Leading in-house legal and HR teams and members of the independent bar are to be celebrated as the shortlist for the IEL Awards 2024 is officially revealed.

The shortlist for the awards showcases some of the most innovative employer programmes that aim to improve the diversity and inclusion of multinational organisations and enhance the wellbeing of thousands of workers worldwide.

The finalists for this year’s in-house and HR awards are as follows:

Diversity & Inclusion Programme of the Year – In-house

Accenture – Accenture has set a bold target of a gender-balanced workforce by 2025. To achieve this, the company provides targeted support, flexible work arrangements, comprehensive training programmes, and benefits to attract new employees and retain existing talent. As of 2024, 48% of its global workforce are women, with 52% of new hires being female. Moreover, as of its last review, the Irish-American information technology firm has achieved dollar-for-dollar 100% pay equity for women compared to men in every country it operates. Total pay equity has also been achieved for race and ethnicity in the US, UK, and South Africa. As part of its return-to-work programme, new parents have the option to remain in one location during their first year of parenthood. This helps to balance work with the importance of being with their family.

Canva – In consultation with its employees, Canva has created a new internal guide to educate staff on neurodivergent and neurotypical conditions. The guide aims to generate connection, support inclusion, and help empower all neurotypes at Canva to do their best work. Providing helpful, practical examples for employees to learn from, the company has also created a guide to inclusive language covering gender, sex, sexuality, neurodiversity, disability, race, ethnicity, language, age, and socio-economic status. The aim of the guide is to celebrate diversity and build an inclusive culture for the company’s thousands of employees worldwide who collectively speak more than 100 languages.

Ferrero – Designed in collaboration with A&O Shearman, Ferrero’s groundbreaking Inclusion and Respect training programme has been rolled out to all employees globally. The programme is designed to bridge the gap between theory and practice, with real-world scenarios that address Ferrero’s specific cultural concerns. Between September 2023 and August 2024, 6,800 employees have participated in the training. This shared experience has laid the groundwork for ongoing dialogue and has been instrumental in breaking down barriers at corporate levels. The training has been rolled out across 50 countries, with content tailored to reflect the legal and cultural contexts of each jurisdiction, ensuring that the training is relevant and resonates with the participants on a local level.

Smiths Group – The Smiths Group has launched several grass route initiatives this past year, including its first “Pathway to Law” in-house work experience programme for students aspiring to a career in law. With the support of UK charity The Sutton Trust, the company’s DEI Legal team created a bespoke programme that included an introduction to the core in-house functions. Additionally, the DEI team designed a “get back into employment pack” for young job seekers wishing to get their first job and provided a 12-week work experience scheme in government affairs for two American summer students of diverse backgrounds with no prior network in law. In Singapore, the team launched training on emotional and psychological abuse and its impact on children and future generations to all APAC employees. The purpose of the session was to raise awareness in the workplace and provide support to those impacted by such abuse.

Employee Benefits Policy of the Year – In-house

Accenture – Accenture has made a significant investment in reskilling by offering its 700,000-plus employees globally training through its Technology Quotient programme – which this year included training on Generative AI. This programme helps employees stay relevant and feel more secure in their roles at the company. It also helps to address the “need for change”, which can lead to employees looking for other roles. The company also continues to provide requests for greater flexibility and has continued with an unlimited vacation policy in Singapore.

Canva – Canva’s annual “Vibe & Thrive” allowance benefit gives employees a stipend to spend on whatever will support their wellbeing, health, and personal development. The company takes the view that individual workers know what they need to “vibe and thrive” better than anyone. Employees have used their allowances for gym memberships, massages, home-office equipment, and much more.

Deloitte – Deloitte UK has introduced a new policy of 26 weeks’ fully paid family leave for all its new parents, which will come into effect on 1 January 2025. Deloitte-commissioned research shows the significant impact of unequal parenting leave and inflexible work arrangements on working mothers’ career progression. Over half of working mothers (54%) say that if their partner had more parenting leave, it would help them to progress in their career. Other new measures introduced by Deloitte include up to 12 weeks of additional paid leave for parents whose child requires neonatal care. The company is also offering paid time off for employees undergoing fertility treatment. 

