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Distinguished Achievement Award Winners

02 July 2018

We are delighted to announce that Kenny Nolan, Stuart Pepper and Caroline Wilkinson are together Team Winners in the Distinguished Achievement Awards.

These outstanding three individuals were nominated by Institute Director Richard Marais for the Small Team Award.

Judges of these annual awards were looking for outstanding performance and how the teams have significantly and tangibly contributed to maintaining a positive, open and respectful working environment. In addition, they had to demonstrate that they have a shared ethos which has led to a significant one-off achievement.

It was the tragic fire in the Paterson Building last April that brought together Chief Operating Officer Caroline Wilkinson, Chief Laboratory Officer Stuart Pepper, and Kenny Nolan, Deputy Director of Estates and Facilities at The University of Manchester, as a team.

This incredible team was nominated for their expert and consistent support throughout the road to recovery since the fire. Without their commitment, diligence and level-headed we would not be where we are now.

Working together, from the outset they provided much needed support, ensuring the salvage of critical samples and helping staff who had lost personal items with emergency accommodation or a way of getting home. As the scale of the disaster became apparent, the team managed the enormous logistical challenges of relocating staff, emptying the building, providing temporary storage for salvaged items and moving and servicing crucial scientific instruments. They chaired regular and deeply complex meetings with the University, the Christie and CRUK as well as solicitors, loss adjusters and insurers. Within four months they had helped to relocate 80 staff.

Later, the team focused on managing the move to Alderley Park. This involved identifying space and instigating complex negotiations, as well as justifying necessary modifications to the various labs.

Throughout this whole process what was notable was their visibility and compassion as they communicated regularly with staff and beyond about the progress, particularly valuable in such distressing times.

Thrown together in unusual and testing circumstances, this exceptional team tackled the challenges with great positivity, humour and respect and ably delivered the immediate and mid-term solutions for the Institute.

The nomination was supported by Caroline Dive, Tim Illidge, Peter Reid and Core Facility members Garry Ashton, Lisa Doar and Wolfgang Breitwieser. On behalf of the team, Stuart Pepper received the prize from Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor.

Stuart Pepper commented: “We are thrilled to receive this award. The relocation of staff from the Paterson Building after the fire was a complicated project that required a huge amount of effort. This award not only reflects the work of the team but the fantastic support from our colleagues within the CRUK MI and the wider University.”