September 2023 proved to be a rewarding month for Dole UK as the fresh produce provider brought home no fewer than three prestigious accolades in the space of two weeks. On Friday 29 September 2023 in London, the Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC) held their annual awards ceremony.
Richard Clements, Brian Breslin, Karen Sharples, Sarah Gallagher and Ian Stuart.
The Foodservice Supplier of the Year was won by Dole’s Mark Murphy business in Scotland, recognising its hard work to embed and successfully grow its business in Scotland and becoming one of the largest foodservice businesses in the country. Of the award, Brian Breslin, General Manager of Mark Murphy recognised the commitment of all of the business’ employees over the previous twelve months, adding, "I am very proud of the whole Mark Murphy team. We are absolutely thrilled to receive this recognition.’’
The FPC HR Initiative was also brought home by Dole UK for its dedicated Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) plan which focusses on educating and raising awareness of eight facets of D&I across its businesses. The entry covered the UK’s D&I journey since 2021, its alignment with the overall UK business strategy and some examples from its many campaigns.
Karen Sharples, HR Director of Dole UK said of the award: “I am so proud of my teams achievement in the D&I space. This award is fantastic recognition of our hard work, dedication and commitment. It is fair to say we are on a journey, there is still lots to do, but the progress over the past three years has been truly amazing, with great support from our business leaders and many colleagues across the UK who have participated in our D&I campaigns, sharing their lived experiences.”
Gethin Jones (host), Annabelle Drinkall, Daniel Boakes, Drew Reynolds, Karen Sharples, Tim Barnes and Richard Fell.
These awards were preceded by recognition on the 14th of September 2023 at the Co-op Pioneer Awards, where Dole Retail won Pioneer in Wholesale. Open to all sectors, not just fresh produce, this is recognised as a prestigious category. The basis for the award was the strong, focused joined-up working relationship between Dole and its Better Berries group and the teams at Nisa & Co-op.
Daniel Boakes, Head of Retail, Dole UK said of the award "We’re delighted to receive this award. It is recognition of the hard work from the entire team that’s delivered some truly outstanding results."
For more information:
Vincent Dolan
Dole plc
Tel: +353 1 887 2700
Email: vincent.dolan@doleireland.com