Latest news
Olympian James helps Sellafield Ltd strike gold with excellence awards
Delegates to a recent Sellafield Ltd business excellence event enjoyed a gold standard performance from Olympics star James Cracknell OBE.
The double rowing gold medal winner, from the Sydney and Athens games, drew parallels between the worlds of sport and business as he stressed: “The drive to succeed is the same in both.”
A record-breaking 750 people attended “In Pursuit of Excellence”, the fourth annual Sellafield Ltd business excellence event.
This year’s event, run in partnership with the Chartered Quality Institute (CQI), was the first to be held at the Energus Centre at Lillyhall. It was opened by Todd Wright, Managing Director, of Sellafield Ltd and Stephen Long, President HSSE and Business Assurance with AMEC Nuclear Services, who were the main sponsors.
Some of the UK’s most respected speakers on business excellence and quality, including Professor John Oakland (Oakland Consulting) and Estelle Clark (Lloyds Register), delivered presentations as well as Sellafield Ltd representatives.
But it was celebrity speaker Cracknell who attracted the biggest audiences as he talked about his own pursuit of excellence through sport and identified factors common to success in both sport and business.
“From my own experiences, I’ve learned that if you plan and take each stage as it comes then you will reach your goal,” he said. “I spent four years training for the Olympics yet my destiny was determined in a six minute race so one little mistake has a huge consequence. I had to get it right just like these guys do here today.”
In total, 145 teams from across the Sellafield Ltd. business entered the awards. Thirty two teams were shortlisted and 10 were successful in picking up prizes, with judging carried out by Sellafield Ltd directors and representatives from parent company Nuclear Management Partners (including Chairman Tom Zarges) and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
Doug Cooper, Sellafield Ltd.’s Deputy Managing Director, who announced the winners, said: “Each display was a tangible example of individuals engaged in a daily pursuit of excellence. They made the selection of winners a difficult task. This kind of energy and innovation reaffirms my belief that Sellafield will be a leader in the UK Nuclear Industry.”
Ian Hudson, NDA’s head of programme for Sellafield, a judge at the event, said: “I was very impressed by the standard of the entries - it was a valuable opportunity to share best practice. It’s important that we strive to be excellent at everything we do across all areas to help achieve the NDA mission.”
An event was also held at Sellafield Ltd’s Risley office, near Warrington, with stands manned by the winning improvement teams and renowned speakers including Dan Hunt, Team GB Olympic Cycling Senior Endurance Coach, and Stuart Smith, Chairman of the Bourton Group.
