The winners of the European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards 2017 were announced at a gala dinner at the Parco dei Principi Grand Hotel in Rome on 9 November.
The awards recognise standards of excellence in the professional cleaning sector across Europe. The winners were:
Best use of technology by contractors in their cleaning programmes: University of Wolverhampton and SmartTask.
Commitment to and investment in training: Julius Rutherfoord & Co.
Excellence in client/contractor partnerships: FBD and Derrycourt Cleaning Specialists.
Distributors – excellence in added value initiatives: WE Italia SRL.
Sustainability – best practice in implementing principles throughout the business: Markas best practice for sustainability: the Montichiari Hospital project.
Workforce – excellence in employee relationships, diversity & inclusion, rewards programmes, etc: Maximum Impact, Breedweer Facilitaire Diensten.
Best initiative raising the profile and perception of the professional cleaning sector – locally or on a wider level: LIFE (Labour Intensive Facility Event) – ANIP Road Show.
Groundbreaking technological innovation of the year, sponsored by ISSA/INTERCLEAN: BeSense, CSU.
Inspirational leader of the year: Jan-Hein Hemke, Facilicom UK.
Greatest individual contribution to driving up standards of excellence within a cleaning operation: Avril McCarthy, Derrycourt Cleaning Specialists.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Adolf Kruse.
Compère for the evening, European Cleaning Journal Editor and member of the judging panel Michelle Marshall, said: “The European Cleaning and Hygiene Awards are a unique opportunity to highlight and celebrate the tremendous work being carried out by service providers, manufacturers and distributors across Europe. We’re very proud to be involved in these awards which show that the industry is about so much more than ‘just cleaning’. The talent and dedication on show across the wide-ranging categories is testament to that.”
Joining Michelle on the judging panel were: Johannes Bungart, Director, BIV; Juan Diez de los Rioz de San Juan, President, ASPEL; and Lynn Webster, Director, Lynn Webster Consultants.
Along with the opportunity to network with members of the European Cleaning and Hygiene sector, attendees received a motivational speech from Adrian Webster, author of Polar Bear Pirates – A Grown Up’s Book for Kids at Work.
The awards, now in their second year, were launched by the European Cleaning Journal and organised by the Environment Media Group (EMG). The venue for the 2018 European Cleaning and Hygiene Awards was also announced at the dinner, with the event taking place in Berlin in September 2018.
