Diversity and Inclusion Award

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The ACE New Zealand Diversity and Inclusion Award, sponsored by Stantec, celebrates consultants who exhibit outstanding leadership in their steadfast commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion within their workspaces and communities. This award acknowledges individuals who actively advocate for and embody the principles of diversity and inclusion, thereby contributing to the advancement of both the consulting sector and the communities it serves.

  • Do you have a steadfast commitment to diversity and inclusion?
  • Have you created an inclusive environment or moment?
  • Do you work for an ACE New Zealand member firm?

Then consider applying!

Key dates

  • Submissions open Wednesday, 12 June 
  • Submissions close Friday, 19 July 
  • Short-listed candidates informed by end of August 
  • Interviews early September on a date to be confirmed 
  • Short-listed candidates notified if they are a finalist or not no later than mid September 
  • The winner announced at the ACE Awards Gala on Thursday, 24 October in Christchurch

Prizes

One winner receives:

  • Contribution of up to $2,500NZD towards pre-approved professional development courses or conferences focused on diversity and inclusion
  • One year on the Diversity Agenda Steering Committee
  • Flights, ACE Awards gala ticket, and one night of accommodation to attend the ACE Awards gala (where the award will be presented)

Two runners-up will receive:

  • Contribution of up to $500NZD towards pre-approved professional development courses or conferences focused on diversity and inclusion

Who can enter

To enter the Diversity and Inclusion Award:

  • You must be a permanent employee of an ACE New Zealand member firm
  • You must be a New Zealand citizen or have permanent residency
  • You can be working in a consulting capacity in any discipline (not just engineering)
  • A senior manager from your firm must nominate you
    • Your nominator should be aware that the prize would be an opportunity for you to develop further skills but will involve a time commitment for the following two years
  • The winner and two finalists must remain employed by an ACE New Zealand member firm and working in New Zealand while they are taking up any part of the prize. All prizes will be forfeited if employment ceases with an ACE New Zealand member firm or if they are not working in Aotearoa
  • There is a limit of no more than two applicants per company
  • Applicants selected for an interview must attend (travel costs covered for non-Auckland-based applicants)

What you need for your application

You must prepare your application yourself (not your marketing department). The online entry accepts either written, audio, or video entry to offer flexibility on the presentation of the information. This is in line with inclusive principles.

The application must include:

  • A bio about yourself for publicity material (a maximum of 250 words or video/audio equivalent). ACE New Zealand reserves the right to edit materials
  • Nominator's statement (a maximum of 500 words or video/audio equivalent) outlining:
    • Your leadership and commitment to the fostering of diversity and inclusion in the consulting sector
    • Your ability to motivate and inspire the people around you in diversity and inclusion initiatives (this can be professionally or through community)
    • The impact of your leadership and commitment on the wider consultancy industry
    • Include the following statement of confirmation by the nominator and their signature:
      • I (nominator name) confirm that the entrant is an employee of (company name) and meets the criteria for entry
  • Significant leadership: provide three examples where you've demonstrated significant leadership in diversity and inclusion as a consultant (a maximum of 250 words or video/audio equivalent per example)
  • Wider impact of commitment to sector: provide up to two examples of the wider impact to the sector of your commitment to diversity and inclusion (a maximum of 250 words or video/audio equivalent per example)
  • Diversity and inclusion (a maximum of 300 words or video/audio equivalent per question):
    • Question 1: Describe how you’ve successfully brought about change.  Don’t just tell us the outcome, rather the specific actions that you took to achieve the change
    • Question 2: Describe how your actions and leadership fosters diversity and inclusion in our sector
    • Question 3: Describe how your actions and leadership supports the advancement and attention of better outcomes in health, safety, sustainability, and environment
    • Question 4: Tell us about your diversity and inclusion awareness journey (formative experiences) and use examples to illustrate that journey
  • Letters of support: provide two letters of support 
    • One letter must be from a client, partner or stakeholder (not within the same firm)

We look forward to receiving your applications and celebrating excellence in diversity and inclusion within the consulting sector!

Apply

Applications open Wednesday, 12 June for the Diversity and Inclusion Award