Standard Chartered Bank – Standard Chartered has rolled out an enhanced parental leave package, standardising the amount of paid leave it offers to parents across the globe to a minimum of 20 weeks. Despite a hugely varied socio-cultural landscape across 59 markets, this benefit applies irrespective of gender, relationship status or how a child comes to permanently join a family. This benefit is groundbreaking in markets where parental rights are very limited or non-existent. Challenges included understanding and aligning such benefits across a large footprint while creating a simple solution which maximised the employee experience. The bank believes benefits like this challenge societal norms, improve workforce participation, and provide options to those who want to take up shared childcare responsibilities. The benefit will positively impact employee financial wellbeing and create a more inclusive workplace that supports individual family planning choices.

Employee Wellbeing Initiative of the Year – In-house

Airbus – Airbus has performed some out-of-box thinking to improve workplace wellbeing in Asia-Pacific. The aerospace giant uses therapy dogs to visit sites across Australia. The company’s main canine therapist is “Choppa”, named after the Airbus helicopter division, who has been visiting employees for about 18 months and has the title of “Mental Health SuPAWt officer”. Staff can book time with him to sit at their desk or take him out for a walk. 

AXA Group – AXA’s “We Care” programme has been rolled out across 51 markets worldwide in an effort to continue improving its employees’ wellbeing and build a healthier, more inclusive, and supportive global workplace culture. In April, the company’s UK arm provided dependent leave for employees who are primary carers or if they care for an immediate family member. This leave can be used for unexpected emergencies and planned activities, such as hospital appointments. The business also now grants an employee up to five days’ paid leave if they experience a miscarriage. Spouses or partners are entitled to two days’ paid leave. If an employee experiences a stillbirth after the 24th week of pregnancy, they are entitled to 16 weeks’ full pay. Spouses or partners are entitled to two weeks’ paid leave. In addition, co-parents are entitled to eight weeks paid leave, an increase of four weeks. AXA UK has also improved its domestic abuse policy with the provision of a dedicated, trained team to support staff.

Danske Bank – In June 2024, Danske Bank’s Northern Ireland introduced a new market-leading carers policy that grants colleagues up to 70 hours’ paid leave – 35 hours of leave for planned events and 35 leave for care emergencies. Recognising that carers often have to take a half day’s leave for an appointment that might only take an hour, Danske is now splitting the carer’s leave entitlement into hourly blocks. Importantly, the bank’s carer’s leave is a day-one right and there is no burdensome reporting requirement, with leave simply recorded on the bank’s online systems between manager and colleague.

Standard Chartered Bank – Standard Chartered has rolled out a new global policy providing medical coverage for the treatment of menopause-related symptoms to all employees and their partners. To ensure the success of this new policy, the bank has also launched employee education and support programmes, including in markets where menopause is not part of the social dialogue. The bank’s employment law team also advised on the “Menopause in the Workplace: Impact on Women in Financial Services” report with the Fawcett Society and Financial Services Skills Commission, and supported a survey of 2,400 UK financial services sector workers to better understand the impact of the menopause and how employers can best support staff affected by the menopause.

International Employment Law Team of the Year – In-house

Canva – Canva’s employment legal team is on a mission to ensure the multinational graphic design platform’s people practices are as dynamic and forward-thinking as the company itself. Led by Tanem Taskin, the 12-lawyer team operates globally, supporting operations in more than 40 countries. The in-house team has played a pivotal role in Canva’s global expansion, successfully navigating the employment legal landscapes of Japan, Korea, Brazil, and France to launch hiring in these new markets. But the team’s work extends far beyond traditional legal counsel, such as by tackling key corporate governance issues like Canva’s anti-slavery strategy and supporting its commitment to CSR and philanthropic initiatives. The team has also been at the cutting edge of innovation, leveraging technology and AI to streamline processes and enhance efficiency.

