On 21 June, the 2016 Corporate Engagement Awards was held at The Brewery, Moorgate, in Central London. The awards celebrate the best in communications and corporate collaborations.

Philanthropy, corporate social responsibility and creativity were just some of the themes apparent in the collaborations between agencies and companies.

The awards benchmarked excellence in corporate engagement, increasingly necessary for business in a more socially aware corporate environment.

Hosted by broadcaster and comedian, Jon Holmes, the audience was kept entertained with his quick-witted conversation in the elegant surroundings of The Brewery. A celebratory drinks reception preceded the awards dinner, allowing companies, charities and organisations of every size to discuss and admire each other’s work.

The CEA 2016 judging panel, which included leading UK experts from sectors including government, NGOs, energy and finance, provided a rounded and insightful evaluation of the entries received for tonight’s awards.

Andrew Thomas, publishing editor, Communicate magazine, says, “It’s delightful to see so many brands embracing collaboration, at an event dedicated to bringing people together. The Corporate Engagement Awards is dedicated to those companies and organisations which help people collaborate and work in partnerships to achieve a brighter future. There’s good in business, and tonight we are celebrating it.”

The Corporate Engagement Awards honour those companies which have gone beyond the necessary requirements for CCSR strategy. Nowhere was this more apparent than in the night’s Grand Prix winner, Primark, which was also the night’s most rewarded company.

Known for its low-cost and desirable fashion, Primark scooped the coveted Grand Prix thanks to its ‘Primark Sustainable Cotton Programme’, an initiative carried out in association with fashion experts, CottonConnect, and the Self-Employed Women’s Association.

Having often, like many retailers, been associated with less than satisfactory working conditions, this initiative delivered training to women in rural settings while fostering a more sustainable cotton crop. Primark has ensured a positive social impact to the women employed in its many sourcing locations across the world.

Primark also earned two gold awards, for ‘Best environmental or sustainability programme’ as well as for ‘Best collaborative approach’. This highlights the determination of Primark to set a precedent for ethical conduct.

Another major winner on the night was Channel 4, Scope, MediaCom and 2LE Media, a collaboration whose hard work was rewarded with a gold for ‘Best charity, NGO, or NFP programme’, a gold for ‘Best execution’ and the coveted ‘Best teamwork’ accolade. This joint venture created a campaign based on the well-meaning awkwardness able-bodied people sometimes experience when meeting someone with a disability.

Using ‘innocent ignorance’ and humour, the partnership aimed to raise awareness of disability while engaging a wider audience in everyday realities of many people. Generating 900,000 views across multiple channels and almost half of viewers stating they would share the clip on social media, its popularity is a true testament to an innovative and insightful joint project.

Follow #CEAwards on Twitter to hear more from the Corporate Engagement Awards winners at The Brewery.

For further information, please contact Brian Donnelly at brian.donnelly@communicatemagazine.co.uk, or visit www.communicatemagazine.com

For a full list of winners, see below:

Type 

Best arts and culture programme

Gold – The Children’s Society and Hampstead Theatre

Silver – HighTide Theatre and Lansons

Bronze – NatWest and Southbank Centre with support from M&C Saatchi

Sport & Entertainment and SPEED Events

Highly commended – KPN, N=5, Born05, CS Digital Media, Digined,

Mindshare, Fresh Bridge and Rijksmuseum

Highly commended – UBS and Annie Leibovitz

 

Best charity, NGO or NFP programme

Gold – Channel 4, Scope, MediaCom and 2LE Media

Silver – Barrie Wells Trust

Silver – NatWest and The Prince’s Trust

Silver – Vision Express and the Stroke Association, with Tonic

Communications

 

Best pro bono work for a charitable, social or ethical cause

Gold – Deloitte, the Alzheimer’s Society, Mind and Prostate Cancer UK

Silver – Living Group and Christ Church Primary School

 

Best educational programme

Gold – FTI Consulting and the Citizenship Foundation

Silver – Channel 4, Scope, MediaCom and 2LE Media

Silver – Pop Up Projects CIC and Linklaters LLP

Bronze – BP Educational Service and EdComs

Highly commended – OMV Group, Siemens, Borealis, Microsoft,

ÖBB and RHI

 

