Twice as nice

It was a double celebration for the Veka Group, which has nominations in two categories for this year’s G Awards.

Making the list for both Training and Development Initiative of the Year and the Unsung Hero Award (for head of human resources Gabriela Hammond) categories, Veka will also be celebrating the success of its customers: Glazerite, Thistle Windows and Conservatories, and The Window Company (Contracts), which have all been named as finalists across various categories.

Gabriela Hammond said: “The vast amount of training, opportunities and employee benefits on offer at Veka allows us to stand out from the crowd. We value our staff more than anything and want to ensure that not only is Veka a fun place to be, but somewhere that employees can be proud to tell others they work at. With attractive pay packages, a work environment where you feel respected and appreciated, plus a variety of different training opportunities, we really feel that the training and development initiatives here are the best around.”

Gabriela Hammond was completely surprised by her own personal nomination. Having started her career at Veka as a graduate trainee 16 years ago, Gabriela took the position of head of human resources in 2012 and has shown herself to be a loyal employee.

As a champion of the Dale Carnegie training programme, Gabriela has been a major part in helping 70 members of staff complete the course and was also part of the team that created and launched Veka Spirit, an initiative that encourages staff to be proud of their workplace, share ideas and support their colleagues.

Gabriela represents the company at many local network events, such as Burnley Bondholder meet-ups, and was integral to Veka being crowned Employer of the Year at the Burnley Business Awards in May.

Gabriela takes an active role in helping local students with site visits and represents Veka at a number of higher learning and career events, plus she takes an even more active role in charity events such as participating in Tough Mudder, the Burnley and Manchester 10K runs, plus football and golf fundraising tournaments.

“It sounds like a cliché but even just to be nominated is fantastic,” Gabriella said. “There are 400 staff at Veka and I try my best every day to make sure they are all happy at work and know how much Veka values them.”