Co. Tyrone agri-business leader Glenn Speer was among those honoured at the annual Institute of Directors Northern Ireland (IoD NI) Director of the Year Awards sponsored by AIB.

Glenn Speer, business development director of Fane Valley, was named Young Director of the Year at a ceremony, held virtually for the first time due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Other recipients included Michael McCormack of Musgrave Group, who was named the Large Business Director of the Year award, while David Henry of Henry Brothers received the Family Business Director of the Year Award.

Winners

This year’s included:

Chairman’s Award for Excellence in Director and Board Practice, sponsored by AIB: Brendan Mooney, Kainos Group;
Director of the Year – Non-Executive, sponsored by Deloitte: Diana Fitzsimons;
Director of the Year – Innovation, sponsored byp KPMG: Daniel Crawford, Axial3D;
Director of the Year – Young, sponsored by Carson McDowell: Glenn Speer, Fane Valley;
Director of the Year – Public Sector, sponsored by Capita Managed IT Solutions: Professor Nola Hewitt Dundas – Head of Management School, QUB;
Director of the Year – Third Sector, sponsored by Capita Managed IT Solutions: Lynn Carvill, WOMEN’STEC;
Director of the Year – Family Business, sponsored by BDO Northern Ireland: David Henry, Henry Bros;
Director of the Year – International, sponsored by Invest Northern Ireland: Brian Reid, Deli-Lites;
Director of the Year – Small to Medium Business, sponsored by Ulster University Business School: Sinead Higgins, Decision Time;
Director of the Year – Inclusivity, sponsored by ABL Group: John Healy OBE, Allstate;
Director of the Year – Large Business, sponsored by Amplifi Solutions: Michael McCormack, Musgrave Group.

The inaugural Philanthropist of the Year, Community Foundation Northern Ireland award, was also awarded to Alan Nappin of the ARN Foundation.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, IoD NI chairman Gordon Milligan said: “A huge congratulations to all this year’s winners, once again proving that the economy here in Northern Ireland benefits from a wealth of leadership talent across the private and public sector, each of them performing to the very highest standards.”

Speaking about their support for the awards Brian Gillan, head of retail and NI at AIB UK, said: “Leadership has been seriously tested in the last few months across all walks of life and will be crucial as we tackle the twin challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic fallout and the impending Brexit implications.

“We are proud to support the IoD Director of the Year Awards once again and view it as an important platform to do just that.

“We would like to congratulate Brendan Mooney and indeed all the category winners on their exemplary leadership skills.

“They all demonstrate a clear commitment to strong and innovative leadership that is undoubtedly contributing to the success of their respective organisations and Northern Ireland as a whole.

“Celebrating their achievements at this time will hopefully encourage others to follow suit and invest in their own leadership journeys.”