Diversity Awards Draw Big Names

The Age

Saturday September 18, 2004

WENDY TAYLOR

Winners of this year's National Diversity Awards received their awards in front of more than 500 people at a gala dinner at the National Gallery last week. "Diversity is a fact of Australian life," said Jock Noble, CEO of Diversity@work, the Melbourne-based social enterprise behind the awards. "The winners have shown how diversity is also an economic and social asset for our country, for individuals and for businesses." Guest speakers at the awards included Philip Bullock, CEO, IBM Australia, Tom Gorman, president, Ford Australia and Ilana Atlas, group executive, people and performance, Westpac. The award winners, selected from more than 100 nominations, included:

? Medibank Private for strategies to capitalise on the languages skills and cultural backgrounds of staff to provide better service to clients;

? The Horn of African Communities Network, Murray Mallee Training Campus and Victoria University for their joint initiative to relocate unemployed African families from Maribyrnong to Swan Hill;

? ANZ Bank for its efforts to hang on to older workers including a new "open-door approach" to recent retirees;

? Moran Furniture for its support of people with disabilities; and

? Senior Constable Brett Prowse for initiating a pre-exam preparation program for people from diverse cultural backgrounds wanting to join the Victorian Police.

Information about winners can be found atdiversityatwork.com.au

Send News & Moves to wdtaylor@fairfax.com.au