Celebrating The Power of The Q!
At this year’s National Q Mark Awards, Clodagh Dooley reports from the ballroom of this impressive and influential event
Seated in the ballroom of the Clayton Hotel, Dublin 4 on Friday 29th September, there was a buzz of excitement throughout the room and I realised just how special The National Q Mark Awards is for these business owners, managers, colleagues and their families.
The evening was all about recognising Excellence and celebrating success. Irene Collins, Managing Director of EIQA, proud guardians of The Q Mark, set the scene by telling a story about ‘support and honour’ which starred Mrs MacTavish and her favourite chair and beautifully brought those present to the key message of the evening – EIQA was celebrating 35 years of The Q Mark for Quality Management Systems. 35 years of doing whatever it takes to support the companies on their journey towards excellence and to honouring their successes.
The crowd were rapturous in their applause for the judges, auditors, assessors and the fantastic team in EIQA. It was very much like being at a great family gathering, such was the admiration of everyone for The Power of The Q!
Then came the actual awards presentations. Conor Cunneen of an IrishmanSpeaks, was the Master of Ceremonies. Mary Hayes of MACE Ballylanders was first to the stage as she received the ‘Recognising Heroes’ award after being nominated by her daughter who described Mary as the foundation on which the success of the shop was built.
At 81 years young, Mary enjoyed a standing ovation as she left the stage clutching her certificate of recognition, Dublin crystal vase and gift voucher. These were presented by Clodagh Fitzgerald of the National Hygiene Partnership.
Adrianna Zegalska of Limerick Institute of Technology, who was enjoying the ceremony in the company of her family, was crowned student of the year for The EIQA Diploma in Quality Management.
There was much applause for all the winners and double celebrations for SPAR Byrne as they collected awards in two categories for Oak Park and Caherslee. Straddling the border and also collecting two awards was Rooney’s in Manor Hamilton and Belleek. For a full list of provincial winners and photographs, turn to page 12. Below are this year’s three national winners.
THE Q MARK BUSINESS GROUP OF THE YEAR
From the boardroom to the bedside is how Brian MacGoey described Blue Bird Care’s Quality Management System and their journey towards Excellence. “It is part of the company’s DNA to use The Q Mark framework, as we like to monitor our business processes, employee engagement and customer satisfaction ongoing.”
Sean Lyons of Bluebird Care Galway couldn’t conceal his delight when I asked him what it means to win the Homecare Company of the Year. He said it was as exciting as the first time they won it (they’ve won the group award three years in a row), but was quick to heap praise on the team of managers, particularly Care Manager Carolyn Corless, who he said “puts so much work into delivering an excellent service, as do our Care staff ”.
THE NATIONAL WINNER OF THE Q MARK FOR HYGIENE & FOOD SAFETY
As I approached them on the dancefloor, the team from Manor Farm were holding onto their beautiful Q Mark tepee award tightly. They were singing and smiling.
“It feels very exciting to have won the award,” said Justin Carton, who owns the company with his brother, Vincent.
Manor Farm has been using The Q Mark technical standard for more than 20 years. They first joined up to The Q Mark when the company was looking to safeguard consistency and traceability in their poultry supply chain.
“The Q Mark is a real acknowledgement from our business to our customers. In the food business, you need to be able to guarantee that the food you sell is of high quality and customers need to be reassured that what you’re doing is right,” said Carton. “Following The Q Mark standard requirements ensures that we have full traceability of all our birds. For example, if a customer experienced a problem with a chicken they had bought in a supermarket, we know exactly what production aisle it was packed in and at what time, who was there and the standards that were set.”
THE NATIONAL WINNER OF THE Q MARK FOR QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
When I reached the table of the Dublin Airport team, I recognised a familiar face.
“This isn’t the first time Dublin Airport has won at The National Q Mark Awards, is it?” I asked Liz Kavanagh, Customer Experience Manager.
Kavanagh smiled at me and said: “It feels amazing to have won the national award, it’s a fantastic achievement. We won ‘The Q Mark for Quality Management Systems’ award back in 2015 and we also won an award in 2011. There’s an award back in our office from the 90s too – we’ve been a part of The Q Mark since the early 90s.
“We didn’t expect to win it this year!” With a record 3.12 million passengers travelling through Dublin Airport in 2017, Kavanagh says the team are committed to finding new ways of enhancing the customer experience.
“We find that The Q Mark is very tangible. You can see exactly what you’re doing and the type of improvements you need to make. The auditors are brilliant because they provide a deep insight into processes and procedures, as they’ve visited so many other organisations. With The Q Mark, you can really see the results. And, it’s super that we are getting external recognition.”