Salesforce – Salesforce’s employment law team, led by Sue Hahm Walker, is comprised of 16 lawyers, five compliance professionals, and two senior paralegals based in the US, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific to support an employee population of over 70,000 employees in 35 countries. Using the same customer resource management that Salesforce sells to its clients, the in-house teams has developed a matter and project tracking systems that allows it to organise work, automatically draft reports, and track the costs, time spent, and nature of matters worked on worldwide. This system allows the team to capture and compare trends to internal factors like population growth in a country, attrition, and performance management, and external context, such as legislation, political, and socio-economic climate, to provide its internal clients with a fulsome and holistic picture of the employment law risk status country by country. The team has also been ensuring its clients’ use of AI for HR decision-making does not create inappropriate business risk.

Standard Chartered Bank – Standard Chartered specialist employment law team consists of ten lawyers operating from the US, UK, UAE, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, and China to advise the bank across its entire global footprint covering no less than 59 jurisdictions and approximately 70,000 employees. Over the past year, the team, led by Nicola Doran, has advised on significant employment disputes, the rollout of an enhanced parental leave benefit globally, the launch of medical coverage for treatment of menopause-related symptoms, divestments across nine markets, and, in light of new non-financial misconduct regulations, led efforts to improve workplace culture and provide greater education around sexual harassment. This includes a new framework enhancing support and protection against victimisation, robust investigatory processes, and improved case management procedures. The team believes it has a critical role which extends beyond mitigating legal risk to focus on maintaining a safe and inclusive environment for all colleagues.

UBS – UBS’s 11-member-strong employment legal team in EMEA is led by Jamie Howard. The EMEA team stands out for how it acts as a strategic partner to the business, balancing legal acumen and risk assessment with the ability to act strategically, resolve critical issues, and helps foster a strong speak up culture across the organisation. Most recently, the team has been supporting the ongoing post-closing integration of UBS with Credit Suisse following their headline-making merger in June 2023. In addition to supporting the business with complex legal concepts across multiple jurisdictions, the team has also needed to navigate a significantly changed leadership and organisation structure, with revised strategic and practical considerations. This has required sensitivity, and the team has ensured that throughout the integration project.

International Employment Lawyer of the Year – In-house

Becky McAlees, Unilever

Benoist Lanselle, La Poste

Gemma Hardiman, Oliver James

Jack Fletcher, Dyson

John Hamlin, Marsh McLennan

Liz Williamson, Accenture

Lori Middlehurst, Salesforce

Nicola Philp, Syneos Health

Nicola Whittfield, Gilead Sciences Europe 

Richard Lamb, Adobe
 

Leader of Tomorrow – In-house

Alice Rockall, Condé Nast

Bhavini Thakkar, Mimecast

Catherine Rawsthorne, Standard Chartered

Jack Skinner, Veeva Systems

Josh Kohler, Western Union

Juliane Rodrigues, Uber

Sagar Magnani, Commvault Systems
 

The following specialist barristers, and their chambers, are also recognised for their expertise in employment and labour disputes and sensitive advice and investigations.

Chambers of the Year

11KBW

Blackstone Chambers

Devereux Chambers

Littleton Chambers

Old Square Chambers

Senior Counsel of the Year

Alice Mayhew KC, Devereux Chambers

Diya Sen Gupta KC, Blackstone Chambers

James Laddie KC, Matrix Chambers

Mohinderpal Sethi KC, Littleton Chambers

Oliver Segal KC, Old Square Chambers

Seán Jones KC, 11KBW
 

Junior Counsel of the Year

James Bickford Smith, Littleton Chambers

Martina Murphy, Outer Temple Chambers

Melanie Tether, Old Square Chambers

Navid Pourghazi, Blackstone Chambers

Rajiv Bhatt, Gatehouse Chambers

Sebastian Purnell, Devereux Chambers

Sophie Belgrove, 11KBW