We’re nominated for a CIPD Award!

Citizens Advice LeicesterShire is honoured to be joining other globally recognised names at the highly competitive CIPD People Management Awards 2025! 

 

We are thrilled that our local charity has been nominated for such a prestigious national award by the Chartered Institute of Personal Development, or CIPD: the leading professional body for HR and people development.

Citizens Advice LeicesterShire is a local charity and helps over 30,000 people annually in some of the most vulnerable communities each year, supporting people with issues such as housing, employment and debt. 

Our Unite – Transform – Inspire strategy created in 2024 took a collaborative approach and was led by our new CEO and Chair. This recognition feels particularly meaningful given the journey we’ve been on together in that time.

Just over a year ago, we were facing what felt like an impossible situation. The unexpected loss of our former CEO, combined with the ongoing challenges of the pandemic and cost of living crisis, had left us struggling. Staff vacancies hit 23%, engagement was low, and we were facing a projected deficit of nearly £200,000. 

But sometimes, the biggest challenges can create the best opportunities for transformation.

Our “Unite – Transform – Inspire” Journey

Rather than accept decline, we embarked on an ambitious organisational redesign called “Unite – Transform – Inspire.” This wasn’t just about making tweaks around the edges – it was about fundamentally changing how we worked. 

From the off, we wanted the process to be deeply collaborative. We listened to all our staff through surveys, brought everyone together for strategic planning, and made sure every voice was heard. We developed our leaders, streamlined our operations and created a clear “strategy on a page” that everyone could rally behind.

The Results Speak for Themselves

The transformation has been remarkable:

• 84% of our workforce now understand our strategy and their role in it
• We’ve reduced resignations by 41% and early leavers by 60%
• Our quality audit scores improved from 50% to 70%
• We’ve projected a 77.5% reduction in our budget deficit
• Staff engagement scores jumped from 76% to 85% in just one year

But the real measure of success isn’t in these numbers – it’s in knowing that we’re now better equipped for the future to serve the vulnerable and marginalised communities across Leicester and Leicestershire who depend on our services.

Competing with the Best

Being shortlisted alongside organisations like Lloyds, The Salvation Army, the Welsh government and London Ambulance Service NHS Trust shows that excellent organisational development isn’t about size or resources – it’s about having courage, candour and commitment. 

The winners will be announced at the award ceremony on 25th September 2025. Best of luck to all of the other strong candidates! 

Whatever the result on the night of the awards, we’re so very proud of how far we’ve come as an organisation. Investing in our future means we can continue with our mission: sharing knowledge to transform lives.

We care, we help, we excel, we challenge.

If you would like to talk to our leadership team about our strategy and how we transformed Citizens Advice LeicesterShire, please contact Melissa March, Head of Income and Partnerships, on