Best environmental or sustainable programme

Gold – Primark

Bronze – Veris Strategies and Melton Foods

Highly Commended – P&G with Ketchum

 

Best sports and leisure programme

Gold – Deutsche Bank and Sported

Bronze – Coca-Cola Great Britain and Synergy

Bronze – IBM with Ketchum

Highly commended – McDonalds, Red Consultancy, Leo Burnett London

and Aiken PR

 

Best combined programme

Gold – Women Ahead and Ricoh UK

Highly commended – Edison SpA, Alessandro Rosso Group, Bonsaininja,

Piano B, My Events and Havas Worldwide

 

Time

 

Most effective long–term programme

Gold – Dentsu Aegis Network and GlobalGiving

Silver – HighTide Theatre and Lansons

Silver – NatWest and The Prince’s Trust

Bronze – Deutsche Bank and Globe Education

Highly commended – Élan Hair Design

 

Sponsorship

 

Best sponsorship activity to raise brand awareness

Gold – Edison SpA, Alessandro Rosso Group, Bonsaininja, Piano B, My

Events and Havas Worldwide

 

Best alignment of brand values through a sponsorship activity

Gold – KPN, N=5, Born05, CS Digital Media, Digined, Mindshare, Fresh

Bridge and Rijksmuseum

Bronze – Edison SpA, Alessandro Rosso Group, Bonsaininja, Piano B, My

Events and Havas Worldwide

 

Most effective sponsorship of a single event

Silver – Jaguar and CAA Sports Consulting

Silver – Macmillan Cancer Support and Marks & Spencer

 

Most innovative sponsorship activity

Bronze – Edison SpA, Alessandro Rosso Group, Bonsaininja, Piano B, My

Events and Havas Worldwide

 

Corporate social responsibility

 

Best CSR programme to raise brand awareness

Silver – P&G with Ketchum

 

Best alignment of brand values during a CSR programme

Gold – Aldermore Bank plc and Visionpath Education

Gold – Police Mutual

 

Best community involvement during a CSR programme

Gold – Costa Coffee

Bronze – Deutsche Bank and Sported

Highly commended – SGN Ltd and Seamab School, Kinross

 

Best collaboration for a single event

Gold – Land Rover, The International Federation of Red Cross and Red

Crescent Societies and The Born Free Foundation

Silver – Macmillan Cancer Support and Marks & Spencer

Highly commended – Barrie Wells Trust

Highly commended – RBS

 

Most innovative collaboration

Gold – Macmillan Cancer Support and Nationwide Building Society

Silver – National Grid alongside public sector & utility companies

Bronze – Camden Town Unlimited, Mayor of London and HS2

Highly commended – Barrie Wells Trust

Highly commended – Samsung Electronics UK

 

Communication

Best stakeholder communications

Gold – Veris Strategies and Westfield Europe Ltd

 

Best internal communications

Silver – Cisco Systems Inc and internal groups

Silver – RBS and The Leith Agency

 

Best PR and external communications

Gold – MasterCard with Ketchum

Silver – Ella’s Kitchen (Down Town Babby)

Bronze – Ella’s Kitchen (Averting a Recipe for Disaster & Hungry Peter Pan)

Bronze – Land Rover, The International Federation of Red Cross and Red

Crescent Societies and The Born Free Foundation

 

Best evaluation

Silver – Samsung and EdComs

 

Process

 

Best collaborative approach

Gold – Camden Town Unlimited, Mayor of London and HS2

Gold – Primark

Silver – Channel 4, Scope, MediaCom and 2LE Media

Silver – HighTide Theatre and Lansons

Silver – Women Ahead and Ricoh UK

 

Best execution

Gold – Channel 4, Scope, MediaCom and 2LE Media

Silver – Cisco Systems Inc and internal groups

Bronze – RBS, NatWest, Ulster Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland and PNE Group

 

Best management of a programme

Silver – Cisco Systems Inc, Levi’s Stadium Management Company, Freeman XP

Communications,G5 Talent Management and Cisco internal groups

Silver – Amazon and In Kind Direct

 

Best team effort

Channel 4, Scope, MediaCom and 2LE Media

 

Grand Prix

Primark