Award Strategy: Elevating Internal Impact to Global Recognition
Turning purpose-driven people strategies into industry-wide recognition
🏆 100+ award entries submitted | 🧡 20+ wins | 🌍 Global visibility | 💼 Client inspiration | 🎯 Employer brand momentum
🔍 The Challenge: Great Work Deserved a Bigger Stage
Across Reward Gateway | Edenred, powerful people strategies were driving culture, performance, and retention.
But they weren’t being shared outside the business. Award submissions were scattered, last-minute, and handled by a small group without the storytelling tools or cross-functional support to do the work justice.
This created a missed opportunity. Without external recognition:
We struggled to build credibility with prospective clients and candidates
Internal teams didn’t always see the broader impact of their efforts
We lacked a framework to consistently document ROI and success
We needed a strategic, scalable approach to turn internal impact into external recognition.
📌 Background: Creating a Strategy for Stories That Stick
We weren’t short on stories — from launching industry-leading platforms to embedding inclusion and wellbeing into every layer of our culture.
But we needed a consistent process to get those stories out into the world. I led the development and execution of a cross-functional Award Strategy to spotlight the programs and people that make RG a better place to work — and prove it through trusted, third-party recognition.
The goal was simple:
Shine a light on our most meaningful work in a way that supports brand awareness, employee pride, sales engagement, and client inspiration.
🛠️ My Role: Strategy Design, Storytelling & Cross-Functional Partnership
I created the foundation, framework, and tools that enabled our teams to scale submissions while building storytelling confidence and alignment across regions.
Key initiatives included:
Strategic Framework & Process
Developed a standardized award entry structure, aligned to major judging formats:
Background, Objectives, Execution, Results
Built a centralized awards tracker across UK, BG, US, and AU, including deadlines, categories, and leads
Introduced monthly progress check-ins and annual retrospectives to evaluate and evolve our approach
Storytelling & Enablement
Created a library of storytelling templates, messaging guides, and visual case study decks
Partnered with leaders across Internal Comms, DEIB, Wellbeing, L&D, and Benefits to capture measurable impact
Documented results in a consistent, branded format that could be reused for sales, onboarding, and content
Amplification & External Engagement
Collaborated with Marketing to share wins through press releases, blog posts, and social media
Integrated award stories into client onboarding and sales presentations, positioning RG as a strategic partner
Encouraged clients to pursue awards by modeling our process and outcomes
Just a few of RG’s awards wins over the years
💥 The Results: Recognition That Reached — and Resonated
This strategy turned great work into award-winning stories, boosting visibility, pride, and business value.
🏆 100+ award entries submitted globally
🥇 60+ finalist placements and 20+ wins across the UK, US, and Australia
🌍 Increased brand awareness and industry presence across key markets
💬 Award wins spanned critical categories:
Wellbeing, Flexible Work, EVP, DEIB, Internal Comms, and Leadership
📝 Improved documentation of program outcomes and strategic ROI
🚀 Recognition supported employee engagement, client conversations, and employer brand growth
❤️ Why It Matters
Awards are more than trophies — they’re stories that get remembered.
This strategy helped turn internal impact into external influence. We gave our teams the confidence and tools to tell their stories, and the recognition that followed fueled momentum across every corner of the business.
From team morale to client inspiration, this work proved something bigger:
When you take the time to celebrate what makes you different, the world takes notice.
