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Leeds City Council’s Sophie Hewitson wins EDI Champion of the Year accolade at IED Annual Awards
Sophie Hewitson, Employment and Skills Manager at Leeds City Council, has been named Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champion of the Year at the Institute of Economic Development (IED) Annual Awards 2024.
The awards, which were hosted in London on 6th November following the IED Annual Conference ‘Economic Transition – How do we deliver long-lasting change in our towns, cities and regions?’, recognise achievers in the public and private sector through a series of individual, team and organisational categories.
The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champion of the Year (EDI) award is for individuals and teams who have strived to actively promote, celebrate and raise awareness of EDI, improving under-represented involvement in economic development in their organisation or externally.
IED Director Bev Hurley CBE, who hosted the IED Annual Awards 2024, said: “Many congratulations to Sophie as the winner of our EDI Champion of the Year award. Our judges recognised her exceptional leadership and commitment to promoting EDI in her role.
“In particular, this focused on a first-of-its-kind event for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and their parents, carers, support workers and teachers to prepare themselves for adult lives. In nominating Sophie for the award, her colleagues described her outstanding contributions over the past three years and also pinpointed her unwavering commitment to making a difference to peoples’ lives. Our judges felt she was THE outstanding candidate for this accolade.”
After receiving the award, Sophie said: “I am incredibly humbled to have won such a prestigious award. I would like to thank my brilliant colleagues who have always been very supportive and instrumental in the work we do to create employment opportunities for young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities.”