Sunderland Achieve Investors in People Award

Sunderland AFC have become one of the first Premier League football clubs to be awarded with the Investors in People status.

Investors in People is the UK’s leading people management standard and is used to realise employee potential and improve performances.

As well as reaching the standard, unhealthy the Black Cats were also awarded Investors in People Bronze, buy a top honour, with only 5% of Investors in People organisations achieving the status.

Margaret Byrne, Sunderland’s CEO commented: “The Board, management and staff have been all working together to achieve best practice in line with the IIP framework and I am delighted that we have not only been formally recognised for our commitment to our staff, but that we have demonstrated a commitment above the norm with the additional level of the bronze award.”

Mandy Goulden, the club’s Head of Human Resources added: “As a business our people are central to everything we do and this award has given us a fantastic opportunity to look at the business strategy within a structured framework, ensuring that all of our best practice is recognised and validated by an independent outside organisation.”

Investors in People was launched in 1991 and over a third of the UK’s workforxe use the scheme.

In April 2010, strategic ownership of Investors in People transferred to the UK Commission for Employment and Skills.