Huddersfield Town has long been known as a Club that ‘does the right thing’, but we are now being recognised beyond football for the strides we are making to become a diverse and inclusive company. Zoe has spearheaded this important work and embedded it into all areas of our Club.”
Zoe added:
“When the winners were announced at the virtual event on 20 May, I was shocked to hear that the independent judging panel had chosen me as the winner in the categories of FREDIE Lead of the Year and HR Director/Manager of the Year. It is a privilege to receive this recognition and I am grateful to everyone who felt that I would be a worthy recipient of the awards.
“I would like to dedicate the awards to my fantastic colleagues within the Equality Working Group and the wider organisation because our achievements, particularly in relation to equality, diversity and inclusion, have been and will continue to be a collective effort, and not the product of one person’s contribution.
“I am incredibly proud of our work and the dedication of the team to making our environment the most welcoming, respectful, diverse and inclusive that it can be. Being recognised by the National Centre for Diversity, as well as other bodies including the Premier League, is testament to how far we have come and how important the EDI work is to the Club and the Foundation.”
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