HR&D Awards – Meet the Partners: Sullivan Brown HR Recruitment & MI-Say

Joint sponsors of the HR&D ‘Excellence in People & Technology’ award are recruitment specialists Sullivan Brown HR Recruitment and new starter and exit survey providers MI-Say. Both offer key insight into people practices and technology – making them perfect partner for this award. North East Times sat down with both firms to discuss their sponsorship partnership and what this award means for people practices.

• Left to right: Sinéad Barry, director (North West), Sullivan Brown HR Recruitment, Melanie Bolton, director (North East), Sullivan Brown HR Recruitment, Debbie Brown, office manager/PA, Sullivan Brown HR Recruitment, Maureen Brown, managing director of Sullivan Brown HR Recruitment and chief executive of MI-Say, Jo-anne Cain, operations manager of MI-Say , Tracey Drew, recruitment specialist, Sullivan Brown HR Recruitment.

What motivated you to become a sponsorship partner of the 2024 HR&D Awards?

We have been involved in the HR&D awards for over 10 years now. Sullivan Brown HR Recruitment and MI-Say both offer services that see us working closely with amazing HR&D professionals every day. Our network of HR professionals is a source of inspiration and support, so it’s a blessing to have the opportunity to sponsor an award to say thank you and to celebrate the brilliant work of the HR&D community in the North East.

How do you support professional development and career growth opportunities for your employees?

At Sullivan Brown HR Recruitment and MI-Say, we are lucky to have long serving colleagues, who are very experienced, however, we recognise the importance of personal development and growth. We have always operated a hybrid model to allow life to happen alongside work with the minimum of stress, and we have a culture of curiosity, encouraging everyone to seek out new ways of doing things, exploring the latest market insights, and attending events. We often host events on topics that have caught our interest, so we pass that learning on to our network.

• Julia Smith, chief psychologist and consultant, MI-Say

As a sponsor, what impact do you hope to make in celebrating and promoting excellent people practices within the industry?

Both MI-Say and Sullivan Brown HR Recruitment operate in a world of HR&D. Our teams are genuinely passionate about all things people, and we love to share knowledge and insight, connect people, facilitate networking, and build better work lives for everyone. The reason we deliver great service and build enduring relationships is because we love the HR&D industry, and always want to learn and add value. We do this all-year round, but sponsoring an award is just going the extra mile to say, we celebrate you.

As a sponsorship partner of the Excellence in People & Technology Award, why is this important in people practices and business?

People and Technology are at the heart of every business. MI-Say grew out of Sullivan Brown, and to deliver the service well, we needed to develop our own technology, so we know first-hand, the value technology can bring. When an employer finds the right mix of technology and people practice, the benefits are huge. The real skill is in not over automating and getting the right combination of tech, and human, when the two work well together, the outcomes can be amazing.