The winner of the Deeley Group’s most prestigious award has paid tribute to the hard work of his team during a testing year.
Chris Newman, a contracts manager who has worked at Deeley for almost eight years, has been handed the Gary Neville Award for all of his efforts during a challenging 12 months.
The award was founded in 2012 in Gary’s memory after he passed away in 2011. It honours employees who have gone above and beyond for Deeley each year, and is voted for by members of staff.
Chris’s work in leading and completing projects in Chipping Norton in Gloucestershire and Haddenham in Buckinghamshire against the backdrop of the pandemic saw him receive the most votes.
And although Chris was honoured to receive the award, he was keen to heap praise on his colleagues at the company.
He said: “It was a real privilege to find out I was going to receive the Gary Neville Award this year.
“I didn’t get to meet Gary in person before I joined the company but, by all accounts, he was a fantastic person, so I’m very humbled to have been voted by my fellow employees to win the award.
“Although the award has been given to me, it’s definitely been a team effort this year, especially with how tough it’s been in 2020.
“The pandemic has produced challenges that everyone has had to meet head-on, and I’m proud of what we’ve been able to achieve against that backdrop.
“For me, the award recognises every single person whose worked on the projects – they’ve made me look better than I am to be honest!”
Deeley Group Managing Director Peter Deeley added: “We know how difficult it’s been this year, not just for Deeley Group, but for everyone.
“That’s why I think what Chris and his team have achieved has been recognised by our staff and resulted in them voting for him to win the Gary Neville Award this year.
“Chris is a great employee and has always been humble, so I’m not surprised he’s chosen to pay tribute to his team.
“We all pull together at Deeley Group, and we’ll continue to do so as we head into 2021.”
PICTURE CAPTION: Peter Deeley, Chris Newman and Julie Neville.