Welsh Police Sergeant Awarded Britain’s Best Boss 2005

North Wales Police Sergeant Iwan Owen has beaten off stiff competition from across the UK to win the Working Families 'Britain's Best Boss' competition. The first Welsh winner of the award, Iwan was nominated by his entire team for his practical, supportive and consultative approach to work-life balance practices which has resulted in a happy and valued work-force.

Iwan manages the Western Division Professional Development Unit and is responsible for six tutors who train student police officers in law enforcement, coaching them through the everyday incidents which happen out on the streets. He says that the key to being a good boss is simply to ‘trust your staff’ and as a result leads a highly motivated and almost self-managing team.

Sarah Jackson, Chief Executive of Working Families said: "We have had a record number of entries this year and Iwan has won through a very competitive field of inspiring bosses. His story shows that trusting your team and allowing them a great deal of autonomy and flexibility, not only results in a highly motivated group of people, but also in excellent performance and measurable results."

Fiona Cannon, head of equality and diversity at Lloyds TSB, sponsors of the 2005 best boss competition, are acknowledged for introducing some of the most progressive flexible working schemes in the UK, said: " Iwan has proved that flexible working practises can make a huge impact on staff morale whilst having clear and tangible business benefits. He is an excellent ambassador for work-life balance - a view which is clearly reflected by the loyalty of his team."

The annual Best Boss competition, run by Working Families, was first launched in 2000 to celebrate the unsung local heroes who show other managers how a happy team with balanced lives makes for a win-win situation for everyone. This year’s award attracted hundreds of entries from all around the country across a wide variety of sectors.

Iwan wins £1,000 worth of Thomas Cook vouchers and the person who nominated him, as well as the finalists receiving special commendations, will each be presented with a bottle of champagne.

Special Commendations were also given to:

Janice Sheath of 5 Boroughs NHS Trust for exceptional leadership skills
Kevin O’Sullivan of O’Sullivan Cleary C.A for a positive team approach and ‘can do’ attitude
David Irvine of Odin Consulting Engineers for creating a lively and effective working environment
Lloyd Fletcher of the Institute of Physics Publishing for championing innovative family friendly policies

Past Winners

Click here to read about the Best Boss winners 2004

Click here to read about the Best Boss winners 2003

Click here to read about the Best Boss winners 2002

Click here to read about the Best Boss winners 2001

Click here to see the list of past winners

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