Doug Young with Tony Hadden from Brodies
Doug Young with Tony Hadden from Brodies
Strathclyde Business School graduate Doug Young was awarded the HR Graduate of the Year Award at the HR Network Dinner in Glasgow this month which was attended by over 760 guests.
The HR Network National Awards are the largest and most prestigious HR awards in Scotland. Launched in early 2007, the awards are designed to recognise, acknowledge and reward the champions of the Scottish HR profession.
Professor Dennis Nickson, head of the Department of Human Resource Management, said, "This is a fantastic achievement for Doug, which reflects very well on the Department, Faculty and University. In addition to Doug, Cameron Russell - another graduate from the MSc in Human Resource Management - was also on the shortlist. The dinner was attended by over 700 HR professionals and it was great to see the achievements of Doug and Cameron highlighted to such an influential audience."
Doug said, "To receive such fantastic recognition from as renowned an institution as HR Network is tremendously gratifying, and quite overwhelming.
"All of the finalists were incredible candidates, and the competition was extremely strong, so I am especially pleased to have won. My winning the award would not have been possible without the continual support and encouragement of my supervisors Professor Ian Cunningham and Professor Dennis Nickson, and everybody in the HRM department, to whom I am extremely thankful."
Doug, who is now doing a PhD in HRM added, "My studies focus on employee relations in the voluntary sector, and in a market characterised by financial constraint it can often be difficult to gain access to research in charities, who may often not have the time or resources to participate – having such a noteworthy commendation to my name will undoubtedly help me gain access to organisations who otherwise may not have participated. Not only is it an incredible feeling to have won, it will also have a tangibly positive impact on my research.
"I am tremendously proud and grateful to have taken part, and will vigorously endeavour to do the award justice."
In addition to the success of Doug and Cameron, a group of five current MSc in HRM students attended the dinner as winners of a competition generously supported by Glasgow-based HR consultancy, The Ghost Partnership. As part of the competition, students had to address the issue of whether organisational development is an HR function or whether it should stand alone.
Drawing on research in a case study organisation, teams presented their findings to senior partners from The Ghost Partnership, John Nicholson and Alan Crozier, in a Dragons-Den style meeting. The winning team impressed John and Alan with their insight and ability to withstand some challenging questions. Professor Nickson added, "It was great to see our current students also celebrating their success and once again we are very grateful to John and Alan for offering this fantastic opportunity to our students."